Roadway Segment General Plan Consistency Requirements
While intersections generally present the most significant constraint on vehicle capacity, certain scenarios necessitate an evaluation of roadway segments. The following requirements should be applied to ensure consistency with the City's acceptable Level of Service (LOS) standards. If a proposed project causes a roadway segment to exceed these operational thresholds, appropriate improvements must be recommended:
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Any roadway segment currently operating at an acceptable LOS that degrades to an unacceptable LOS due to project-related traffic must identify improvements to restore an acceptable LOS.
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If a roadway segment is already operating at an unacceptable LOS without the project and the project contributes traffic exceeding 5% of the roadway’s capacity (equivalent to a volume-to-capacity ratio increase of 0.05), mitigation measures should be proposed to enhance the roadway segment’s capacity.
Site Access, Safety, and Other Analyses
A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) must evaluate the project’s site access and safety implications on adjacent roadways. The following elements should be assessed:
Site Access Analysis To enhance project access circulation and minimize the impact of driveways and local street access on arterial roads, the following analyses should be conducted:
a) Intersection Sight Distance – All on-site intersections and project access points should provide adequate sight distance per the Caltrans Highway Design Manual or applicable local standards.
b) Driveway Length and Gated Entrances – Primary driveways must be sufficiently long to accommodate incoming vehicles without causing backup onto public streets.
c) Minimizing Driveway Impacts – Access points on arterial streets should be limited to mitigate adverse effects on traffic flow. Driveways should be appropriately spaced from adjacent intersections and, where feasible, consolidated with neighboring properties.
d) Corner Clearance – Driveways should be positioned at a safe distance from signalized intersections to prevent right-turn egress movements from interfering with right-turn queues. Similarly, driveways should allow adequate merging distance for right-turn movements entering a left-turn lane at an adjacent intersection.
e) Right-Turn Lanes at Driveways – If project-generated right-turn traffic during peak hours exceeds 50 vehicles, a right-turn deceleration lane should be considered for driveways connecting to major arterials and secondary streets. The lane length should comply with Caltrans Highway Design Manual standards to ensure safe deceleration.
f) Adequacy of Pedestrian Facilities – The project should ensure safe and convenient pedestrian access to and from the site.
g) Bicycle Accessibility – The project should facilitate access to nearby bicycle routes.
h) Transit Accessibility – The site should provide safe and direct access to adjacent transit stops to encourage multimodal transportation.
On-Site Circulation
The TIA should assess the adequacy of on-site circulation, including traffic control measures at project driveways and internal intersections.
Safety and Operational Analysis
The existing roadway conditions must be analyzed to determine if the project or cumulative traffic increases necessitate safety and/or operational improvements. Such improvements may include:
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Additional turn lanes
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Intersection sight distance studies
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On-street parking restrictions
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Measures to mitigate cut-through traffic in nearby residential areas or implementation of traffic calming solutions
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Considerations for traffic impacts on adjacent schools, parks, and trails
Intersection Turn Lane Queuing Analysis
The TIA should evaluate the effect of project traffic on queue lengths at intersections and access points, assessing whether additional queuing space or modifications to turn lanes are necessary.
Traffic Calming Measures
For residential developments, traffic calming needs must be examined. Residential streets exceeding 660 feet in length should be evaluated for excessive speeds or cut-through traffic potential. Factors such as long tangent sections (greater than 660 feet) or steep grades (greater than 3%) should be analyzed. If speeding or cut-through traffic is identified as a concern, appropriate traffic calming measures should be recommended. Consultation with the Transportation Engineering Division is encouraged before TIA submission.
For non-residential developments near residential areas, schools, or parks, the potential for cut-through traffic must be assessed. Recommendations to mitigate cut-through traffic should be provided, including modifications to driveway numbers, locations, and access restrictions. The TIA findings may necessitate changes to the development application.
Transit, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Facilities
The TIA should identify existing transit routes, high pedestrian activity zones, and designated bikeways within the study area. A qualitative assessment of these facilities should be included, discussing their conditions and any potential improvements. The study should also recognize planned transit, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure and evaluate the feasibility of integrating these elements into the proposed project.
Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis
The Engineer must analyze study-area intersections, including project access points, to determine if traffic signals are warranted under any scenario (e.g., existing conditions, project opening year without and with project traffic). The warrant analysis should be conducted using the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) peak hour warrants for existing intersections and the California daily warrant for new intersections. The analysis worksheets must be included in the study appendices.
For new traffic signals on arterial streets or intersections leading onto arterial streets, a traffic progression and simulation analysis should be performed. This analysis must use Synchro/SimTraffic or an equivalent software program, as directed by the Transportation Engineering Division (TED).
Improvements for Transportation Impacts
Based on the findings of the TIA, necessary improvements should be recommended to address transportation impacts. These may include, but are not limited to:
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Roadway widening projects to enhance capacity
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Additional traffic signals or modifications to existing signal timing and coordination
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Enhanced pedestrian and bicycle facilities, including crosswalk improvements and bike lane installations
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Intersection reconfigurations to optimize traffic flow
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Installation of new turn lanes to minimize delays at key intersections
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Parking modifications to enhance roadway safety and functionality
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Implementation of access management strategies such as driveway consolidation or turn restrictions
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Transit facility enhancements to encourage multimodal transportation
All proposed improvements must align with the City's transportation goals and LOS standards, ensuring that the road network remains efficient, safe, and capable of accommodating anticipated growth. The TIA should comprehensively address how the recommended improvements will mitigate transportation impacts and maintain acceptable LOS thresholds.
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