VIVA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES OAKVILLE TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

Transcription

1 VIVA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES OAKVILLE TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

2 VIVA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES OAKVILLE TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY DECEMBER 2012 READ, VOORHEES & ASSOCIATES TORONTO, ONTARIO Read, Voorhees & Associates Limited, 2 Duncan Mill Road, Toronto, Ontario M3B 1Z4 Tel: / Fax: / readvoorhees@rva.ca

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXISTING CONDITIONS Road System Traffic Data Programmed Road Improvements TRAFFIC FORECAST Background Traffic Site Traffic Total 2017 Traffic TRAFFIC OPERATIONS Signalized Intersection Operation Existing Traffic Conditions Background Traffic Conditions Total Traffic Conditions Unsignalized Intersection Operation Queue Length Analysis Internal Site Operation PARKING CONCLUSION...10 Read, Voorhees & Associates

4 LIST OF TABLES Page TABLE 1. SITE TRIP GENERATION. 4 TABLE 2. SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION ANALYSIS. 6 TABLE 3. SITE DRIVEWAY INTERSECTIONS... 8 TABLE 4. EASTBOUND QUEUE LENGTHS AT SIXTH LINE LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. FIGURE 6. FIGURE 7. LOCATION PLAN SITE PLAN EXISTING TRAFFIC 2017 BACKGROUND TRAFFIC SITE TRAFFIC 2017 TOTAL TRAFFIC VIVA VAN TURNING PATH Read, Voorhees & Associates

5 VIVA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES OAKVILLE TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY 1. INTRODUCTION VIVA Retirement Communities is proposing to develop a retirement home in the north-west quadrant of Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive in Oakville. The site is adjacent to the recently approved Timsin subdivision west of Sixth Line in the North Oakville Secondary Plan. Figure 1 Location Plan illustrates the planned road system and the site location. Read, Voorhees has been retained to prepare a traffic impact study for the project to assess the following items: - impact of the proposed development on the adjacent road system, - the parking requirements and on-site provision, - review of on-site circulation and operation. The study area consists of the intersection of Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive, and the two driveways proposed to serve the retirement home. The design hours for the traffic analysis are the weekday morning and afternoon street peak hours. Peak visitor activity can occur on weekends and in the evenings, but background traffic on the adjacent streets is much lower at these times than on weekdays during the peak hours. A horizon period of five years to 2017 has been used for analysis in the study, by which time the complex is expected to be constructed and fully occupied. 2. DEVELOPMENT PLAN Figure 2 shows the site plan for the proposed development. The retirement home is a 6 storey building, with 177 suites, and 103 parking spaces. The retirement home will be a rental building geared to two groups of seniors, most suites being for independent living and with one floor for assisted living. The independent living suites are for seniors who are mobile and do not require medical care, but do wish to have other services provided. Assisted residents are helped in their daily living habits, if required, Read, Voorhees & Associates

6 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 2 such as taking medication, bathing, dressing, etc. The typical age of residents is 80 years and older. All suites have bathrooms but none have full kitchens, just kitchenettes consisting of a utility counter for coffee and snack preparation. Regular meals are taken in a common dining room. There are common activity rooms and lounges for use by the residents. Very few residents are expected to own cars, and shuttle van service for trips to shopping centres, entertainment attractions and medical services is made available. Therefore most traffic and parking activity is by staff and visitors. There will be 50 to 60 full and part-time staff employed at the residence, but no more than 20 staff on site at any one time. The development will be served by a full moves driveway on Sixteen Mile Drive, and an exit only driveway on Sixth Line. The exit to Sixth Line is primarily to service the loading spaces and the garbage pick-up location at the north end of the building. Parking is located in an underground garage with 75 spaces, and in a surface lot with 28 spaces. The combined total of 103 spaces provides a parking ratio of 0.58 spaces per unit. A drop-off and pick-up facility is provided at the main entrance to the building, able to accommodate a VIVA van and wheel chair para-transit vehicles. 3. EXISTING CONDITIONS 3.1 Road System Dundas Street provides the primary east-west arterial road service to the area, and is currently being widened to six through lanes plus turning lanes. Dundas Street is under Halton Region jurisdiction. Sixth Line is under Town jurisdiction, and provides north-south service as a minor arterial road. North of Dundas Street it is at present a two lane road. Traffic signals are located at the Dundas Street and Sixth Line intersection. 3.2 Traffic Data Figure 3 shows the existing peak hour traffic volumes at the Dundas Street and Sixth line intersection, and along Sixth Line. The volumes are from Halton Region turning movement counts carried out in June 2009 at the Sixth Line intersection. Dundas Street has been under construction for the past few years, and comparison of more recent counts elsewhere along Dundas Street with the above noted 2009 count shows little Read, Voorhees & Associates

7 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 3 change in traffic along Dundas Street in the peak hours. This is probably due to near capacity conditions along Dundas Street at major intersections such as Trafalgar Road and Neyagawa Boulevard. Therefore the count at the signalized intersection is considered to be representative of current conditions. 3.3 Programmed Road Improvements As noted, sections of Dundas Street have been and are presently under construction as part of the Region s programme to widen the road to six through lanes plus turn lanes. The section from Neyagawa Blvd to Oak Park Blvd is scheduled to be widened in Sixth Line is programmed to be widened to a four lane urban roadway over the next 10 years as development occurs in North Oakville. It is anticipated that the section adjacent to the site will be widened by the study horizon year of Sixteen Mile Drive west of Sixth Line is being completed as part of the Timsin subdivision work. The roadway will be extended further west as part of The Preserve subdivision which is immediately adjacent. That subdivision will include an extension of Harman Gate to the north, and thus provide another connection to Dundas Street. For the larger Regional Road network, Neyagawa Boulevard is being widened to four lanes from Dundas Street to Burnhamthorpe Road. The new NNOTC replacing Burnhamthorpe Road is scheduled to be in operation between Trafalgar Road and Ninth Line by 2014, and will be four lanes in width. The full NNOTC route is planned to be completed to Bronte Road by TRAFFIC FORECAST 4.1 Background Traffic The area north of Dundas Street is largely undeveloped at this time, with the North Oakville Secondary Plan setting out the future land uses. The lands south of Dundas Street are now mostly developed. The Halton Region Transportation Master Plan and the Oakville Transportation Master Plan (TMP) have been updated to provide traffic forecasts to It is noted that the forecast of future traffic on the Regional Road system includes traffic generated by all of North Oakville. The Oakville TMP forecasts for Dundas Street show that the 2031 p.m. peak hour volumes will be less than current volumes in the peak direction, and similar to current volumes in the off-peak direction. This pattern would apply to the a.m. peak hour as well. The reallocation of east-west arterial road traffic will be accommodated by the New North Oakville Transportation Corridor (NNOTC) and by the widening of Upper Middle Road. The section of NNOTC from Neyagawa Blvd to Burnhamthorpe Road will be operational by 2017 with Read, Voorhees & Associates

8 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 4 the full roadway completed by 2018, and the Upper Middle Road widenings are scheduled to be in place by The TMP forecasts are for 2031, with a transit modal split of 20%. For 2021 a modal split of 10% is anticipated, and for 2017 a modal split of 5% is anticipated. The widening of Dundas Street to six lanes will include designation of HOV lanes, which may become bus only lanes as more transit usage warrants such restriction. Comparison of the Oakville TMP future volumes on Dundas Street with current volumes indicates that the peak direction traffic on Dundas Street in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours will decrease by about 1.5% annually and then be at the forecast volumes for The off-peak direction traffic will remain at about the same as current volumes. The volumes on the north-south arterial road in the study area, Sixth Line, will increase as development occurs. The forecasts in the Oakville TMP study for traffic on Sixth Line includes North Oakville development, as well as increases in through traffic. The increase in volume on Sixth Line for the 2017 horizon year is forecast as an annual growth rate of 2%, with most of the future traffic on Sixth Line generated by North Oakville development. Draft plans have been approved for the Timsin subdivision and the Preserve subdivision. The traffic forecast for these subdivisions has been taken from the traffic impact studies carried out for the applications. The forecasts also include allowance for future subdivisions on the east side of Sixth Line, although there are no draft plan approvals at this time. Future background traffic for the horizon year of 2017 is shown on Figure Site Traffic Read Voorhees has conducted trip generation surveys at comparable seniors residences in the GTA over the past 10 years. The results are similar to the trip generation rates for retirement homes as represented in the ITE Trip Generation Manual, Eighth Edition for land use category 253, Congregate Care. As noted earlier, very few residents will own cars, and virtually all traffic activity is by staff and visitors. The trip rates from the ITE Manual and the traffic forecasts for the development are shown in Table 1. The rates include traffic by employees and visitors combined, for the peak traffic hours on the adjacent streets. Table 1. SITE TRIP GENERATION USE UNITS A.M. PEAK HOUR P.M. PEAK HOUR In Out In Out Congregate Care Facility (ITE 253) Rates per unit Trips Read, Voorhees & Associates

9 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 5 The other end of the employee and visitor site trips will typically be other residential areas, so the directional distribution pattern for the site traffic has been estimated based on the location of population in Oakville and vicinity. The directional distribution for 2017 conditions used for the analysis is 45% to the east on Dundas Street, 30% to the west on Dundas Street, 15% to the south on Sixth Line, and 10% to the north on Sixth Line. Figure 5 shows the site traffic assignment to the road network. 4.3 Total 2017 Traffic Figure 6 shows total 2017 traffic at the study area intersections. 5. TRAFFIC OPERATIONS 5.1 Signalized Intersection Operation The signalized intersections have been analyzed using the Synchro 7 computer program. The output data is included in the Appendix. The saturation flow rate is 1900 vphg. Peak hour factors for existing traffic are based on the count data from the field, and for future volumes a default peak hour factor of 0.92 is used. The cycle length is 120 seconds, and timing is optimized by the program. Dundas Street is to be widened to six lanes, with the curb lanes to be utilized as transit lanes. The BRT Study has concluded that in the short term the curb lanes should be used as HOV lanes, allowing both buses and carpools to use the lane. In the longer term the curb lanes may be used for bus only operation. The Synchro analysis has assumed operation on Dundas Street with six lanes, but with reduced lane utilization factors to represent the lower volume carried in the HOV lane. It is estimated that about 15% of the through traffic will utilize the HOV lane. A lane utilization factor of 0.75 has been applied to the through lanes on Dundas Street to represent overall lane usage and capacity. Traffic impact studies for the subdivisions that have been approved conclude that traffic signals will be warranted at Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive by The intersection of Sixth Line and Kaitting Trail in the Timsin subdivision is identified as operating as an unsignalized intersection with Stop sign control on Kaitting Trail. As noted, Sixth Line is assumed to be widened to four lanes for 2017 conditions. Table 3 shows the results of the analysis for the signalized intersections in the study area for existing traffic, 2017 background traffic, and 2017 total traffic conditions. The following sections describe the expected levels of service and the v/c ratios for the existing and the 2017 conditions. Read, Voorhees & Associates

10 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 6 Table 2 - Signalized Intersection Analysis Intersection / Condition Existing Traffic Future Background Traffic 2017 A.M. Peak Hour Delay LOS v/c Delay LOS v/c (sec) ratio (sec) ratio Future Total Traffic 2017 Delay (sec) LOS v/c ratio Dundas and Sixth Line 16.4 B D D 0.89 EB thru 9.3 A C C 0.88 SB left 61.3 E F F 0.96 Sixth and Sixteen Mile B B 0.37 Sixth and North Park B B 0.39 P.M. Peak Hour Dundas and Sixth Line 13.4 B D D 0.93 WB thru 8.8 A D E 1.03 SB left 52.1 D F F 0.99 NB thru 51.1 D F F 1.02 Sixth and Sixteen Mile B B 0.30 Sixth and North Park B B Existing Traffic Conditions The Dundas Street and Sixth Line intersection with current volumes and existing roadway configuration is operating at level of service B in the a.m. peak hour and level B in the p.m. peak hour. The overall intersection v/c ratios are 0.73 and 0.74 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively Background Traffic Conditions The Dundas Street and Sixth Line intersection with 2017 background volumes is calculated to be operating at level of service D in the a.m. peak hour and level D in the p.m. peak hour. The overall intersection v/c ratios are 0.89 and 0.93 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively. In the p.m. peak hour a number of movements are calculated to be operating with v/c ratios at or above 1.0. The absence of a separate westbound right turn lane on Dundas Street is a constraint on capacity at the intersection. However, the peak hour factor is likely to be greater than the assumed value of 0.92 for such conditions, and the intersection will be able to accommodate the traffic. Operation at the intersection at Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive has v/c ratios of 0.37 and 0.29 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively. The average vehicle delay represents level of service B in both peak hours. Operation at the intersection at Sixth Line and North Park Drive has v/c ratios of 0.39 and 0.24 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively. The average vehicle delay represents level of service B in both peak hours. Read, Voorhees & Associates

11 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page Total Traffic Conditions The 2017 forecast includes substantial development in North Oakville on both sides of Sixth Line, and since some of the subdivisions are not yet approved the volumes may be overestimated for the 2017 horizon. The Dundas Street and Sixth Line intersection with 2017 total volumes is calculated to continue to operate at level of service D in the a.m. peak hour and level D in the p.m. peak hour. The overall intersection v/c ratios are 0.89 and 0.93 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively. The overall intersection level of service and the v/c ratios are unchanged from the background conditions. Operation for total 2017 traffic at the intersection at Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive has v/c ratios of 0.37 and 0.30 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively. The retirement building does not change the v/c ratio in the a.m. peak hour, and increases the ratio by 0.01 in the p.m. peak hour. Operation at the intersection at Sixth Line and North Park Drive has v/c ratios of 0.39 and 0.24 in the a.m. and p.m. peak hours respectively. There is no change in the v/c ratios as a result of the retirement building development. The two signalized intersections along Sixth Line on each side of the proposed VIVA development will continue to operate very well with the development in place. 5.2 Unsignalized Intersection Operation Table 4 shows the results of the analysis for 2017 total traffic conditions at the two site access driveways. As noted, the driveway on Sixth Line is an exit only connection, and is not expected to attract very much use in either peak hour. The site driveway on Sixteen Mile Drive is evaluated with a one lane approach accommodating both the left and right turn movements. The table also shows the operation of the Sixth Line and Kaitting Trail intersection south of the development. The analysis indicates that the Kaitting Trail intersection on Sixth Line can operate satisfactorily as an unsignalized intersection with the 2017 volumes. The outbound left turns will incur some delay, but the volumes are minor and the level of service for the 2017 background traffic will be level D in the a.m. peak hour and level C in the p.m. peak hour. There is no change in level of service at Kaitting Trail and Sixth Line with the proposed retirement building in place. Read, Voorhees & Associates

12 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 8 Intersection Table 3 - Unsignalized Intersections 2017 Volumes Volume A. M. P.M. Delay (sec) LOS Volume Delay (sec) 2017 BACKGROUND TRAFFIC Sixth Line and Kaitting Trail NB left A A EB left D C EB right B B 2017 TOTAL TRAFFIC Sixth Line and Kaitting Trail NB left A A EB left D C EB right B B Sixth Line and Site Driveway EB left/right C C Sixteen Mile Drive and Site Driveway EB left A A SB left/right A B LOS The volumes using the site driveways are very low, and level of service is determined primarily by the volumes on the through streets. Any left turns made out to Sixth Line at the site driveway will operate at level of service C in the a.m. peak hour and at level C in the p.m. peak hour. This driveway is primarily for use by delivery vehicles and by the garbage collection vehicle, and other traffic will be negligible. The traffic turning out of the driveway to Sixteen Mile Drive is very minor, with a total of 4 cars in the a.m. peak hour and 13 cars in the p.m. peak hour. The outbound traffic from the site will operate at level of service A in the a.m. and at level B in the p.m. peak hour. The inbound left turn from Sixteen Mile Drive will operate at level of service A in both peak hours. 5.3 Queue Length Analysis The site driveway on Sixteen Mile Drive is located at the west edge of the subject property. This is approximately 45 metres back from the Stop bar location at Sixth Line. The potential conflict that has been evaluated is between left turns coming out of the site and a queue of eastbound traffic waiting to clear the signalized intersection. Vehicle coming out of the site driveway and turning right will not have any conflict. Table 4 shows the queues that can be expected for eastbound traffic at the Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive signalized intersection for 2017 volumes. Read, Voorhees & Associates

13 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 9 Table 4. EASTBOUND QUEUE LENGTHS AT SIXTH LINE (metres) Time Driveway traffic EB left turn queue on Sixteen Mile Drive EB through/right queue on sixteen Mile Drive Available Storage 50 th 95 th 50th 95th A.M. peak hour P.M. peak hour The longest 50 th percentile queue is 13 metres, and the longest 95 th percentile queue that is anticipated on Sixteen Mile Drive is 31 metres. These occur in the p.m. peak hour in the through/right lane. The 45 metre distance to the driveway will accommodate the peak queue without conflict. This is also sufficient distance to accommodate longer queues with an increase in traffic on Sixteen Mile Drive beyond the 2017 horizon year as the remainder of the subdivisions to the west are built out. Therefore the 45 metre distance of the site driveway back from Sixth Line provides adequate clearance for site traffic coming out to Sixteen Mile Drive, and there will not be any conflict that creates operational concerns. Furthermore, the site volumes involved are minor, and includes right turn traffic that does not incur any conflict with eastbound traffic. 5.4 Internal Site Operation The driving aisle within the site is 7 metres in width, which will accommodate all vehicles coming to the site. The parking layout is straightforward, with most of the surface spaces located on one side of the driving aisle. The layby at the main door will operate with one-way circulation, and the driveway width is 6 metres. The underground parking level has a typical rectangular grid layout with 6 metre driving aisles. Truck traffic will enter the site from Sixteen Mile Drive, and proceed to the loading docks at the north end of the building using a one-way driveway. The trucks will then leave the loading area, continue on the one-way driveway and exit to Sixth Line in a forward direction. A van is made available by VIVA in their projects to transport residents to various off-site locations. The turning path of the typical van that is used has been applied to the pick-up driveway to confirm that the vehicle can directly access the main door. Figure 7 shows the turning path for a van used by VIVA at their developments. 6. PARKING The zoning by-law covering the retirement suites use requires 0.50 parking spaces per suite. For this rate 89 spaces would be required for the 177 suite development. Read, Voorhees & Associates

14 VIVA Retirement Communities, Sixth Line, Oakville Traffic Impact Study Page 10 The supply of 103 spaces provides a parking ratio of 0.58 spaces per suite, which meets the by-law requirement, and gives a surplus of 14 spaces. Surveys carried out by Read Voorhees at similar retirement home developments show that the proposed parking supply will be more than adequate for the anticipated parking demand. 7. CONCLUSION The traffic generated by the proposed retirement home development is a very small number, with a two-way volume of 12 vehicles in the a.m. peak hour, and 30 vehicles in the p.m. peak hour. There will be negligible impact on the external road system in the peak hours. There is no change in level of service at the adjacent signalized intersection planned for Sixth Line and Sixteen Mile Drive in either peak hour. The v/c ratio is unchanged in the a.m. peak hour, and increases by 0.01 in the p.m. peak hour. Similarly, there is negligible change in the operating conditions at the signalized intersection at Dundas Street and Sixth Line, and there is no change in conditions at the proposed signalized intersection at Sixth Line and North Park Drive. There is full moves site driveway proposed on Sixteen Mile Drive, and operation is calculated to be level of service A in the a.m. peak hour and level B in the p.m. peak hour. The driveway on Sixteen Mile Drive is 45 metres from Sixth Line, and the analysis has indicated that there will be no conflict with queues back from Sixth Line in either peak hour. A one way outbound driveway is proposed on Sixth Line, primarily for use by delivery vehicles and garbage collection vehicles. Any vehicle using the driveway will operate at level of service C in the a.m. peak hour and at level C in the p.m. peak hour. The parking supply of 103 spaces provides a parking ratio of 0.58 spaces per suite, which meets the by-law requirement of 0.50 spaces per suite. Read, Voorhees & Associates

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