Traffic Assessment for Proposed Subdivision of 371 Island Highway (Attachment 4)

RE: TRAFFIC ASSESSMENT FOR PROPOSED SUBDIVISION OF 371 ISLAND HIGHWAY, VIEW ROYAL, BC

Boulevard Transportation, a division of Watt Consulting Group, was retained by Ozcan Developments Ltd. to review the access for 371 Island Highway. This review included a traffic count at Island Highway / Adams Place / 371 Island Highway Driveway and a site visit to determine existing geometrics and safety implications. The site is currently occupied by one single family dwelling. The proposed subdivision would include three single family dwellings: two dwellings with shared access on Island Highway and one dwelling accessing Highbank Road. Figure 1 shows the study area.

A traffic count was conducted at Island Highway / Adams Place on Tuesday April 5, 2016 from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. The traffic count collected vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian movements in the area. The traffic count was conducted to determine the existing use of the site and determine potential impacts of increased trips in / out of the driveway. A detached single family residential site generates one trip in or out during the PM peak hour of travel according to the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Trip Generation Manual (9th Edition). One additional trip in or out of the site on Island Highway will be generated by the subdivision of the site during the peak hour of travel. This additional trip does not have any impact on levels of service in the area. Likewise the addition of a trip in or out of Highbank Road does not have large implications to the level of service. Further assessment of the Highbank Road driveway was not undertaken.

One vehicle was observed accessing the driveway during the traffic count and made a westbound left turn into the site. The vehicle did not impact the eastbound left turn lane while waiting for an opportunity to turn into the site. There were three vehicles observed using the eastbound left turn lane which translates to approximately 1 vehicle every 20 minutes. Figure 2 shows the vehicle's waiting location while Figure 3 shows the turning movement compared to the eastbound left turn lane.

The westbound vehicle turning into the site is able to make the turn as there are many gaps in the eastbound traffic to allow without waiting long. In addition, there are two westbound lanes at that section which will allow other westbound vehicles to pass the waiting vehicle. Westbound vehicles have sufficient stopping sight distance (greater than 65m at 50km/h) and decision sight distance to observe a turning vehicle and stop or change lanes. If the additional vehicle to the site, due to the subdivision makes this turn there is no additional impacts.

The eastbound left turn lane is not impacted by westbound left turning vehicles as the westbound left turner will wait for the eastbound left turner to make their turn before making their turn. Also since the volume of eastbound left and westbound left turn traffic is so low (less than 5 vehicles per hour) there is a low probability that they will be there at the same time.

The eastbound right turn into the site and the northbound right turn out of the site do not have any issues currently or if an additional trip is added due to the additional house using the 371 Island Highway driveway.

The northbound left out of the site will be the most difficult movement during peak travel times. During the PM peak hour the queue lengths from the Island Highway / Island Highway intersection consistently extended to Adams Place and beyond. The only way vehicles would be able to turn left out of the driveway during peak periods would be if queued vehicles left gaps for the turning vehicle to exit into. Experience in Greater Victoria has shown that this does happened depending on the location, time of day, and volume of traffic on the road and driveway. At this location it may be unlikely as the driveway is on the far side from the queued vehicles, the volume from the driveway is low and therefore not occurring regularly for drivers on Island Highway to observed, and at this location in the road network many of the motorists on Island Highway have been in stop and go traffic for a significant period of time and have a lower threshold for letting additional traffic into the flow of traffic. Although making this turn will be difficult, banning the movement, through signage, is not required, as a residential property the users of the driveway are repeated users who will be aware of the challenges with making the left turn during this time of day and will have alternate routes / plans.

The existing access location, at the east side of the lot, offers to largest sight distance looking to the west. This location also provides westbound vehicles a waiting place that does not affect the eastbound left turn lane. If the access location was moved further west vehicles would have to cross the eastbound left turn lane to access the site from that direction.

Conclusions

The additional of the addition one trip per peak hour (either in or out of the site) by subdividing the lot and adding one single family house will have no impact on the traffic operations in the area. The Island Highway access is positioned at the east end of the lot and provides to largest sight distance as well as the safest location operationally speaking. Therefore no changes to the driveway location are required and no additional signage is required.

Sincerely, Boulevard Transportation ... a division of Watt Consulting Group per,

Nadine King, P.Eng., PTOE Senior Transportation Engineer