TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY (TIS) GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS Transportation and Works Department The Regional Municipality of York 17250 Yonge Street Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 6Z1 August, 2007
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The impact of any development, large or small, on the transportation system depends on the number of trips generated by the development and the routes taken to/from the site. This impact is quantified by conducting a Transportation Impact Study (TIS), also referred to as Transportation Impact Assessment (TIA). A TIS is a specialised study that involves traffic and transportation engineering principles and practices; therefore this study must be undertaken by a qualified Transportation Engineering/Planning professional, and signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer. Depending on the scope of the development proposal, the subject TIS can take many forms, these include: a. Access location and Design Review b. Small Scale Development: Transportation Impact Statement c. Medium Scale Development: Transportation Impact Study d. Large Scale Development: Regional Transportation Impact Analysis Table 1 of the Appendix provides suggestions for the scale and detail of a TIS for different development sizes. Based on the uniqueness of each individual site and issues to be resolved, it is highly recommended that the Consultant, prior to the commencement of a study, contact the Development Approvals section of York Region to discuss any issues that this study should address. The Region may suggest that the Consultant attend a TIS initiation meeting with Regional staff. If data and/or analyses are deemed to be missing or lack substance, the report may be returned to the author for further revisions. To avoid potential delays and additional work caused by this situation, it is highly recommended that the consultant retained take the initiative to consult with the Region to discuss the Terms of Reference for this study prior to the commencement of the study. Transportation & Works Department Page 1
The following is a brief outline of the requirements for a TIS prepared in support of a development application or proposal. Since these are guidelines, some sections may not apply to the particular proposal under consideration. 1. TITLE PAGE 2. COVER LETTER OR SIGNATURE PAGE The cover letter or signature page shall be signed by a Professional Engineer. See Appendix A for a sample Signature Page. 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF EXHIBITS AND TABLES LIST OF APPENDICES 4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Key findings and recommendations of the study. 5. INTRODUCTION 5.1 Identification of the Applicant 5.2 Site Location Description of the site s location and a map showing site in area context. 5.3 Nature of the Application Description of the contents and purpose of the Official Plan amendment, zoning amendment, subdivision, site plan proposal, etc. 5.4 Summary of the Key Issues Transportation & Works Department Page 2
6. CONTEXT 6.1 Study Area It is recommended that the Study Area be confirmed with Regional staff before the commencement of data collection and analysis. Relevant maps shall be included to show the study area. Typically the study area should include all Local, Regional and Provincial roads, expressways, intersections, interchanges, transit services and facilities, etc., which will be affected by the proposed development. 6.2 Proposed Land Use on the Site A description of the type of land uses proposed, including the size of the individual land use components expressed in units related to transportation analysis (e.g., floor area, number of residential units, population, employment, number of parking spaces, etc.). Special attention should be paid to gross vs. net definitions. A site plan or concept drawing that shows the site layout and proposed accesses. Identification of any phasing schemes and schedule of implementation with their associated land use statistics. The expected dates of completion and full occupancy of the ultimate development and of any interim phases, if known. 6.3 Other Developments in the Study Area Identify and include in the analysis other Site Plan and subdivision developments under construction, approved or in the approval process within the study area or those in whose study area the subject site falls, along with the type and size of development. The consultant must obtain details on these developments from the local municipal Planning Department or the Region. 6.4 Transportation System Include map(s) to show the existing and proposed transportation system in the study area. The system should be outlined, including: i. Existing and proposed roads, jurisdiction, number of lanes, posted speed limits; Transportation & Works Department Page 3
ii. iii. iv. Existing and proposed signalized intersections, lane configuration, restrictions on movements; Existing railway crossings, specifically where parking facilities are provided such as GO train stations; Locations with critical horizontal and vertical grades; v. Other traffic controls, restrictions on movements; vi. vii. viii. ix. Heavy vehicle (truck) restrictions; Existing and proposed transit routes and service frequencies; Existing transit stops and stations; Adjacent and opposite driveways and other site accesses. Spacing between driveways and accesses; x. Existing and proposed pedestrian crossings and facilities. Pedestrian safety issues and concerns; xi. xii. xiii. Existing and proposed cycling lanes; Other large scale traffic generators such as schools, parks, stadiums, shopping centres and parking facilities; Other features of interest. 6.5 Committed and Proposed Transportation Improvements Identify the nature and timing of such transportation system improvements within the study area or which may affect transportation to/from the proposed development. Transportation & Works Department Page 4
7. TRAVEL DEMAND 7.1 Horizon Years Table 1 shows typical horizon years for different size developments. Table 1: Typical Horizon Years Small Development: < 500 peak total trips Opening Year or 5 Years (whichever is the maximum) Medium Development : >= 500 and < 1000 peak total trips Large Development : >= 1000 peak total trips Multiphase Development Opening Year 5 Years after opening Opening Year 5 Years after opening 10 Years after opening After each phase 5 Years after last phase 10 Years after last phase ** Notwithstanding the guidelines in Table 1 horizon years should be confirmed with Regional staff before the commencement of the study. ** - With a large multiphase development, the initial traffic study shall analyze all phases of the development, to the extent possible. The TIS should be updated as the development progresses and more accurate information becomes available. If separate TIS studies are conducted for future phases then the traffic generated by previous phases of the development shall not be added to background traffic but shall be considered as part of development traffic. 7.2 Time Periods for Analysis Table 2 contains general guidelines on typical Time Periods for different types of developments. The peak hours will be identified on the basis of the worst-case combination of site-generated trips plus background traffic/transit volumes across the study area. Other peak hours, such as weekday noon hour, Saturday/Sunday afternoons or Friday evenings for retail/commercial uses, should be Transportation & Works Department Page 5
examined to see if they will result in a worst-case situation in any respect. A noon time peak hour may have to be analyzed for developments containing eating establishments, particularly fast food outlets. If truck traffic generated by a site is significant, then the times and volumes should be specified and included in the analysis. Table 2: Typical Time Periods Commercial Residential Employment Institutional Industrial PM Peak Saturday peak AM Peak PM Peak AM Peak PM Peak Site specific Site specific Notwithstanding the guidelines in Table 2 Time Periods should be confirmed with Regional staff before the commencement of the study. 7.3 Existing Traffic Volumes The existing balanced traffic volumes for links and intersections in the study area should be shown on a figure. The volumes should be based on the most recent traffic counts available. The consultant should conduct additional traffic counts where existing count data is more than two years old or where existing data appears to be anomalous or insufficient. Transit routes should be based on the peak points of the routes involved. If recent counts are not available, new data must be collected to cover the time periods of 7:00-10:00, 11:00-14:00 (as applicable) and 15:00-18:00 on a typical weekday, plus any other relevant peak period. Such a peak period may include Friday nights or Saturday/Sunday afternoons for major shopping centres and movie theatres. 7.4 Background Traffic/Transit Volumes Existing traffic/transit volumes should be adjusted to account for growth between the date of the counts used and the horizon year(s). Transportation & Works Department Page 6
Background traffic growth rates and background growth volume estimates shall be based on any combination of the following techniques in a manner that is approved by the Region: o Historical growth rates established with historical counts (minimum of the past 3 years) may be used in areas where the expected growth is representative of the past growth. Analysis to determine historical growth rates shall be shown. o Consideration of traffic from approved and pending developments in areas where the historical trend is judged by the Region not to be appropriate. This may be accomplished through: o Baseline historical growth rate plus explicit consideration of development traffic from relevant and applicable Secondary Plan studies, as well approved and pending Subdivision and Site Plan developments in whose study areas the subject site is located, or o Forecast data obtained from the Region s Travel Demand Forecasting model, or o Minimum annual growth rates shall be 2 %, unless supporting analysis can justify a lower rate. A map/s shall be provided that illustrate/s the study area boundaries of relevant Secondary Plan studies as well as approved and pending Subdivisions and Site Plans in whose study areas the subject site is located. Any assumptions shall be documented and justified. Figure/s that shows the background traffic for each Time Period shall be provided. 7.5 Site Generated Traffic/Transit Volumes Traffic volumes expected to be generated by the proposed development shall be forecast using the latest edition of the ITE Trip Generation Manual, unless local and more reliable trip generation data is available. Trip generation parameters shall be selected using the principles as described in Chapter 3 of the ITE Trip Generation Handbook. Transportation & Works Department Page 7
The estimation of traffic volumes shall be based on the full build-out condition and/or maximum land use intensity allowed under existing zoning regulations. Adjustments to trip generation rates and generated traffic volumes to account for internal traffic, pass-by traffic and increased modal splits is permitted provided that assumptions are clearly documented and justified, and illustrated in separate diagrams. Any soft parameters where there is significant uncertainty or a range of possible values should be subjected to sensitivity analysis unless a demonstrated worst-case situation is assumed. As a general rule a reduction in trip generation rates as a result of increased transit use shall only be permitted for office, employment and residential uses. Acceptable modal split parameters should be confirmed with Regional staff prior to the study. Provide a summary table that lists each type of land-use, corresponding size (e.g. sq ft, number of units, number of employees etc.), applied trip generation rates, total trips generated and trip reductions for each of the study Time Periods. Provide trip distribution analysis. All trip distribution assumptions must be documented and justified. Due consideration should also be given to potential differences in trip distribution patterns associated with different time periods, days of the week and development land-use types. 7.6 Total Traffic/Transit Volumes Figure(s) should be presented indicating the assignment of all sitegenerated traffic volumes and pass-by volumes (if applicable) separately to the local road network, as well as to the individual site access locations. For each Time Period include figures that summarize: a) Existing traffic/transit volumes; b) Existing plus background growth for each horizon year; and, c) Existing plus background growth plus site-generated volumes for each horizon year. Transportation & Works Department Page 8
d) By-pass traffic (if applicable) e) Site primary traffic f) Total site traffic Any major transportation improvements, committed or planned within the study horizon, which may significantly affect the travel demand pattern associated with the development proposal should be considered. Scenarios with and without such improvements should be summarized as appropriate. 8. EVALUATION OF IMPACTS The evaluation of impacts shall be conducted for all of the time periods of each horizon year. The existing situation, existing plus background growth and existing plus background growth plus site-generated traffic should be included, including the scenarios with and without any relevant major transportation system improvements. 8.1 Traffic Impacts All site access locations and all relevant signalized and major unsignalized intersections in the study area shall be evaluated. The operational analysis for proposed signalized intersections shall be conducted using the Synchro traffic analysis software. Where appropriate the results of the Synchro analysis shall be supplemented with the results of SimTraffic analysis. The Synchro and SimTraffic evaluations shall be supplied to York Region as part of the TIS submission, both in digital and hardcopy format. Should these software applications be unavailable to the consultant, then the consultant is required to contact the Region to discuss possible alternatives. For the analysis of unsignalized intersections, in addition to Synchro, the Highway Capacity Software (HCS) may be used. The analysis of unsignalized intersections should be supplemented by field studies, including: gap survey, queue reach survey, etc. Additionally, high collision locations shall be analysed to determine if the proposed development will contribute to an already existing problem. All assumptions concerning lane configurations, saturation flows, pedestrian activity, cycle lengths, signal phasing and signal timings shall be documented. The consultant shall confirm that any assumptions are Transportation & Works Department Page 9
in conformance with The Regional Municipality of York standards and/or practices. Saturation flows above industry standard will not be accepted unless substantiated through surveys of existing conditions. Existing scenarios shall be analyzed using existing Regional offset, signal timing and phasing parameters. These can be obtained from the Region s Traffic Signal group. Any recommendations to improve existing traffic operations should be documented and should be cleared with Regional staff before being used in the analysis to reference the Existing scenario. When analyzing background and future development scenarios some degree of optimization in signal timing design is permitted as long as it falls within accepted Regional constraints and parameters. Any changes in lane configuration (e.g. double left turn lanes) and signal phasing (e.g. advance left turn phases) require prior clearance by Regional staff. For all intersections, for all movements traffic volumes, volume/capacity (V/C) ratios, LOS indicators and 95 th percentile queue lengths shall be clearly documented in a Table. Critical intersections and movements shall be highlighted. Critical intersections and movements include: a) An intersection where the overall volume/capacity ratio will exceed 0.85 in urban areas or 0.70 in rural areas; b) An individual movement volume/capacity ratio will exceed 0.85 in urban areas or 0.70 in rural areas; c) An exclusive turning movement which will result in queues exceeding the available storage space; d) Exclusive left- and right turn lanes that are inaccessible due to the length of queues in the adjacent through lanes This information shall be presented for each Time Period for the: a) Existing situation; b) Existing plus background growth for each horizon year; and c) Existing plus background growth plus the site-generated traffic and for each horizon year. All intersections or individual movements identified as critical shall be discussed in terms of contribution of the development proposal to the situation, possible remedial measures, a recommended solution and the Transportation & Works Department Page 10
effectiveness of the solution towards resolving the situation. In general, the objective shall be to ensure that no new critical movements are created by the development and that critical movements which exist without the addition of site-generated traffic are not worsened by the development proposal. All exclusive turning lanes used by site-generated traffic shall be examined to ensure adequate storage space. All proposed new traffic signals shall be evaluated in terms of signal warrants, distance from other signals, effects on existing signal coordination, likely timing of implementation, sight lines etc. All proposed adjustments to cycle lengths, signal phasing and signal timing shall be evaluated in terms of pedestrian crossing time, effect on queue lengths and adequacy of existing storage, modifications required to existing signals and controllers and effects on existing signal coordination. These adjustments must consider additional phases, pedestrian requirements, any special phasing such as railway pre-emption and transit priority. All methodologies and assumptions shall be documented as to source and their use shall be justified. 8.2 Transit Impact Analysis Existing transit services should be evaluated in terms of available capacity and need for increased service. The need for new transit services should be evaluated if the development is of significant scope and would impact the existing transit network. The consultant should coordinate with York Region Transit (YRT) with regards to potential transit impacts and mitigation measures. Pedestrian access to transit services from the proposed development shall be evaluated and desirable improvements to the site plan to facilitate access should be noted and/or recommended. Any impacts on transit operations caused by site-generated traffic shall be identified and suitable remedial measures noted and recommended. Any required relocation of transit facilities, such as bus stops, shall be identified and alternative locations determined and evaluated regarding their effect on traffic and transit operations. Transportation & Works Department Page 11
8.3 Safety Analysis Identification of potential safety or operational issues associated with the following, as applicable: Weaving; Merging; Collision history; Corner clearances; Sight distances; Vehicle-pedestrian conflicts; School crossings; Traffic infiltration; Access conflicts; Cyclist movements; Heavy truck movement conflicts; and, Any other issue identified by Regional staff or the consultant. 9. REMEDIAL MEASURES All transportation systems improvements identified as necessary or desirable to serve the proposed development shall be listed and the timing of the implementation shall be identified. All road improvements shall be shown on a conceptual drawing indicating dimensions, required pavement widenings, required right-of-way widenings and significant constraints identified; such as major utility relocations. Potential Travel Demand Measures (TDM), with an assessment of their likely effectiveness, shall be identified. All movements operating with a V/C ratio greater then 0.85 or other traffic/transit impacts which cannot be successfully mitigated shall be identified. A table shall be prepared to illustrate how the volume/capacity ratios, LOS and queue lengths of the intersections and individual movements are affected by the recommended remedial measures. Transportation & Works Department Page 12
9.1 Auxiliary Lanes All movements that result in left or right turn auxiliary lanes to become warranted in terms of the warrant criteria as per the Region s Geometric Design Standards for Regional Roads shall be identified. All left turn or right turn lanes, that as a result of development traffic, will no longer meet the Region s design criteria (e.g. parallel lengths) shall be identified. 9.2 Double Left Turn Lanes Double left turn lanes, as a remedial measure, shall only be considered if the following warrant criteria are satisfied: Left turn volume shall exceed 400 vehicles per hour peak periods Existing left turn time exceeds 25% of the cycle for a single left turn lane 9.3 Traffic Signals Appendix C contains the Region s policy for the installation of traffic signals. For each proposed traffic signal on a Regional road a traffic signal warrant analysis is required. Should a traffic signal not be warranted detailed justification shall be provided as to why a traffic signal should be permitted. 10. SITE ACCESS AND CIRCULATION Site access location and design shall be determined with respect to the operational analysis and in conjunction with York Region s Access Guideline for Regional Roads. All site access points on Regional roads shall be evaluated in terms of capacity, safety and sight distance and adequacy of queue storage capacity. This evaluation shall be similar in scope to that for signalized and unsignalized intersections described previously. Transportation & Works Department Page 13
Proposed access points shall be evaluated with respect to possible mutual interference with other access points and intersections, on-street weaving problems, need for acceleration or deceleration lanes, pedestrian safety, etc. On-site parking and circulation systems shall be evaluated to demonstrate a high safety factor with respect to the possibility of queues backing on to Regional roads (clear throat distance), the need for vehicles to back onto Regional roads, etc. Sight lines should be evaluated to ensure safe conditions in accordance with York Region s Access Guideline for Regional Roads. Proposed truck/courier loading facilities and access to these facilities shall be evaluated to ensure that they are adequately sized, designed and provided with suitable access so that they will not adversely affect traffic and transit operations on Regional roads. Any required turning or other restrictions should be identified. Generally, it is preferable to minimize the number of private site accesses to Regional roads, in order to maintain the integrity or the arterial road network. Site access should be provided only to the local road network wherever possible. Benefits to the Regional road network should be demonstrated when an access is proposed. Any additional accesses above minimum shall be justified as described in York s Region s Access Guideline for Regional Roads document. 11. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A summary of the key findings with respect to the transportation impact of the proposed development shall be presented along with a summary of the recommended improvements if necessary. Transportation & Works Department Page 14
APPENDIX A SIGNATURE PAGE Transportation & Works Department Page 15
REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF YORK TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY Regional File Number : Development Name : Report Name: Original Submission or Addendum: I hereby certify that the attached document has been prepared accurately and to the best of my knowledge. These assumptions and analysis contained herein have been formulated using sound transportation planning and traffic operations methodologies. Individual accepting corporate responsibility: Name: Signature: Project Manager (if applicable): Name: Other individuals involved in the preparation of the study and can be contacted regarding study content: Name : Engineer s Stamp Name : Transportation & Works Department Page 16
APPENDIX B Table 1 : Table 2 : Suggested requirements for various types of Transportation Impact Studies Suggested Tabular Formats Transportation & Works Department Page 17
TABLE 1 SUGGESTED REQUIREMENTS FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDIES Access Location & Design Review T 100 Peak Hour Trips TRIP GENERATION THRESHOLD Small Medium Development: Development Traffic Impact Traffic Impact Study Statement 100 < T 500 Peak Hour Trips 500 < T 1000 Peak Hour Trips Large Development Regional Traffic Analysis T > 1000 Peak Hour Trips Pre-application meeting or discussion 4 4 4 4 Analysis of Roadway Issues Existing condition analysis within study area 4 4 4 4 Site distance evaluation 4 4 4 4 Nearby driveway locations? 4 4 4 Existing traffic conditions at nearby intersections and driveways 4 4 4 Future road improvements? 4 4 Crash experience in proximity to site? 4 4 4 Trip generation of adjacent development? 4 4 Trip distribution analysis 4 4 4 Background traffic growth? 4 4 Future conditions analysis at nearby intersections? 4 4 Mitigation identification and evaluation? 4 4 Site Issues Traffic generation 4 4 4 4 Traffic distribution? 4 4 4 Evaluate number, location and spacing of access points? 4 4 4 Evaluate access design, queuing, etc. 4 4 4 4 Evaluate site circulation 4 4 4 4 Other Analyses Gap Analysis for unsignalized locations?? 4 TDM Mitigation measures (car- or van-pooling, transit, etc.) transit agency participation? 4 Effect on traffic signal progression, analysis of 1 1 proposed signal locations? 4 Key: 4 = required? = may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis 1 A traffic signal will likely not be permitted Transportation & Works Department Page 18
TABLE 2 SUGGESTED TABULAR FORMATS Trip Generation (source) Trip Rate (/100 s.m.) Trips (Vehicles/Hour) Land Use Size Morning Evening Morning Evening In Out In Out In Out In Out Office, etc. 200 s.m. 2.3 0.4 0.5 2.3 46 8 10 46 Trip Distribution (source) Direction Distribution Morning Evening In Out In Out To/from the north - via Street A 100 10 10 120 - via Street B 15 60 50 200 To/from the east, etc. TOTAL 350 450 450 350 Analyses and Impact Summaries PM Peak Hour V/C Ratios Intersection /Movement Existing Year XX Background Traffic Year XX Total Future Traffic Street A/Street B - All moves 0.73 0.83 0.87 - problem moves NB LT 0.80 0.85 0.95 - problem moves SB LT 0.89 0.92 0.98 Etc. Notes should be provided with the table to allow reference to an appendix which would further detail ALL of the operational analyses. The table as shown above summarizes a p.m. peak hour only. It will also be necessary to develop similar tables for other time periods, horizon years and traffic volumes scenarios where relevant. It may also be necessary to develop tables for other information, such as queuing, weaving information, etc. Transportation & Works Department Page 19
APPENDIX C Traffic Signal Warrant Transportation & Works Department Page 20
TRAFFIC SIGNAL WARRANT The following policy provides a warrant process for the installation of traffic signals at locations along York Region s road network. The excerpt below is detailed in York Region s Traffic Signal Warrant Policy dated September 2002. Traffic signals alternate the right-of-way between conflicting streams of vehicular traffic, or vehicular traffic and pedestrians crossing a roadway, with maximum efficiency and safety. Maximum efficiency implies the minimum delay to traffic. Safety requires that the traffic signals operate at the minimum hazard to vehicles and pedestrians. The following warrants are to be used to determine whether or not traffic signals are justified at a location. Traffic Control Signal Warrants as Outlined in Book 12 of the Ontario Traffic Manual These warrants are currently used within York Region. They are comprised of the following: Warrant 1 Minimum Vehicle Volumes Warrant 2 - Delay To Cross Traffic Warrant 3 Collision Experience If any one warrant is satisfied by 100% or if any two warrants are satisfied by 80% or more, the installation of traffic signals is considered to be justified. Safety Warrant The safety warrant is an analysis based upon the safety performance of an intersection, compared to other intersections with similar characteristics. These characteristics are summarized into safety performance functions (SPFs). In simple terms, the existing safety performance of an unsignalized intersection can be determined and then compared to a projected safety performance, if traffic signals were installed. Transportation & Works Department Page 21
If the rate of equivalent collisions is substantially lower with the installation of traffic control signals than as an unsignalized intersection, then the installation of traffic control signals can be considered. T Type Intersections Warrant The threshold volumes for side street traffic shall not be increased by 50% when evaluating "T" type intersections as the side street traffic faces the same traffic flows on the major street. Peak Hour Delay For Entering onto the Major Street from the Side Street A Peak Hour Delay warrant is met when: The total delay experienced by the traffic on one minor-street approach (one direction only) controlled by a stop sign equals or exceeds four vehicle-hours for a one lane approach and five vehiclehours for a two lane approach; and The volume on the same minor street approach (one direction only) equals or exceeds 100 vehicles per hour for one moving lane of traffic or 150 vehicles per hour for two moving lanes; and The total entering volume during the hour equals or exceeds 800 vehicles per hour for intersections with four or more approaches or 650 vehicles per hour for intersections with three approaches. Installation of Unwarranted Traffic Signals Paid by Local Municipalities Area municipalities shall be permitted to pay for the installation of unwarranted traffic signals subject to a number of conditions being met. York Region s Transportation and Works Department has no technical objections to the installation of traffic signals at the location requested. Warrant 1 and Warrant 2 are satisfied by at least 70%. All installation costs are incurred by the local municipality. Installation costs are estimated at $120,000 per location, permanent installation, $60,000, temporary installation. All on-going maintenance costs are incurred by the local municipality, until such time as the traffic signals become warranted. On-going maintenance costs are estimated at $6,000 per location/annually. Actual costs will be charged to the municipality. Transportation & Works Department Page 22
When the traffic signal becomes warranted, the Region will reimburse the local municipalities 100% of the original installation cost of permanent signals. Temporary installations will be done in areas where road improvements are planned within five years. For temporary installation, the Region will reimburse the local municipality, the value of the material that is recoverable. Transportation & Works Department Page 23