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2 <br /> 2. Any proposed land use (i.e. permitted or special use) having an estimated traffic <br /> generation exceeding 800 traffic trips per day regardless of location within the <br /> County, <br /> 3. Within rural designated areas of the County, as depicted on the adopted Growth <br /> Management Systems Map (Attachment 1), for subdivision projects proposing 41 <br /> or more individual parcels (Section(s) 2.9 and 7.2.3 of the UDO, and <br /> 4. Within urban areas, as depicted on the adopted Growth Management System <br /> Map (Attachment 1), for subdivision projects proposing 80 or more lots <br /> (Section(s) 2.9 and 7.2.3 of the UDO). <br /> Per Section 6.17.2 (B) of the UDO staff may also require any `special use permit, <br /> subdivision, or site plan' application to be accompanied by a TIA where a `road capacity <br /> or safety issue' is identified. Please note there are currently no criteria within the UDO <br /> for staff to utilize in deciding/determining same. Adopting defensible and discernable <br /> criteria/threshold for Sec. 6.17.2. (B) may be useful to avoid being arbitrary or capricious <br /> in our decisions making processes. While this might provide clarification, it will not <br /> necessarily result in the requirement for related road improvements. <br /> NCDOT TIA Review Policy <br /> In those instances where a TIA is required, staff provides a copy to NCDOT for its <br /> review and comment. NCDOT considers the results of the document but is not <br /> governed by its findings. Ultimately decisions related to required public road <br /> improvements (i.e. internal and external on a given project) are made in accordance <br /> with the NCDOT Policy on Street and Driveway Access to North Carolina Highways <br /> (i.e., the `Driveway Manual'). <br /> Capacity and Improvements <br /> Section 6.17.5 of the UDO requires a capacity analysis as part of a TIA, to determine <br /> the adequacy of the roadway system to accommodate the proposed additional traffic. <br /> Road improvements can be required to address capacity issues. <br /> The capacity of a road facility is defined as the maximum hourly rate at which vehicles <br /> reasonably can be expected to traverse a section of a road during a given time period <br /> under prevailing roadway, traffic, and control conditions (e.g., signal phasing). <br /> The Trip Generation Manual (used by transportation professionals conducting TIAs) <br /> states that single family residential trips are approximately ten (10) vehicle trips per <br /> residence per day. The Manual also includes potential solutions/improvements to be <br /> incorporated either within or external to the proposed development when traffic <br /> mitigation needs are identified through the TIA. <br /> Level of Service (LOS) is a quality measure describing operational conditions within a <br /> traffic stream (speed and travel time, etc.). LOS is defined with letter designations <br /> ranging from A to F that can be applied to both roadway segments and intersections. <br /> LOS A represents the best operating condition and LOS F the worst. NCDOT defines <br /> capacity on rural two-lane highways as LOS D, which is when a road facility has poor <br /> conditions with very minimal service. LOS D has a maximum density of generally <br /> around 42 passenger cars per mile per lane (Source: NCDOT Level of Service D <br /> Standards for Systems Level Planning). <br /> 2 <br />