Introduction. School Overview TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM

Transcription

1 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Charles Hay, Tappe Architects Elizabeth Peart Melissa Restrepo DATE: May 30, 2018 HSH PROJECT NO.: Introduction Howard Stein Hudson (HSH) has prepared this technical memorandum evaluating the existing and future transportation and parking impacts associated with the planned expansion and improvements to the Ivan G. Smith Elementary School (Smith School) located at 15 Lobao Drive in Danvers, MA. The Project is currently in the schematic design phase, led by the architectural firm Tappe Architects. HSH is the transportation consultant on the Project, working closely with Tappe Architects, other team members, and the Town of Danvers. School Overview The Smith School, one of five public elementary schools in the Town, is nestled in a residential neighborhood west of Summer Street, between Lima Street and Lobao Drive. The school serves students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The typical school day begins at 8:20 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Students in Grades 4 and 5 have extended hours from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. On occasional earlyrelease days, dismissal is at 1:15 p.m. The Fun Club After-School Program is a licensed childcare program for school-age children that operates at the Smith School from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 pm. The Town is expecting enrollment growth that will increase the number of students at the Smith School from 280 students in 2017 to approximately 465 students by Along with the projected growth in the number of students, the number of staff will increase from 41 to approximately 70 staff. Anticipating this growth, the Town is planning for a new, larger building on the current site that will accommodate projected enrollment. Important transportation elements of the new school include an increase in parking supply from 44 spaces to 119 spaces, a dedicated bus lane, and drop-off/pick-up curb areas. 11 BEACON STREET, SUITE 1010 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

2 Study Area For the transportation assessment of the Smith School, the study area encompasses the school site and four key intersections, listed below and shown in Figure 1. Summer Street/Lima Street/Strawberry Hill Lane; Summer Street/Lobao Drive/Kenmore Drive; Lobao Drive/Orrantia Circle; and Lima Street/Orrantia Circle. Existing Condition This section presents information related to existing traffic volumes, school activity, parking, and pedestrian/bicycle environment. Traffic Data Collection TURNING MOVEMENT COUNTS Manual Turning Movement Counts (TMCs) were recorded during the morning peak period (7:00 9:00 a.m.) and the afternoon peak period (2:00 4:00 p.m.) on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at the study intersections and include counts of vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles. These time periods reflect the peak hours of trip generation associated with the Smith School. The morning peak period evaluated in this study coincides with the typically morning commuter peak period, while the afternoon peak period occurs prior to the typical evening commuter peak period. In this evaluation, the morning peak hour (the one hour period with the highest volumes) is 7:15 8:15 a.m. and the afternoon peak hour is 2:15 3:15 p.m. The Existing Condition intersection traffic volumes during the morning and afternoon peak hours are shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively. AUTOMATIC TUBE RECORDERS An automatic traffic recorder (ATR) is a device that continuously records the passage and speed of vehicles on a roadway for a given period of time. Automatic Tube Recorder (ATR) counts on Lima Street and Lobao Drive (locations shown in Figure 1) were collected for a 48-hour period on Tuesday, November 28, and Wednesday, November 29, To assess activity associated with Danvers Youth Soccer practices at the Smith School fields, the ATR counts were repeated on Tuesday, May 15, and Wednesday, May 16, (Note that practices were scheduled for both these dates, but the Tuesday, May 15, practices were cancelled due to rain.) The evaluation of these counts is presented in a later section. 2

3 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Figure 1. Study Area Intersections U Unsignalized ATR Count Location SITE U LIMA ST U SUMMER ST DELAW ARE AVE MOHAWK ST MOHAWK ST U U KENMORE DR SUMMER ST Not to scale.

4 Figure 2. Existing (2017) Condition Traffic Volumes, Weekday Morning Peak Hour Not to scale. 5 5 SITE LIMA ST SUMMER ST SUMMER ST KENMORE DR

5 Figure 3. Existing (2017) Condition Traffic Volumes, Weekday Afternoon Peak Hour Not to scale SITE LIMA ST SUMMER ST SUMMER ST KENMORE DR

6 The November 2017 ATR counts were taken on a typical school day. (Note that no soccer practices occurred at the Smith School during this count.) In general, vehicles arriving at the Smith School use Lima Street and turn right onto Orrantia Circle toward the school. Vehicles leaving the school disperse onto two routes by 1) continuing straight onto Lobao Drive toward Summer Street or 2) turning left onto the continuation of Orrantia Circle to Lima Street toward Summer Street. All Smith School traffic arrives and departs via Summer Street. Figure 4 presents a graph of the hourly traffic volumes on Lima Street, reflecting a daily count of 622 vehicles on Tuesday, November 28, and 607 vehicles on Wednesday, November 29. Most vehicles travel westbound (toward Orrantia Circle) during the morning peak hour and afternoon peak hour, reflecting the Smith School s drop-off and pick-up activity. The traffic volumes on Lobao Drive, shown in Figure 5, are much lower with a daily count of 306 vehicles on Tuesday, November 28, and 348 vehicles Wednesday, November 29. The predominant direction of travel on Lobao Drive is eastbound (toward Summer Street) reflecting exiting traffic from the Smith School. The peak hours of travel on Lobao Drive are the same as on Lima Street. 6

7 Figure 4. Lima Street Traffic Volumes - November 28-29, vehicles per hour Eastbound (toward Summer Street) 160 Westbound (toward Orrantia Circle) Combined 140 vehicles per hour Tues. Nov. 28, 2017 Wed. Nov. 29, 2017

8 Figure 5. Lobao Drive Traffic Volumes - November 28-29, vehicles per hour Eastbound (toward Summer Street) 160 Westbound (toward Orrantia Circle) Combined 140 vehicles per hour Tues. Nov. 28, 2017 Wed. Nov. 29, 2017

9 Existing School Activity Observations The Smith School main entrance is located on Orrantia Circle, a one-way southbound roadway, and is classified as a local road under the Town of Danvers jurisdiction. HSH conducted field site visits and observed morning school activity on Tuesday, November 20, 2017 and afternoon school activity on Thursday, January 25, 2018, and Wednesday, April 11, On school mornings, most staff members arrive before 7:30 a.m. All parent vehicle drop-off occurs at the school s main entrance, where vehicles arrive and queue up as a designated school employee receives the students. Three school bus routes, Route 2, Route 3, and Route 8 serve the school. During the afternoon pick-up period, parent pick-up occurs at two locations: 1) the cafeteria exit near the lower lot ( back door ) for students in Kindergarten or Grade 1 and 2) at the intersection of Lima Street/Orrantia Circle for the older students. (An older student with a sibling in Kindergarten or Grade 1 uses the cafeteria exit.) This procedure creates a safer environment near the school during the dismissal process by reducing vehicle-pedestrian conflict points. It was noted that many parent vehicles (for the older grade students) arrive via Lima Street travelling westbound and then make a U-turn in the middle of the Lima Street/Orrantia Circle intersection to wait along Lima Street, heading eastbound. Parent vehicles start arriving about 2:00 p.m. and park/idle along both sides of Lima Street and Orrantia Circle. At school dismissal time (2:30 p.m.) students who will be picked-up by parents walk with teachers to the intersection of Lima Street/Orrantia Circle and are discharged to parents. Any student who was not picked-up is taken back to the school. While this activity creates some congestion along Lima Street and at the Lima Street/Orrantia Circle intersection, it is short-lived. Because almost all the vehicles on these streets are related to the school pick-up, the process is orderly and relatively safe. At the school main entrance, three school buses and two school vans arrive between 2:00 2:20 p.m. and park awaiting school dismissal. By approximately 2:45 p.m., most vehicle activity associated with the school has dissipated in the neighborhood. Soccer Practice Activity Danvers Youth Soccer is a city-wide organization for ages 5 to 18 years with weeknight practices at schools throughout Danvers. The season starts in early April and ends mid-june. Games are typically played on Saturdays and Sundays. During the 2018 spring session, there were 17 weekday evenings with scheduled practices at the Smith School and one day of scheduled games at the Smith School. Smith School practices are held Tuesday or Wednesday evenings and serve Kindergarten, Grade 1, and 9

10 Grade 2 teams. Smith School practices are staggered and start at 5:00 p.m., 6:10 p.m., and 6:25 p.m. and typically last 45 minutes. In response to an issue raised during the public review process, additional ATR counts were collected on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, and Wednesday, May 16, 2018, when Danvers Youth Soccer practices were scheduled at the Smith School. Note that practices were scheduled for both these dates, but the Tuesday, May 15, practices were cancelled due to rain. Figure 6 presents a graph of the hourly traffic volumes on Lima Street, reflecting a daily two-way count of 563 vehicle trips on Tuesday, May 15 (no soccer practice), and 730 two-way vehicle trips on Wednesday, May 16 (with soccer practice). Similarly, as shown in Figure 7, traffic volumes on Lobao Drive were 286 two-way vehicle trips on Tuesday, May 15 (no soccer practice), and 458 two-way vehicle trips on Wednesday, May 16 (with soccer practice). Most of the vehicle trip increases occurred between 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. On a typical day with Smith School is session and no soccer practice, Lima Street carries about vehicle trips per day and Lobao Drive carries about vehicle trips per day. Based on a comparative review of the traffic volumes on days without soccer practice and with soccer practice, the following are key summary points: Between 5:00-6:00 p.m.: Lima Street volumes were 65 vehicles higher with soccer practices Lobao Drive volumes were 1 vehicle higher with soccer practices Between 6:00-7:00 p.m.: Lima Street volumes were 56 vehicles higher with soccer practices Lobao Drive volumes were 40 vehicles higher with soccer practices Between 7:00-8:00 p.m.: Lima Street volumes were 19 vehicles higher with soccer practices Lobao Drive volumes were 41 vehicles higher with soccer practices While there is an increase in traffic volumes on the 17 weekdays when evening soccer practices occur at the Smith School, the increase varies between 1 vehicle and 63 vehicles per hour depending on the time and street location. At most, the increase is +63 vehicles per hour, or on average, about one vehicle trip per minute. Even with many vehicles arriving/leaving at the same time (bunching), this increase is not significant enough to cause a meaningful change in intersection operations in the area. 10

11 Figure 6. Lima Street Traffic Volumes - May 15-16, vehicles per hour Eastbound (toward Summer Street) 160 Westbound (toward Orrantia Circle) Combined 140 vehicles per hour Tues. May 15, 2018 Wed. May 16, 2018

12 Figure 7. Lobao Drive Traffic Volumes - May 15-16, vehicles per hour Eastbound (toward Summer Street) 160 Westbound (toward Orrantia Circle) Combined 140 vehicles per hour Tues. Nov. 28, 2017 Wed. Nov. 29, 2017

13 Existing Parking Smith School staff members drive and park in the on-site spaces located along Orrantia Circle. Because an adequate parking supply for staff members exists on site, staff do not park in the adjacent residential neighborhood. The school s parking area has approximately 45 marked spaces with four reserved for the school s principal, assistant principal, nurse, and secretary. There is a No Parking sign along the south side of the school s roadway on Orrantia Circle, between the intersection with Lima Street and the school entrance. However, vehicles were observed parked in this area during both the morning and afternoon peak hours. On both sides of the roadway in front of the school s main entrance, the pavement is marked as No Parking. On Tuesday, November 20, 2017, approximately 32 vehicles were parked in the lots and seven vehicles were parked along the No Parking zone after 8:30 a.m. On Thursday, January 25, 2018, approximately 34 vehicles were parked in the lots and nine vehicles were parked along the No Parking zone at 2:00 p.m. The observed parking occupancy of about 40 vehicles corresponds to the school staff count of 41, indicating that most staff members likely drive alone to the school. The Smith School is in a Zoning District categorized as Residential III. The required parking for Educational elementary/middle school is designated as one space per each faculty plus one space for every five students. With the exception of the Thorpe School, which has adjacent recreational field parking, no elementary school in Danvers provides a parking supply that meets zoning requirements. To meet the existing zoning requirement, the existing Smith School should have about 86 spaces (1 space/5 students x 227 students + 1 space/staff x 41 staff = 86), compared to the 45 available spaces. Existing Pedestrian and Bicycle Conditions The study area is provided with satisfactory pedestrian accommodations. Sidewalks of sufficient width are generally provided along both sides of each study area roadway. Crosswalks are typically provided across all approaches of the study area intersections with the exception of Lobao Drive/Orrantia Circle, which does not have crosswalks. Bike lanes and/or bike accommodations are not provided within the study area. Pedestrian and bicycle counts were conducted concurrent with the TMCs. Figure 8 show pedestrian volumes during peak hours. No bike activity was observed during the morning and afternoon peak hours. Based on the counts and field observations, pedestrian activity was very low (generally 0-2 pedestrians per hour) during the morning peak hour. During the afternoon peak hour, pedestrian volumes are 13

14 higher (up to about 26 pedestrians per hour) through the intersection of Summer Street/Strawberry Hill Lane/Lima Street. A crossing guard assists students at the intersection of Summer Street/Strawberry Hill Lane/Lima Street during the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal periods at the Smith School. 14

15 Figure 8. Existing (2017) Condition Pedestrian Volumes, Weekday Morning and Afternoon Peak Hours a.m. p.m. 0 (0) Not to scale. XX (XX) SITE 0 (0) 9 (3) 0 (14) 2 (26) LIMA ST 2 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) SUMMER ST SUMMER ST 0 (23) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (26) 2 (19) KENMORE DR

16 Build Condition The design year for the Project (for traffic analysis purposes) is 2024, seven years into the future, as is standard for traffic analysis. The baseline 2024 intersection volumes have been estimated by applying a one percent annual growth factor to the existing year volumes. Additionally, the vehicle trips associated with the new Smith School have been incorporated into the Build Condition. This section presents the proposed site plan, trip generation methodology, new vehicle trips generated by new Smith School, and the associated intersection level of service evaluation. Site Access and Circulation The site plan is shown in Figure 9. Drivers will continue to access and egress the school grounds as they today. Drivers will still enter the school site in a one-way, counter-clockwise circulation from the intersection of Orrantia Circle/Lima Street, travel through the school property, and exit via the intersection of Lobao Drive/Orrantia Circle. As shown in the site plan, school buses will have a designated travel lane adjacent to the main entrance of the school. Buses will drop-off students at this curb area in the morning and pick-up students at this area in the afternoon. This lane will be signed for buses only during school hours and no parent pick-up or drop-off activity will occur in this lane. Today, about 50% of students ride on three bus routes to/from the Smith School. In the future, the percentage is expected to remain steady, with up to seven buses serving the school. Private vehicles dropping off students in the morning will use the right curb lane along the access road and the right curb lane adjacent to the island at the main entrance. See site plan. During afternoon pick-up, there will be available parking for about 50 parent vehicles. It is anticipated that parents who park will then walk and meet their student at a designated area. Other parents will stay in their vehicle and use the right curb lane on the access road to meet and pick-up their student. (With the increased curb lane capacity, afternoon pick-up will no longer occur at the Orrantia Circle/Lima Street intersection.) 16

17 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Figure 9. Site Plan Wetland Slope Nature Play Rain Garden Emerge ncy Ac cess Wetland Hard Surface Play Outdoor Learning 5-12 Structured Play Wetland Pavilion Shelter FFE 66 l oo ch gs istin Ex Overlook Area Woodland Outdoor Classroom 2-5 Structured Play lty cu Fa School Garden PROPOSED NEW BUILDING 68 Spaces PARKING t Lo 23 Spaces Outdoor Classroom Art Plaza LIMA 1 ne PARKING se Bu 6 Accessible + Visitor Parking 28 Spaces PICK-UP/ DROP OFF Service Area BUS CURB LANE LENGTH LO Wetland BA IVE R O D Not to scale. ORRANTI A CIRCLE CROSSING GUARD STREET 5 Pe d Ac estria ces n s Ca rs ss ce FFE 73 Outdoor Cafe s+ Ac 4 Entry Plaza Fir cy ela en 3 SUMMER erg Em 2 Wetland STREET

18 Parking Currently, there are about 45 on-site parking spaces, which basically serves staff parking demand. Informal visitor parking occurs along the curb lanes near the school. As shown in the site plan (Figure 9), the new Smith School will have about lot 119 spaces, with about 68 spaces in a rectangular lot serving mostly staff and the remaining 51 spaces in two sections along the eastern edge of the property serving mostly visitors. Danvers zoning for elementary schools requires one space per each faculty plus one space for every five students. Except for the Thorpe School, which has adjacent recreational field parking, no elementary school in Danvers provides a parking supply that meets zoning requirements. Based on a future condition with 70 staff and 465 students, the required parking per zoning would be 163 spaces ( ). However, under Site Plan approval, a requested decrease of up to 25% of the zoning supply can be made of the Planning Board. With such approval, the required parking supply would be 122 spaces. The site plan, shown in Figure 9, provides for 119 spaces an adequate number of spaces for the Smith School. In addition to the 119 spaces, the 26 curbside spaces can be used for parking during school events. Trip Generation Methodology The increases in trip activity at Smith School under future conditions are based on data provided by the school and field observations of travel characteristics. STUDENTS Smith School enrollment is currently 280 students and is expected to increase by approximately 185 new students, to 465, by Because of available before-school programs, some student drop-off occurs as early as 7:20 a.m. The school day officially starts at 8:20 a.m., but a few students also arrive after this time. Based on observations, about 85% of student drop-off activity, including both parent vehicles and school buses, occurs during the peak hour of 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. While school dismissal is at 2:30 p.m., many parent vehicles arrive about 2:00 p.m. and park and wait for dismissal. The availability of after school programs and activities reduce the pick-up activity at the 2:30 p.m. dismissal. Based on observations, about 50% of student pick-up activity occurs during the peak hour of 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. STAFF MEMBERS Along with the projected growth in the number of students, the number of staff will increase by 29 from 41 to approximately 70 staff, proportional to the expected increase in students. Based on the study team parking observations, approximately all staff arrived by vehicle before 7:30 a.m. and departed after 3:00 p.m. The parking observations also indicated that most staff members drive alone to school. 18

19 Based on these observations, about 85% of staff travel activity occurs within the morning peak hours of 7:15 8:15 a.m. and about 50% during the afternoon peak hour of 2:15 3:15 p.m. TRAVEL MODE SHARES Travel mode shares reflect the distribution of person trips among available travel modes, such as private automobiles, school buses, and walking/bicycling. For both students and staff members, a travel mode share profile has been developed based on available data and observations. These travel mode shares and the associated vehicle occupancy rates are shown in Table 1. Table 1. Travel Mode Shares and Vehicle Occupancy Students Staff Members Time Period Private Vehicle Mode Share School Bus Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) Private vehicle only Mode Share Private Vehicle Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) Morning and Afternoon Peak Hours 49% 51% % 1.00 Vehicle Trip Generation By applying the travel mode shares in Table 1 to the new person trips associated with the growth in Smith School student enrollment (+185 students) and staffing (+29 staff members) expected by 2024, the number of new vehicle trips was estimated and shown in Table 2. Table 2. New Vehicle Trip Generation Time Period/Direction Student Vehicles 1 Staff Member Vehicles Total Vehicles Morning Peak Hour 7:15 8:15 a.m. Afternoon Peak Hour 2:15 3:15 p.m. In Out Total In Out Total Includes private vehicles and school buses 19

20 STUDENT-RELATED VEHICLE TRIPS The travel mode share percentages shown in Table 1 were applied to the number of students arriving and leaving by vehicle and school buses to develop vehicle trip generation estimates. During the morning peak hour, approximately 134 new vehicle student drop-offs and pick-ups will occur (67 in and 67 out). During the afternoon peak hour, approximately 80 new vehicle student drop-offs and pick-ups will occur (40 in and 40 out). STAFF VEHICLE TRIPS The additional staff members are expected to generate approximately 25 new vehicle trips (25 in and 0 out) during the morning peak hour and 15 new staff vehicle trips (0 in and 15 out) during the afternoon peak hour. Vehicle Trip Distribution A vehicle trip distribution pattern identifies the various travel paths for vehicles arriving at a destination and the corresponding departure travel paths. New vehicle trips generated to the Project site will include parent s drop-off and pick-up, and staff arrival and departure. STUDENT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP Vehicle patterns were developed based on the study team field observations and traffic counts during the morning and afternoon peak hours. During the morning drop-off, the majority of vehicles observed were entering the site via Lima Street. As the vehicles drop-off students, the exiting pattern is mainly via Orrantia Circle and Lobao Drive. Figure 10 and Figure 11 show the student vehicle trip distribution during the morning and afternoon peak hours, respectively. STAFF ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE Staff vehicle patterns were developed based on the parking occupancy observations and traffic counts during both the peak hours. Based on the traffic data, the majority of staff arrives via Summer Street and Lima Street before the student drop-off peak hour. During the staff afternoon departure, the exiting patterns occur after the student pick-up activity, mainly via Lima Street and Lobao Drive towards Summer Street. Figure 12 and Figure 13 show the staff vehicle trip distribution during the morning and afternoon peak hours, respectively. 20

21 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Figure 10. Vehicle Trip Distribution - Student Morning Drop-off Entering Exiting SITE 48% SUMMER ST DELAW ARE AVE MOHAWK ST MOHAWK ST 9% LIMA ST 20% 59% 91% 32% KENMORE DR SUMMER ST 32% Not to scale.

22 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Figure 11. Vehicle Trip Distribution - Student Afternoon Pick-up Entering Exiting SITE 20% SUMMER ST DELAW ARE AVE MOHAWK ST MOHAWK ST 25% LIMA ST 9% 4% 75% 71% KENMORE DR SUMMER ST 71% Not to scale.

23 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Figure 12. Vehicle Trip Distribution - Staff Morning Arrival Entering SITE 50% SUMMER ST DELAW ARE AVE MOHAWK ST MOHAWK ST LIMA ST 10% KENMORE DR SUMMER ST 40% Not to scale.

24 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Figure 13. Vehicle Trip Distribution - Staff Afternoon Departure Exiting SITE LIMA ST 50% SUMMER ST DELAW ARE AVE MOHAWK ST 10% MOHAWK ST KENMORE DR SUMMER ST 40% Not to scale.

25 Build (2024) Condition Traffic Volumes The student drop-off and pick-up vehicle trips as well as the staff arrival and departure vehicle trips were distributed through the study area. The student project-generated trips during the morning and afternoon peak hours are shown in Figure 14 and Figure 15, respectively. The staff project-generated trips during the morning peak hour are shown in Figure 16 and the afternoon peak hour staff projectgenerated trips are shown in Figure 17. The Build Condition traffic volumes, which incorporate the students and staff vehicle trips at Smith School, are shown in Figure 18 and Figure

26 Figure 14. Student New Vehicle Drop-off Trip, Weekday Morning Peak Hour In 67 Out (67) (61) (6) Not to scale. 1 SITE 66 1 (6) LIMA ST (3) (3) (40) (21) SUMMER ST 32 SUMMER ST (30) (10) 1 20 KENMORE DR

27 Figure 15. Student New Vehicle Pick-up Trip, Weekday Afternoon Peak Hour In 40 Out (40) (30) (10) Not to scale. 6 SITE 34 6 (10) LIMA ST (8) (2) (2) (28) SUMMER ST 8 SUMMER ST 3 23 (2) 6 23 KENMORE DR

28 Figure 16. Staff New Vehicle Trip, Weekday Morning Peak Hour In 25 Out (0) Not to scale. SITE 25 LIMA ST SUMMER ST 12 SUMMER ST KENMORE DR

29 Figure 17. Staff New Vehicle Trip, Weekday Afternoon Peak Hour In 0 Out (15) (6) (9) Not to scale. SITE (9) LIMA ST (7) (2) (6) SUMMER ST SUMMER ST KENMORE DR

30 Figure 18. Build (2024) Condition Traffic Volumes, Weekday Morning Peak Hour Not to scale. 6 5 SITE LIMA ST SUMMER ST SUMMER ST KENMORE DR

31 Figure 19. Build (2024) Condition Traffic Volumes, Weekday Afternoon Peak Hour Not to scale SITE LIMA ST SUMMER ST SUMMER ST KENMORE DR

32 Traffic Operation Analysis The key intersections in the Smith School area were evaluated to quantify the associated delays experienced by drivers. The criterion for evaluating traffic operations is level of service (LOS), which is determined by assessing average delay incurred by vehicles at intersections and along intersection approaches. Trafficware s Synchro (version 9) software package was used to calculate average delay and associated LOS at the study area intersections. This software is based on the traffic operational analysis methodology of the Transportation Research Board s 2000 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). LOS designations are based on average delay per vehicle for all vehicles entering an intersection. Table 3 displays the intersection LOS criteria for unsignalized intersections (Note there are no signalized intersections in the designated study area). Table 3. Vehicle Level of Service Criteria, Unsignalized Intersections Level of Service Average Stopped Delay (sec.) A 10 B >10 and 15 C >15 and 25 D >25 and 35 E >35 and 50 F >50 Source: 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board LOS A indicates the most favorable condition, with minimum traffic delay, while LOS F represents the worst condition, with significant traffic delay. LOS D or better is typically considered acceptable but for stop controlled minor streets that intersect a major roadway, LOS E or F is often typical. In addition to delay and LOS, the operational capacity and vehicular queues are calculated and used to further quantify traffic operations at intersections. The following describes these other calculated measures. The volume-to-capacity (v/c) ratio is a measure of congestion at an intersection approach. A v/c ratio below one indicates that the intersection approach has adequate capacity to process the arriving traffic volumes over the course of an hour. A v/c ratio of one or greater indicates that the traffic volume on the intersection approach exceeds capacity. The 95th percentile queue length, measured in feet, represents the farthest extent of the vehicle queue (to the last stopped vehicle) upstream from the stop line during five percent of the hour. 32

33 The 95th percentile queue will not be experienced throughout the hour. The queue would be this long only five percent of the time and would typically not occur during off-peak hours. Since volumes fluctuate throughout the hour, the 95th percentile queue represents what can be considered a worst case scenario. Queues at the intersection are generally below the 95th percentile queue throughout the course of the peak hour. It is also unlikely that the 95th percentile queues for each approach to the intersection will occur simultaneously. Table 4 and Table 5 summarize the Existing (2017) Condition and the Build (2024) Condition capacity analysis for the study area intersections during the weekday morning and afternoon peak hours, respectively. Complete Synchro reports are provided in the Appendix. The four study area intersections operate at an acceptable level of service, LOS C or better, during both the morning and afternoon peak hours under the Existing (2017) Condition. With the increased traffic volumes under the Build (2024) Condition, only one move would degrade into LOS E. At the intersection of Summer Street/Lima Street/Strawberry Hill Lane, the Lima Street eastbound movement would degrade from LOS C to LOS E during the morning peak hour. The longest expected queue on this approach is about two vehicles. Because this condition will only exist during the morning peak period, and all other moves operate at LOS D or better, the overall intersection operation is considered acceptable. 33

34 Summary Because the neighborhood adjacent to the Smith School is residential and the street network does not allow through travel to other areas, background traffic volumes are quite low. Even though the school is the primary generator of traffic volumes along Lima Street, Lobao Drive, and Orrantia Circle, the vehicle activity associated with the school is relatively low and concentrated during the morning dropoff and afternoon pick-up periods. With the projected increase in enrollment and staff at the new Smith School, the resulting future analysis show that study intersections will continue to operate at acceptable levels of service. Table 4. Capacity Analysis Summary, Weekday Morning Peak Hour Existing (2017) Condition Build (2024) Condition Intersection/Movement LOS Delay (sec.) V/C ratio 95 th % Queue (ft.) LOS Delay (sec.) Summer Street/Lima Street/Strawberry Hill Lane EB Lima Street left/thru/right C E WB Strawberry Hill Lane left/thru/right C D NB Summer Street left/thru/right A A SB Summer Street left/thru/right A A Summer Street/Lobao Drive/Kenmore Drive EB Lobao Drive left/thru/right B C WB Kenmore Drive left/thru/right C C NB Summer Street left/thru/right A A SB Summer Street left/thru/right A A Lobao Drive/Orrantia Circle WB Orrantia Circle left A A NB Lobao Drive right A A SB Orrantia Circle left/thru A A Orrantia Circle/Lima Street WB Lima Street left/right A B NB Orrantia Circle thru/right A A Grey shading indicates LOS E or F. V/C ratio 95 th % Queue (ft.) 34

35 Table 5. Capacity Analysis Summary, Weekday Afternoon Peak Hour Existing (2017) Condition Build (2024) Condition Intersection/Movement LOS Delay (sec.) V/C ratio 95 th % Queue (ft.) LOS Delay (sec.) Summer Street/Lima Street/Strawberry Hill Lane EB Lima Street left/thru/right C C WB Strawberry Hill Lane left/thru/right B B NB Summer Street left/thru/right A A SB Summer Street left/thru/right A A Summer Street/Lobao Drive/Kenmore Drive EB Lobao Drive left/thru/right B B WB Kenmore Drive left/thru/right B C NB Summer Street left/thru/right A A SB Summer Street left/thru/right A A Lobao Drive/Orrantia Circle WB Orrantia Circle left A A NB Lobao Drive right A A SB Orrantia Circle left/thru A A Orrantia Circle/Lima Street WB Lima Street left/right A A NB Orrantia Circle thru/right A A V/C ratio 95 th % Queue (ft.) 35

36