Quarry Traffic Study

 
There were several questions raised about our recent traffic study. Below is an explanation of the methodology used to do our traffic study.

 

Part of the reason for doing this now is that folks were concerned that we did not catch the traffic prior to school getting out, were questioning why we were looking at Linda Mar, and had questions about the traffic poles. This should help answer those questions.

 

We're crunching the numbers now and should have the results in the next few weeks.

- John Zentner

To assess current and likely traffic conditions within the project environs, vehicle trips are estimated based on the trip generation rates and vehicle distribution data from the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual, 9th Edition (ITE, 2012) and actual vehicle trip count data. Existing weekday morning (AM) and evening (PM) peak-hour traffic counts were collected at 7 intersections (see attached pdf) on Thursday, June 9, 2016. Traffic data were collected during a normal weekday, when public schools were still in session. Traffic data were collected using a mounted camera, with the Miovision software and the data collected is then reviewed and processed for accuracy.  Existing lane configurations and signal timings along with existing vehicle turning movement counts were included in the traffic analysis. The Synchro 9 (Trafficware) software suite will be used to implement the HCM 2000/2010 intersection Level of Service (LOS) analysis methodologies.

http://www.fixpacifica.com/docs/QuarryTrafficAnalysis.pdf

The travel demand estimation also includes actual vehicle trip demand from comparable developments, including 24-hour driveway counts at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Asilomar in Pacific Grove, and Chaminade in Santa Cruz. All three locations are comparable to the proposed hotel/resort at the project site. The driveway counts were conducted on Thursday, June 9, 2016, and the data included the total number of inbound and outbound vehicles at each location in 15-minute increments over the 24-hour period. By dividing the total number of daily and weekday peak-hour vehicle trips by the number of hotel/resort rooms, a vehicle trip rate will be identified (number of trips per room).

Travel demand was also assessed for the current zoning, which would allow up to 200,000 square feet of commercial (retail) development, by using actual vehicle driveway counts from a nearby commercial/retail area. The Linda Mar Center is located 1.1 miles south of the project site and includes approximately 204,000 square feet of retail development. Vehicle driveway counts were collected on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 over a 24-hour period at all four driveway locations. For purposes of accurately assessing the actual vehicle demand at the site during a typical weekday, the number of inbound and outbound vehicles at the McDonald’s will be discounted from the overall calculations, as these vehicles were in the drive-thru lane.

Trip reductions (the result of internal trips without moving off-site) will be calculated using the MXD+ method developed by Fehr & Peers, which is a combination of quantifiable methods to more accurately assess trip generation estimation for mixed-use developments; these quantifiable methods that form the basis for the MXD+ method were developed and sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Transportation Research Board (TRB). The MXD+ method uses ITE trip generation rates and then adjusts those estimates to account for the mix of uses and environmental characteristics (e.g., geographic layout of the site, land use in surrounding area, socioeconomic data, proximity to land uses and transportation resources, etc.).

These data, once analyzed, will provide daily vehicle trips and trip rates by use as well as AM and PM peak hour vehicle trips and trip rates. In turn, these will generate traffic demand and current and likely level of service for each of the local intersections. 

Submitted by John Zentner