Title
a. Accept and receive the 2012 annual evaluation report of traffic volumes on Carmel Valley Road and Rio Road, pursuant to 2010 Carmel Valley Master Plan, and
b. Set July 30, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., as the date and time to conduct a public hearing on the traffic volumes on Carmel Valley Road for Segments 6 and 7, pursuant to the 2010 Carmel Valley Master Plan, Carmel Valley Area.
Report
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Accept and receive the 2012 annual evaluation report of traffic volumes on Carmel Valley Road and Rio Road, pursuant to 2010 Carmel Valley Master Plan, and
b. Set July 30, 2013, at 10:30 a.m., as the date and time to conduct a public hearing on the traffic volumes on Carmel Valley Road for Segments 6 and 7, pursuant to the 2010 Carmel Valley Master Plan, Carmel Valley Area.
SUMMARY:
The 2010 General Plan includes policies that require annual monitoring and reporting of traffic volumes and travel times on Carmel Valley Road and Rio Road. If the annual monitoring reveal traffic volumes exceeding certain thresholds, the Board of Supervisors must conduct a noticed public hearing and potentially require additional road improvements for discretionary development projects that impact Carmel Valley Road. The required monitoring has been completed and an evaluation report has been prepared.
DISCUSSION:
The Carmel Valley Master Plan (CVMP) Policy CV-2.17 requires twice yearly monitoring (in June and October) of traffic volumes on thirteen roadway segments and an evaluation of traffic flow patterns using two methods - Average Daily Traffic (ADT) and Percent-Time-Spent-Following (PTSF).
In addition, this CVMP Policy requires the Board of Supervisors conduct a public hearing in the year following data collection if the analysis shows that established thresholds are exceeded. For ADT, thresholds have been established for all thirteen designated roadway segments. For PTSF, thresholds have been established for six roadway segments.
If any of the thresholds are exceeded, the CVMP Policy requires that additional roadway improvements must be considered during the development application process if a discretionary permit is required. The analysis of the data collected in 2012 has been completed and does not show an exceedance of the ADT thresholds for any of the thirteen roadway segments. See Attachment 1.
However, this analysis does show an exceedance of the PTSF threshold for two roadway segments on Carmel Valley Road - Robinson Canyon Road to Shulte Road and Shulte Road to Rancho San Carlos Road. See Attachment 2. In simple terms, this means that traffic during the morning (6 a.m. - 8 a.m.) and evening (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) peak hours will spend more time following slower traffic and find it difficult to pass.
It is important to note that this first exceedance of the PTSF threshold is not the result of increasing traffic volumes. A review of the traffic data since 2010 shows volumes are, in general, slightly lower. The reason for this fist exceedance is that the method for calculating PTSF was changed when the 2010 edition of the Highway Capacity Manual was published. This change has resulted in exceeding the threshold even though traffic volumes are lower in 2012 than they were in 2010 for these two roadway segments.
This analysis was reviewed with the Carmel Valley Road Committee at their meetings on February 14 and April 11, 2013.
A Carmel Valley Corridor Study is presently underway at the request of the Carmel Valley Road Committee. The corridor study will highlight roadway problems and recommend solutions that will include segments 6 and 7 on Carmel Valley Road. RMA-PW will work with the Carmel Valley Road Committee to reach viable solutions that address roadway concerns while preserving the rural character of Carmel Valley. RMA-PW recommends that no action be taken until the Carmel Valley Corridor Study is complete and options are presented.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
FINANCING:
There is no financial impact to the General Fund. Scheduled traffic monitoring activities estimated at $8,000 for CVMP are funded by the Carmel Valley Traffic Impact Fee Program. Sufficient funds are available in the Road Fund (Fund 002, Unit 8195) to finance this work.
Prepared by: Saba Engineer, P.E., Senior Civil Engineer, (831) 755-4940
Approved by:
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Robert K. Murdoch., P.E. Director of Public Works
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Benny J. Young, RMA Director
Dated: June 14, 2013
Attachments: Notice of Public Hearing; Attachment 1 - 2012 CVMP Annual Evaluation of Traffic Volume; Attachment 2 - 2012 CVMP Annual Report of Traffic Volumes (PTSF Method) (Attachments on file with the Clerk of the Board)