Union Township City Zoning Code
§ 30-22.20
Impact Studies.
[Ord. No. 85-9, § 2219; Ord. No. 90-2, § 9]
a.
A traffic impact study shall be required for all major subdivisions, land developments, and mobile home parks that meet one or more of the following criteria:
1.
Residential: 100 or more dwelling units.
2.
Commercial: A commercial building or buildings consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of gross leaseable floor space, and all fast food franchises.
3.
Office: A development consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of gross leaseable floor space.
4.
Industrial: A development consisting of 50,000 square feet or more of gross leaseable floor space.
5.
Institutional: Medical, Public, Institutional: All developments of 25,000 square feet or more of gross floor area.
These impact studies shall be reviewed by the Township and must be found to be satisfactory prior to granting preliminary approval. Any improvements identified by the studies will be required improvements at the time final plan approval is granted.
b.
Traffic Impact Study. The study will enable the Township to assess the impact of a proposed development on the traffic system. Its purpose is: (1) to ensure that proposed developments do not adversely affect the traffic network; (2) to identify any traffic problems associated with access from the site onto the existing roads; and, (3) to delineate solutions to potential problems and to present improvements to be incorporated into the proposed development.
1.
Traffic impact statements shall be based on the following criteria:
(a)
General Site Description. The site description shall include the size, location, and proposed land uses, construction staging and completion dates, or types of dwelling units. A brief description of other major existing and proposed land developments within two miles of the proposed development.
(b)
Traffic Facilities Description. The description shall contain a full documentation of the proposed internal and existing highway system. The report shall describe the external roadway system within the area. Major intersection in the area shall be identified and sketched. All future highway improvements which are part of proposed surrounding development shall be noted and included in the calculations.
(c)
Existing Traffic Conditions. Existing traffic conditions shall be measured and documented for all roadways and intersections in the area. Manual traffic counts at major intersections in the study area shall be conducted, encompassing the peak highway and development generated hour(s), and documentation shall be included in the report. A volume/capacity analysis based upon existing volumes shall be performed during the peak highway hour(s) and the peak development-generated hour(s) for all roadways and major intersections in the study area. Levels of service shall be determined for each location.
This analysis will determine the adequacy of the existing roadway system to serve the current traffic demand. Roadways and/or intersections experiencing levels of Service E or F, as described in this section and Report 187: Quick Response Urban Travel Estimation Techniques and Transferable Parameters Users Guide.
(d)
Traffic Impact of the Development. Estimation of vehicular trips to result from the proposed development shall be completed for the average daily peak highway hour(s). Vehicular trip generation rates to be used for this calculation shall be obtained from the trip generation rates included herein. These development generated traffic volumes shall be provided for the inbound and outbound traffic movements as estimated, and the reference source(s) and methodology followed shall be documented. All turning movements shall be calculated. These generated volumes shall be distributed to the area and assigned to the existing roadways and intersections throughout the area. Documentation of all assumptions used in the distribution and assignment phase shall be provided. Traffic volumes shall be assigned to individual access points. Any characteristics of the site that will cause particular trip generation problems shall be noted.
(e)
Analysis of Traffic Impact. The total future traffic demand shall be calculated. This demand shall consist of the combination of existing traffic expanded to the completion year, the development generated traffic, and the traffic generated by other proposed developments in the study area. A second volume/capacity analysis shall be conducted using the total future demand and the future roadway capacity. If staging of the proposed development is anticipated, calculations for each stage of completion shall be made. This analysis shall be performed during the peak highway hour(s) for all roadways and major intersections in the study area. Volume/capacity calculations shall be completed for all major intersections.
All access points shall be examined as to the necessity of installing traffic signals, based on projected traffic volume.
(f)
Conclusions and Recommendations. Levels of service for all roadways and intersections shall be listed. All roadways and/or intersections showing a level of service below C shall be considered deficient and specific recommendations for the elimination of these problems shall be listed. This listing of recommended improvements shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements; internal calculation design, site access location and design, external roadway and intersection and design and improvements, traffic signal installation and operation including signal timing, and transit design improvements. All physical roadways shall be shown in sketches.
The applicant shall be responsible for all recommended improvements. The estimated cost of the improvements shall be listed along with the projected completion date of the work.
(g)
Levels of Services.
(1)
Level of Service A describes a condition of free flow, with low volumes and high speeds. Traffic density is low, with speeds controlled by drivers desires, speed limits and physical roadway conditions. There is little or no restriction in maneuverability due to the presence of other vehicles, and drivers can maintain their desired speed with little or no delay.
(2)
Level of Service B is in the zone of stable flow, with operating speeds beginning to be restricted somewhat by traffic conditions. Drivers still have reasonable freedom to select their speed and lane of operation. Reductions in speed are not unreasonable with a low probability of traffic flow being restricted. The lower limit (lowest speed, highest volume) of this level of service has been associated with service volumes used in the design of rural highways.
(3)
Level of Service C is still the zone of stable flow, but speeds and maneuverability are more closely controlled by the higher volumes. Most of the drivers are restricted in their freedom to select their own speed, change lanes, or pass. A relatively satisfactory operating speed is still obtained, with service volumes perhaps suitable for urban design practices.
(4)
Level of Service D approvals unstable flow with tolerable operating speeds being maintained. However, such speeds can be affected considerably by changes in operating conditions. Fluctuations in volume and temporary restrictions to flow may cause substantial drops in operating speeds. Drivers have little freedom to maneuver, and comfort and convenience levels are low. Such conditions can be tolerated for short periods of time.
(5)
Level of Service E cannot be described by speed alone, but represents operations at even owner operating speeds than in Level D, with volumes at or near the operating capacity of the highway. At capacity, speeds are typically about 30 miles per hour. Flow is unstable, and there may be stoppages of momentary duration.
(6)
Level of Service F describes forced flow operation at low speeds where volumes are below capacity. These conditions usually result from lines of vehicles backing up from a restriction downstream. The section under study will be serving as a storage area during parts or all of the peak hour. Speeds are reduced substantially and stoppages may occur for short or long periods of time because of the downstream congestion. In the extreme, both the speed and volume can drop to zero.