MMM Group Limited Suite 600 1455 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC V6G 2T3 t: 604-685-9381 f: 604-683-8655 www.mmm.ca May 5, 2009 File: 50-09001-007 1420 1055 West Hastings Street Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9 Attention: Mr. Brennan Cook Dear Mr. Cook, Reference: Transportation Assessment and Management Study is proposing a 66-unit multi-family residential development on the northeast corner of the intersection of West 41 st Avenue and Balaclava Street in Vancouver. As part of the rezoning application, the City has requested a Transportation Assessment and Management Study (TAMS) to quantify the amount of traffic that will be added to the existing road network by the proposed development. REPORT CONTEXT Municipal address: Development Application number: Location relevant to existing transportation systems: Proposed land uses and relevant planning regulations: Proposed development size: 3205 3221 West 41 st Avenue & 5590 Balaclava Street, Vancouver, BC TBD Located at the unsignalized intersection of Balaclava and West 41 st Avenue; the site is bounded by Balaclava Street to the west, Knox United Church to the north, the sports fields of Kerridsale Elementary School to the east and West 41 st Avenue to the south. Multi-family residential, CD-1 Comprehensive Development District 66 dwelling units 8,361 m2 Gross Floor Area Estimated date of occupancy: 2010 INFRASTRUCTURE Page 1 of 10
Planned phasing of development: Proposed number of parking spaces: Proposed number and type of loading spaces: Proposed number and type of bicycle parking spaces: Proposed access points and type of access: Proposed pedestrian, bicycle, vehicle and loading access points: Development time periods and phasing: Horizon years for traffic: 2009 One phase 100 spaces in an underground parkade Not required 66 Class A bicycle parking spaces One full-turns driveway on West 41 st Avenue Pedestrian access to the central courtyard will from Balaclava Street Bicycle access to the bicycle room in the parkade will be via the driveway on West 41 st Avenue Loading access point will not be provided since off-street loading is not required Weekday AM and PM peak periods Figure 1 illustrates the site location (context plan) and Figure 2 shows the proposed site plan (key plan). METHODOLOGY In order to address the City s request for a TAMS, MMM Group completed the following work program. Conducted a site visit in order to become familiar with the road network and the site Collected weekday AM and PM peak hour vehicle turning movement data for the study area intersections which was used as background traffic volumes Estimated the AM and PM peak hour traffic generation of the proposed development Quantified the amount of new site-generated traffic that will be added to the existing road network Drew conclusions with respect to potential impacts on road network, i.e. need for a pedestrianactivated signal at West 41 st / Balaclava by using a combination of background and sitegenerated traffic Confirmed parking requirements for the proposed development INFRASTRUCTURE Page 2 of 10
Balaclava Street (North) West 41 st Avenue Crofton House School Balaclava Street (South) Figure 1 Site Location INFRASTRUCTURE Page 3 of 10
Balaclava Street (North) West 41 st Avenue Driveway Access to Underground Parkade Figure 2 Proposed Site Plan (Parking Level) INFRASTRUCTURE Page 4 of 10
EXISTING CONDITIONS The site is bounded by Balaclava Street to the west, Knox United Church to the north, the sports fields of Kerridsale Elementary School to the east and West 41 st Avenue to the south. The site is in close proximity to Crofton House School (located directly across the street on the south side of West 41 st Avenue. The study area includes the following elements of the road network and their corresponding intersections: West 41 st Avenue: This east-west secondary arterial connects the University of British Columbia and the Collingwood neighbourhood at Kingsway. In the study area, West 41 st Avenue has an urban road cross-section with three lanes (two westbound, one eastbound) and curb, gutter and sidewalk on both sides as well as on-street parking. The posted speed limit through the study area is 50 km/h Balaclava Street: This is a north-south local road connecting the West Point Grey and Southlands neighbourhoods. As shown in Figure 1, Balaclava is offset to the west by half a block between West 39 th and West 41 st Avenues. For reference purposes, the portion of Balaclava north of West 41 st Avenue is referred to as Balaclava (North) and the portion south of West 41 st as Balaclava (South). On both sides of West 41 st Avenue, Balaclava has a standard urban road cross-section with two lanes (one southbound, one northbound) and curb, gutter and sidewalks on both sides as well as on-street parking. The posted speed limit through the study area is 50 km/h The intersections of Balaclava and West 41 st Avenue operate at T-intersections with stop signs on the minor street (Balaclava approaches). Both intersections currently have unmarked crosswalks. The nearest traffic signal is located about 150m to the west at Blenheim Street while a pedestrian-actuated signal is located about 270m to the east at Carnarvon Street. Bus service is currently provided along West 41 st Avenue by Coast Mountain Bus Company routes 22, N22, 41, 43, and 480. A westbound farside bus stop is located on West 41 st Avenue just west of Balaclava Street (see Figure 1). There are no dedicated bicycle facilities along either West 41 st Avenue or along Balaclava in the study area. The nearest bicycle route is the Midtown Bikeway which is an east-west route that is located, for the most part, along West 37 th Avenue. It intersects the SW Marine, Cypress, Heather, Ontario, Sunrise and BC Parkway Bikeways and connects Yew Street to the wide shoulders of the highway to UBC and the trails of Pacific Spirit Park. The Midtown Bikeway passes through the Dunbar- Southlands, Arbutus Ridge, Shaughnessy, South Cambie and Riley Park neighbourhoods. On-street parking is available on both sides of Balaclava Street (unrestricted) and both sides of West 41st Avenue (restricted in front of Crofton House School between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday). INFRASTRUCTURE Page 5 of 10
FINDINGS Existing Traffic Volumes Operations at two nearby intersections were observed for this study, including: Balaclava Street (North) at West 41 st Avenue Balaclava Street (South) at West 41 st Avenue In addition, weekday traffic counts were conducted at these two locations between 7:45 and 8:45 a.m. and between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. by the MMM Group. A review of City of Vancouver s traffic counts at the intersection of West 41 st Avenue and Blenheim Street indicated that these are the peak hours on a typical weekday (see Figure 3). At these times, traffic volumes peak for both project-related travel and on the area transportation system. Figure 4 shows the existing traffic volumes. Traffic Volume (Percent of Average Day) 10.0% 9.0% 8.0% 7.0% 6.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% Westbound Eastbound 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 Hour Period Figure 3 Hourly Variation in Traffic Volumes along the 3200 Block of West 41 st Avenue INFRASTRUCTURE Page 6 of 10
Site-Generated Traffic Volumes Figure 4 Existing Traffic Volumes Peak hour traffic generated by the proposed development is based on published data by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) 1. The estimated peak hour trip generation are provided in Table 1 for the weekday AM and PM peak hours. Table 1 Trip Generation Time of Day Variable Trip Rates (veh trips/unit) Traffic Volumes (Dwelling Units) In Out Total In Out Total AM Peak Hour 66 17% 83% 0.56 6vph 31vph 37 vph PM Peak Hour 66 67% 33% 0.65 29 vph 14 vph 43 vph Daily 66 50% 50% 6.79 224 vpd 224 vpd 448 vpd Notes: 1. DU = Dwelling Unit; vph = vehicles per hour; vpd = vehicles per day 2. Traffic volumes are calculated using the Fitted Curve Equations for Residential Condominium/Townhouse (ITE Land Use 230) When completed, the development is expected to generate 37 vehicle trips (= 6 entering + 31 exiting) during the weekday AM peak hour and 43 vehicle trips (= 29 entering + 14 exiting) during the PM peak 1 Trip Generation, 7 th Edition (Washington, DC: ITE, 2003), pp 366-375 INFRASTRUCTURE Page 7 of 10
hour. This does not account for the trips generated by the four existing homes that front West 41 st Avenue; they currently generate up to 4 vehicle trips during the PM peak hour. Consequently, the new development would add up to 39 new vehicle trips to the road network during the peak hour roughly one vehicle every minute and a half. Impacts to Road Network Potential impacts on the road network were considered including the impact of site-generated traffic on the adjacent street system as well as the need for a pedestrian-activated signal at West 41st / Balaclava Note that traffic volumes typically fluctuate from day to day and from season to season. Statistical analysis of normal fluctuations of traffic (differences between estimates of daily traffic from three-day midweek counts that is the norm for estimating traffic from actual annual average daily traffic (AADT) based on counts taken at permanent count stations where traffic is counted every day) show that streets with volumes in the range typical for streets such as West 41 st Avenue experience fluctuations in the range of +/-11%. 2 The number of site-generated vehicles added to this street on a daily basis is summarized in Table 2. Given these fluctuation rates, it would be reasonable to conclude that the changes in traffic associated with the development of the 41 st & Balaclava Residential Development would be well within the normal range of fluctuation of the current volume levels along West 41 st Avenue. Table 2 Future Daily Traffic Volumes Roadway Classification Typical 1 Before After Percent (vpd) (vpd) (vpd) Change West 41 st Avenue Secondary Arterial 5,000-20,000 16,200 16,230 1.4% Note: 1. Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads (Ottawa: TAC, September 1999), Table 1.3.4.2 Characteristics of Urban Roads The prime function of any type of pedestrian crossing device is to channel pedestrians across a roadway safely, in this case West 41 st Avenue. Consequently, the Pedestrian Control Manual for British Columbia (Victoria: BC, BC Ministry of Transportation, April 1994) ranks the various control devices in hierarchical form ranging from unmarked crosswalks to pedestrian signals. Given the proximity of Crofton House School to the site, a review of the pedestrian crossing of West 41 st Avenue at Balaclava Street was undertaken in accordance with the methodology outlined in the Pedestrian Control Manual for BC. A review of hourly variation in traffic volumes along West 41 st Avenue (see Figure 3) indicates that the highest traffic volumes and therefore lowest crossing opportunities would occur during the AM peak period. During that time (7:45 8:45 a.m.), nearly 1450 vehicles were observed travelling along West 41 st Avenue while 13 people crossed the three lanes at Balaclava Street (North). After accounting for the pedestrian volumes, crossing opportunities and community size, the warrant analysis indicates that a signed and marked crosswalk should be provided on West 2 Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines for Residential Streets (Menlo Park: City of Menlo Park, December 2002), p 3. INFRASTRUCTURE Page 8 of 10
41 st Avenue at Balaclava Street (North). This type of pedestrian crossing control would still be appropriate should the pedestrian volume increase by over 50% or 20 pedestrians per hour. Note that alternate crossings offering equal or higher controls are located nearby at Blenheim Street (150m to the west) and at Carnarvon Street (270m to the east). Parking The site is being rezoned to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development District). There are no specific offstreet parking requirements for CD-1 zones as a separate bylaw is tailored to the intended form of each development. The City of Vancouver has indicated that this development shall provide between 84 stalls (= 77 resident + 7 visitor) and 117 stalls (= 104 resident + 13 visitor). A total of 100 stalls would be provided under the building for residents and visitors; equivalent to 1.51 stalls per dwelling unit (DU). The proposed parking supply of 100 stalls falls within the range dictated by the City. It is our understanding that the applicant intends to implement an on-site car sharing program by making two car-shared spaces available for third party operation in an area with 24-hour accessibility, i.e. within the visitor parking area. INFRASTRUCTURE Page 9 of 10