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Traffic Impact Analysis Format - Compliance with General Plan for the project in city of Lake Elsinore

6.2 Traffic Impact Analysis Format - General Plan Consistency

The required format and components of the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) are outlined in Exhibit D. Any deviation from this prescribed format must receive prior approval from the City. The TIA must contain the following major elements, as detailed in Exhibit D:

  • Level of Service (LOS) Analysis

  • Proposed Conditions of Approval

  • Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis

  • On-Site Circulation Analysis

  • Identification of Safety and Operational Improvements

For General Plan Amendments and Specific Plans, additional components must be included, such as:

  • Specific Plan Signalization Analysis

  • General Plan Conformance Review

  • Caltrans Conformance Review

  • Identification of Regional Funding Mechanisms

Projects that involve special uses, such as truck-intensive developments or special event venues, may be required to conduct additional studies to assess unique traffic impacts. The City reserves the right to mandate supplementary analysis as part of the scoping process or following a review of a draft traffic study.

A. Level of Service Analysis

The City of Lake Elsinore’s General Plan establishes minimum Level of Service (LOS) requirements, which vary based on location within the City. The TIA must evaluate whether the proposed project will meet or exceed these minimum standards once constructed. LOS calculations must be provided for all intersections and roadway segments analyzed. If any intersection or roadway segment is found to fall below the required LOS, the TIA must recalculate the LOS based on the proposed conditions of approval to verify compliance.

For projects with significant truck traffic, Passenger Car Equivalents (PCEs) must be applied as approved by the City. The Fontana Truck Trip Generation Study and the ITE High Cube Warehouse Vehicle Trip Generation Analysis may be used to determine truck trip rates, subject to City approval.

The City’s LOS standards, as established in the General Plan, are provided in Exhibit E.

B. Proposed Conditions of Approval

Any study recommending an increase in travel lanes, beyond current conditions or General Plan provisions, must clearly document the associated impacts. The TIA must identify available funding mechanisms for necessary improvements and include conceptual exhibits illustrating the proposed changes.

Concept illustrations should be to scale but conceptual rather than engineering drawings. These illustrations must depict required right-of-way, existing physical barriers, and any factors that might make the improvements infeasible. Examples of such barriers include railroads, drainage structures, and utility infrastructure. The purpose of these illustrations is to ensure that proposed conditions of approval are feasible and achievable.

Concept illustrations must be prepared for:

  • Improvements necessary to mitigate traffic impacts exceeding General Plan standards under the Existing + Ambient Growth + Project scenario.

  • Improvements required for compliance under the Existing + Ambient Growth + Cumulative Projects + Project scenario.

  • Cases where required improvements exceed the lane count planned in the General Plan.

If additional right-of-way is required, acquisition is the responsibility of the project proponent. The proponent must:

  1. Provide studies or documentation evaluating environmental impacts of off-site improvements.

  2. Include proposed alignments and street configurations in the tentative map.

  3. Provide notification of impacted property owners.

  4. Obtain assurances from affected property owners regarding right-of-way acquisition.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the need for project redesign or potential denial by the Advisory Agency.

C. Traffic Signal Warrant Analysis

The Engineer must evaluate all unsignalized intersections within the study area, including project driveways, to determine if traffic signal warrants are met under any study scenario (e.g., existing conditions, project opening year, cumulative scenarios). The warrant analysis must utilize Caltrans Peak-Hour Warrant 3, and supporting documentation should be included in the study appendices. Outputs from traffic analysis software programs are acceptable.

D. On-Site Circulation and Parking

The TIA must analyze on-site circulation and assess whether traffic control measures and vehicle storage space at project driveways and intersections are adequate. A queuing analysis may be required based on scoping requirements or as determined through traffic study review.

Parking availability must be assessed for all residential, commercial, and industrial projects unless otherwise exempted by the City. Parking requirements must comply with the City’s Municipal Code. If a parking shortfall is identified, potential mitigation measures include:

  • Providing active transportation facilities

  • Designating shared ride pickup/drop-off zones

  • Locating the project near a transit stop

Early coordination with the City’s planning department is recommended to ensure compliance with parking requirements.

E. Safety and Operational Analysis

The TIA must assess existing roadway conditions to determine if safety or operational improvements are needed due to project-generated traffic. Potential improvements may include:

  • Adding dedicated turn lanes

  • Conducting sight distance studies

  • Realigning roadways or intersections

  • Implementing parking restrictions

  • Reducing cut-through traffic in residential areas

  • Evaluating impacts on schools and businesses

  • Analyzing queue lengths and potential spillover into adjacent intersections

  • Installing signal interconnect systems

  • Implementing traffic calming measures

F. General Plan Conformance

The TIA must evaluate whether the proposed roadway system in the Circulation Element of the General Plan is adequate to accommodate project traffic. If modifications to the General Plan are proposed as part of the project, these changes must be documented and justified.

G. Regional Funding Mechanisms

The study must identify whether the project is included in any City fee programs, Road and Bridge Benefit Districts (RBBD), Assessment Districts, or the Western Riverside Council of Governments’ Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF). Other regional funding mechanisms should also be identified if applicable.

H. Fair Share Contributions

For cumulative deficiencies in intersections or roadway segments, projects must contribute a fair share toward necessary improvements. If a deficient facility is included in an existing traffic impact fee program (e.g., TUMF), payment of applicable fees will satisfy this requirement.

Fair share contributions should be calculated as follows:

 

The highest fair share percentage from peak-hour analysis must be applied.

I. Special Uses

Truck-Intensive Uses (e.g., Warehouses, Surface Mining)

In addition to standard TIA requirements, truck-intensive projects must submit a study evaluating truck routes, roadway adequacy, safety considerations, and potential impacts on residences or businesses. Trip generation rates and truck trip splits from the Fontana Truck Trip Generation Study or ITE High Cube Warehouse Vehicle Trip Generation Analysis may be used as approved by the City.

PCE rates are as follows:

  • Large 2-axle vehicles – 1.5

  • 3-axle trucks – 2.0

  • 4+ axle trucks – 3.0

Unique Land Uses and Special Event Venues

Projects with atypical trip generation patterns must provide additional analysis. If trip generation data is unavailable in the ITE Trip Generation Manual, traffic counts at three similar sites in Southern California may be required.

For special events (e.g., stadiums, racetracks), weekend and off-peak scenarios must be analyzed. A traffic management plan must be included to mitigate event-related congestion.

Traffic Impacts Exceeding General Plan Standards

The following conditions indicate an exceedance of General Plan standards:

  1. Existing traffic conditions already exceed the target LOS.

  2. Project-generated traffic deteriorates the LOS below acceptable levels and cannot be mitigated.

  3. Cumulative traffic impacts exceed the target LOS and cannot be mitigated through established funding mechanisms.

In such cases, additional mitigation measures or alternative project designs may be required.

Our Services are available throughout City of Lake Elsinore with Zipcodes 92532

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