When assessing land development safety and circulation, it is imperative to consider a few methodologies. Here are the methodologies one needs to consider per the non-CEQA transportation analysis.
Certain Operational Calculation
LOS or intersection level of services methodologies from the Transportation Research Board HCM or Highway Capacity Manual must get utilized. It helps evaluate the intersections (in the vicinity of the land development project) and project driveways’ operation.
Considering each isolated intersection analysis, it is acceptable to use software packages like HCS, Synchro, and Vistro to implement HCM methodologies.
Oversaturated conditions do indeed exist. However, operational estimates and analysis must get conducted using SimTraffic or Synchro or VISSIM simulation models. That will reflect the ultimate impact of congestion on intersection operations with more accuracy.
Note that VISSIM is applicable for use in locations with transit lanes or high pedestrian levels, conflicting with the turning movements of vehicles.
It is important to determine lane assignments for intersections with unmarked curb land. To do so, the delay calculations should presume the ultimate capacity of the functional land only if the following criteria are met:
- The land must have not less than a width of 18 feet
- In addition, there should not be any bus stop at that approach
- There shouldn’t be any on-street parking that impedes vehicles from turning right
- The pedestrian volumes must be low during vehicular peak hours
Analyzing the Study Arena and Time Periods
The study locations should be determined by taking into consideration the LADOT details, including:
- The prime project driveways
- The intersections at one of the block ends (where the project is situated 600 feet from the primary project driveway) should be closer
- Unsignalized intersections nearby the project are expected to be pivotal to the project’s site access & circulation plan
- If the oversaturated conditions are getting simulated, intersections might be compulsory. It helps with the oversaturation’s extent with more accuracy.
Analyzing traffic for morning and evening (AM and PM) weekday peak hours is imperative for maximum projects. On the other hand, expanding this analysis in midday and weekend periods might be required if some are expected to be the trip generations periods for any land development.
For further information on traffic assessment reports, consult the team of Armen Hovanessian Transportation Consulting professionals. Proficient engineers in the company can conduct traffic report analysis and give you other insights accordingly.