JEP John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering 7541 Hosbrook Road, Cincinnati, OH Telephone:

Transcription

1 JEP John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering 7541 Hosbrook Road, Cincinnati, OH Telephone: MEMORANDUM REPORT Traffic Impact Analysis Proposed Soccer Practice Field TO: Kathleen Farro Ryan, Attorney at law FROM: Jack Pflum, PE SUBJECT: Appeal of Decision for Denial Soccer Field at 3303 Church Street, Newtown, Ohio DATE: October 15, 2018 Background The Village of Newtown Planning Commission previously denied a Conditional Use permit application for the construction of a practice soccer field. A Traffic Analysis Report, dated May 22, 2018, was submitted with the application. The report described various aspects of the projected traffic flow, parking patterns, and Level of Service on Church Street. Subsequently, it has been determined that a revised Report should be prepared since additional and updated information is available with regard to trip generation and traffic flow. This Report will analyze the new trips generated by the soccer field and impact on the adjacent public streets. It is assumed the reader of this Report is familiar with the current site plan and background documents that have been submitted to Newtown as well as the general area surrounding the proposed soccer practice field. The proposed location is shown in Figure 1. The open field area will be used for soccer practice sessions only. A single full access driveway will provide access to Church. Parking will be provided for 50 cars, including one handicapped space. On-site traffic flow patterns will use a roundabout as an exit to Church Street. Generally, the typical hours of practice will be from 5:00 PM to 6:15 PM and 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM. The gap in time between sessions will allow pickup and drop-off to occur efficiently by avoiding congestion. Church Street is a 2-lane roadway posted at 25 mph in the vicinity of the proposed access drive. It provides a connection to SR 32 and US 50 to the north. To the south it connects with Clough Pike. 1

2 Church JEP John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering Figure 1 - Site Location Graphic North Proposed Soccer Practice Field Traffic Data Existing traffic counts were recorded on Church Street on a typical weekday between 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM on September 6, Review of the counts indicated that peak hour occurs on Church Street from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. These counts are used for the capacity analysis at the intersection of Church Street with the proposed Access Drive and Edith Street. The existing counts are shown in Figure 2. Figure Existing Weekday Counts PM Peak Hour NOTE: Weekday traffic volumes were selected for analysis since they exceed weekend volumes and represent worst case conditions 3 4 Edith Avenue Graphic North 2

3 Church 40% 60% John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering Estimated New Trips The new trips for the facility were estimated using traffic data collected during the recent Soccer Camp held on August 8 and August 9, 2018 at Otto Armleder Park located in the City of Cincinnati with a single access drive on Wooster Pike. Two-way directional counts (using a video camera) were recorded along the access drive in the northern part of the Park in the vicinity of the parking lot adjacent to the soccer fields used for the Camp. The two-way directional counts were supplemented by manual counts and observations made during the practice sessions on August 8, 2018 for the purpose of establishing vehicle occupancy. It was observed that there were between 13 and 26 parked cars during the sessions. Incoming and outgoing cars averaged 1.1 to 1.2 players per car. The following analysis assumes 1 player per car as a conservative estimate. The estimated new trips assume a maximum of 50 players for each session. Table 1 below summarizes the estimated new trips. Table 1 Estimated New Trips (Peak Hour) Land use Vehicles PM In PM Out PM Total Practice Soccer Field The new trips were distributed to the south and north on Church Street using existing traffic patterns. The trip distribution percentages are shown below in Figure 3. The new trips are shown in Figure 4 and total traffic volumes are shown in Figure 5. Prop. Access Dr. Graphic North 60% 40% Figure 3 New Trip Distribution (Percent) 3

4 Church Church John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering Prop. Access Dr Figure New Trips PM Peak Hour Edith Avenue Prop. Access Dr. Graphic North Figure Total Traffic PM Peak Hour 3 4 Edith Avenue 4

5 John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering Capacity Analysis The Level of Service (LOS) analysis for the intersection of Church and the Proposed Drive is completed using Highway Capacity Software (HCS) for the PM Peak Hour with Build Traffic Volumes (Figure 5). The summary of LOS is shown in Table 2. The analysis completed for the intersection of Church Street and Edith Street is shown in Table 3. The results are summarized in terms of LOS and average vehicle delay. Letter A represents the most efficient flow of traffic; and letter F represent unacceptable congestion. The Appendix provides the detailed computer model information. Ex. Lane Use 2018 Build Table 2- Church Street and Proposed Access Drive - Level of Service/Delay (Seconds/Vehicle) - PM Peak Hour Un-Signalized Conditions EB (Pr. Access Dr.) WB (N/A) NB (Church Rd.) SB (Church Rd.) L - R App L Intersection C B C A Ex. Lane Use 2018 No Build 2018 Build Table 3- Church Street and Edith Street - Level of Service/Delay (Seconds/Vehicle) - PM Peak Hour Un-Signalized Conditions EB (N/A) WB (Edith Street) NB (Church Rd.) SB (Church Rd.) LR - App L Intersection B B A B B A Turn Lane Warrants The turn lane warrants at the intersection of Church Street and Proposed Access Drive were evaluated using the information included in ODOT Location and Design Manual, Volume 1, Figure 401-5bE (left turn) and Figure 401-6bE (right turn). Evaluation of the exclusive turn lane warrants indicates that an exclusive northbound left turn lane and a southbound right turn lane are not warranted. The detailed warrant computations are included in the Appendix. 5

6 John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering Intersection Sight Distance Church Street in the vicinity of the proposed Access Drive is posted at 25 mph. Minimum safe intersection sight distance standards are shown in ODOT Figure 201-5E and Figure 201-1E for an outbound vehicle: Vehicle completing a Left Turn from a stop looking to the right = 280 ft. Vehicle completing a Right Turn from a stop looking to the left = 240 ft. Stopping Sight Distance on Church = 155 ft. A field observation, confirmed with an engineering survey, at the site indicates the intersection sight distance at the Proposed Access Drive exceeds the required minimum distance looking to the south, but that an existing hedge in front of #3307 Church Street interferes with the sight line when looking to the north. Findings The proposed soccer practice facility is not an intense land use in terms of trip generation. There are no trips in the traditional weekday morning peak hour and the facility does not generate a continuous flow throughout the day. About 50 vehicles ( 6% of existing traffic on Church) will enter and exit during limited time periods. There will be no truck or school bus traffic. Flow of inbound and outbound vehicles will occur within a limited and compressed time frame due to the scheduled practice sessions and the gap between sessions. The impact on overall Church traffic will be minimal as shown in Table 2 and 3. As shown in Table 2 and 3, LOS for Build is acceptable for suburban conditions. The southbound and northbound left turns at Church will operate at LOS A, Edith Street approach at LOS B, and the proposed Drive at LOS C. The change in LOS for Edith between existing conditions and Build conditions is only 0.5 seconds of delay. The evaluation of exclusive turn lane warrants indicates that exclusive lanes for the northbound left turns and southbound right turns from Church to westbound on the Proposed Access Drive are not warranted. Ideally it would be desirable to align the Proposed Access Drive with Edith Avenue. However; the Proposed Driveway is offset and located north of Edith Avenue due to property constraints. A concern has been noted about potential blocking of Edith by northbound vehicles turning left into the facility. Existing counts (Figure 2) show that only four vehicles (about one vehicle every 15 minutes. were counted turning left from Edith during the peak hour. Experience indicates that an Edith vehicle will be able to exit with minimal delay. The Proposed Drive will be located about 86 ft north of Edith (center-line to center-line). As noted above, limitations of property ownership prevent this from occurring. The offset between Edith and the Proposed Drive is not unusual in Newtown as well as other areas in the suburban region. It is noted that traffic flow volume on Edith and the Proposed Drive is modest and will be limited to short periods of time. There are three driveways serving three single family homes on the east side of Church, between Edith and Jefferson. The additional traffic volume due to the soccer practice facility represents a 5.9% increase (20 cars) for northbound traffic and a 6.0% (30 cars) increase for southbound traffic. This modest increase will impact flow on Church for short periods of time. Variations in traffic flow on Church, may in fact, fluctuate at least that much based on day of week, seasonal conditions, and external factors. 6

7 John E. Jack Pflum, P.E. Consulting Engineering Evaluation of intersection sight distance at the Proposed Driveway indicates that available sight distance for vehicles looking to the south exceeds the minimum safe sight distance. The owners of the site have recently cleared existing trees and vegetation along the frontage of Church Street. However, there is an existing hedge, at address #3307 immediately to the north of the site, that violates the safe line of sight. The hedge is about 58 high and located in the public right of way. Recommendations 1. The Proposed Drive shall be constructed with a single inbound and two outbound lanes. 2. A stop sign shall be installed on the eastbound approach on the Proposed Access Drive at the intersection with Church Street with standard stop-controlled pavement markings. 3. The existing hedge at #3307, located in the public right of way, shall be removed to provide safe intersection sight distance. The owners of the soccer facility shall periodically remove vegetation and limb up trees in order to preserve safe sight distance. 4. DO NOT BLOCK intersection signage shall be installed on Church, south of the Edith intersection. 5. The existing signage and pavement markings on Church Street shall be modified to reflect the conditions at the proposed Access Drive. Advance warning sign for Play Ground and other related signage as per the ODOT Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices should be installed on Church Street. 6. All improvements shall be made using ODOT standards and any supplements to these standards as adopted by the Village of Newtown. Conclusion In consideration of the activities associated with the proposed soccer practice facility, the anticipated trip generation, traffic flow characteristics, and the above recommendations, it is my opinion the impact on the public street system will be mitigated and public safety will be protected. Attachments 1. Level of Service Calculations 2. Turn Lane Warrants 3. Existing Traffic Counts 7

8 Capacity Analysis

9 HCS7 Two-Way Stop-Control Report General Information Site Information Analyst JA Intersection Church at Access Drive Agency/Co. SHA Engineering Jurisdiction Newtown, Ohio Date Performed 9/26/2018 East/West Street Prop. Access Drive Analysis Year 2018 North/South Street Church Street Time Analyzed PM Peak Peak Hour Factor 0.92 Intersection Orientation North-South Analysis Time Period (hrs) 0.25 Project Description Lanes Newtown Soccer Field Major Street: North-South Vehicle Volumes and Adjustments Approach Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Movement U L T R U L T R U L T R U L T R Priority U U Number of Lanes Configuration L R LT TR Volume, V (veh/h) Percent Heavy Vehicles (%) Proportion Time Blocked Percent Grade (%) 0 Right Turn Channelized No No No No Median Type/Storage Critical and Follow-up Headways Undivided Base Critical Headway (sec) Critical Headway (sec) Base Follow-Up Headway (sec) Follow-Up Headway (sec) Delay, Queue Length, and Level of Service Flow Rate, v (veh/h) Capacity, c (veh/h) v/c Ratio % Queue Length, Q₉₅ (veh) Control Delay (s/veh) Level of Service, LOS C B A Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS C Copyright 2018 University of Florida. All Rights Reserved. HCS7 TWSC Version 7.4 Generated: 10/13/2018 3:10:11 PM Chruch_Access_Drive_PM_Build.xtw

10 HCS7 Two-Way Stop-Control Report General Information Site Information Analyst JA Intersection Church at Edith Agency/Co. SHA Engineering Jurisdiction Newtown, Ohio Date Performed 9/26/2018 East/West Street Edith Street Analysis Year 2018 North/South Street Church Street Time Analyzed PM Peak - Existing Peak Hour Factor 0.92 Intersection Orientation North-South Analysis Time Period (hrs) 0.25 Project Description Lanes Newtown Soccer Field Major Street: North-South Vehicle Volumes and Adjustments Approach Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Movement U L T R U L T R U L T R U L T R Priority U U Number of Lanes Configuration LR TR LT Volume, V (veh/h) Percent Heavy Vehicles (%) Proportion Time Blocked Percent Grade (%) 0 Right Turn Channelized No No No No Median Type/Storage Critical and Follow-up Headways Undivided Base Critical Headway (sec) Critical Headway (sec) Base Follow-Up Headway (sec) Follow-Up Headway (sec) Delay, Queue Length, and Level of Service Flow Rate, v (veh/h) 8 8 Capacity, c (veh/h) v/c Ratio % Queue Length, Q₉₅ (veh) Control Delay (s/veh) Level of Service, LOS B A Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS B Copyright 2018 University of Florida. All Rights Reserved. HCS7 TWSC Version 7.4 Generated: 10/13/2018 3:11:38 PM Chruch_Edith_PM_Existing.xtw

11 HCS7 Two-Way Stop-Control Report General Information Site Information Analyst JA Intersection Church at Edith Agency/Co. SHA Engineering Jurisdiction Newtown, Ohio Date Performed 9/26/2018 East/West Street Edith Street Analysis Year 2018 North/South Street Church Street Time Analyzed PM Peak Peak Hour Factor 0.92 Intersection Orientation North-South Analysis Time Period (hrs) 0.25 Project Description Lanes Newtown Soccer Field Major Street: North-South Vehicle Volumes and Adjustments Approach Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Movement U L T R U L T R U L T R U L T R Priority U U Number of Lanes Configuration LR TR LT Volume, V (veh/h) Percent Heavy Vehicles (%) Proportion Time Blocked Percent Grade (%) 0 Right Turn Channelized No No No No Median Type/Storage Critical and Follow-up Headways Undivided Base Critical Headway (sec) Critical Headway (sec) Base Follow-Up Headway (sec) Follow-Up Headway (sec) Delay, Queue Length, and Level of Service Flow Rate, v (veh/h) 8 8 Capacity, c (veh/h) v/c Ratio % Queue Length, Q₉₅ (veh) Control Delay (s/veh) Level of Service, LOS B A Approach Delay (s/veh) Approach LOS B Copyright 2018 University of Florida. All Rights Reserved. HCS7 TWSC Version 7.4 Generated: 10/13/2018 3:12:42 PM Chruch_Edith_PM_Build.xtw

12 Turn Lane Warrants

13 X Intersection of Church Street and Access Drive Northbound Left Turn Lane Adv. Traffic Opp. Traffic Left Turns 2018 PM Peak (5.5%) PM X

14 Intersection Church Street and Access Drive Southbound Right Turn Lane Advancing Traffic Right Turn Volume 2018 PM Peak X PM -2018

15 Traffic Data

16 Study Name Newtown Soccer Field Start Date 09/06/2018 Start Time 2:00 PM Site Code Newtown at Edith Project Type Road Classification Totals Church Street Edith Street Church Street n/a Southbound Westbound Northbound Eastbound Start Time Right Thru Left U-Turn Right Thru Left U-Turn Right Thru Left U-Turn Right Thru Left U-Turn 5:00 PM :15 PM :30 PM :45 PM Hourly Total