WELCOME TO EXIT 6
TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY
May 6, 2010 Memo to City Council from Department of Transportation Director Al Foxx: "The Department of Transportation supports this project subject to completion of the TIS and a mitigation agreement incorporated into the PUD prior to Council approval."
July 2010 'Final' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) for '25th Street Station': Text and Appendices:
Note: There are no Traffic Mitigation Recommendations in this 'Final' TIS.
June 2010 Draft Traffic Mitigation Report 'Mitigation Recommendations':
"The Traffic Impact Study (TIS) evaluated the proposed development, allowing for minor (5-10% fluctuations in the programming of the site and its impact on the surrounding transportation network and communities. From the TIS findings, the Consultant and TIS Committee provide recommendations to the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (BCDOT) regarding potential measures to mitigate impacts within the study area. TIS mitigation measures are negotiated between the BCDOT and the developer/owner. The negotiations reduce adverse impacts identified in the TIS.
The BDCOT determines the necessary mitigation measures to negotiate with the developer/owner of a proposed project. Baltimore City is committed to creating and sustaining a balanced transportation network with viable transportation choices for its residents, workers and visitors. To meet this goal, the DOT has identified three primary mitigation measures required.
- Additional turn lane needed on North Howard between 24th Street and 25th Street. The DOT will negotiate for the design and installation of the additional turn lane included on in the Developer Agreement with the City of Baltimore.
- To reduce projected queuing from the proposed future development as identified in the TIS a signal optimization and timing study for post development needs to be conducted. The DOT will negotiate a contribution from the developer for this study and optimization.
- Pedestrian mobility and safety enhancements are needed to enhance and improve non-vehicular modes of transportation. Traffic calming measures as prioritized by DOT and the Community and evaluated and approved by the Traffic Division to be installed during and post development construction. The DOT will negotiate a contribution from the developer for the pedestrian mobility and safety enhancements."
Baltimore City Department of Transportation Procedures and Requirements for Conducting a Traffic Impact Study in Baltimore City
Baltimore City Traffic Calming Report 2007
EXIT 6 COMMENTARY
NUMBER 8 - Existential crisis on Howard Street - 2 August 2010
Currently, there is no parking at all on Howard Street from North Avenue to 23rd Street. But between 23rd and 25th Streets, some parking is allowed on both sides of Howard Street, according to these signs:
So the TIS should not say that parking on Howard Street "is restricted at all times south of 25th Street." And Appendix C should not show Howard Street between 23rd and 25th Streets as having two lanes in each direction at all times, including Saturdays. That is wrong.
The TIS claims that a field study was done to verify the configurations of all the roads in the study area. If that's true, maybe there should be a reward for its return.
NUMBER 7 - TIS adds capacity to 28th Street on paper . . . and in the plan? - 2 August 2010
Huntingdon Avenue isn't the only street in Remington that's wrongly depicted in the 'Final' 25th Street Station Traffic Impact Study (TIS). 28th Street is described as having three traffic lanes where it only has two.
In Remington, curb parking on both sides of 28th Street is currently unrestricted, leaving two traffic lanes at all times west of Howard Street, as shown in this photograph:
But in Appendix C of the TIS, all the charts depict 28th Street west of Howard as having three traffic lanes now and three traffic lanes after the shopping center is built.
To add a third traffic lane to 28th Street in Remington, the City would have to remove a lane of curb parking. Is that the plan?
NUMBER 6 - Double your traffic lanes, double your fun; Or, What's really going on? - 1 August 2010
Let's talk about Huntingdon Avenue, one of Remington's residential streets, which runs two ways between 26th and 30th. Why is Huntingdon Avenue being described in the 25th Street Station 'Final' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) as an "Arterial"?
Here is how the Baltimore City DOT 2007 Traffic Calming Guidelines defines "Arterials":
And here is how the 2007 Report of the Task Force on Traffic Calming & Pedestrian Friendliness describes "Arterials":
Huntingdon Avenue is not an "Arterial." So is making Huntingdon Avenue an "Arterial" part of the plan for the 25th Street Station?
Huntingdon Avenue currently has one traffic lane in each direction, according to Remington residents and anybody who's actually driven on Huntingdon Avenue. Here's a photograph:
But according to the TIS, Huntingdon Avenue currently has two traffic lanes in each direction from 26th Street to 30th Street. And apparently, the TIS analysis of Huntingdon Avenue's capacity and level of service has been based on this fiction. On every chart that includes Huntingdon Avenue in Appendix C of the TIS, both northbound and southbound Huntingdon Avenue are shown as having two traffic lanes. (By contrast, Howard Street above 26th is depicted as having only one through lane in each direction except during AM and PM peak hours.) So Huntingdon Avenue is depicted in the TIS as having double its capacity.
And not only is Huntingdon Avenue incorrectly treated as having two lanes now in each direction, it's being projected as having two through lanes in each direction after the shopping center is built.
What's the plan? Is it to make Huntingdon Avenue an "Arterial" with two traffic lanes in each direction, creating a nice, wide front driveway for the shopping center? How? By removing existing curb parking relied on by Remington residents? Or widening the roadbed and reducing the width of the existing sidewalk in front of residents' homes?
Remington residents are asking for Huntingdon Avenue to be blocked to through traffic at 26th Street. Remington residents are saying "NO" to shopping center traffic passing through their residential streets.
So what's really going on?
NUMBER 5 - Burning questions about the TIS traffic counts are answered - and it isn't pretty. - 1 August 2010
At last, the 'Final' 25th Street Station Traffic Impact Study (TIS) reveals the origin of all the traffic data it's based on. We now know that the data was collected over a one-year period from Spring 2009 to Spring 2010.
For the all-important weekday AM and PM peak hour traffic, each intersection was counted on a single Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. In all, 30 intersections were counted on 23 different weekdays during the one-year period. In Remington, no two adjacent intersections were counted on the same day.
Is this really how a major traffic study for a huge new shopping center is supposed to be done? How can this TIS be the basis for decisions which will have long-range consequences for our neighborhood?
And it gets worse. AM and PM peak hour counts at intersections such as North Ave at Mt. Royal, North Ave at Howard, and 28th Street at Howard were taken when the University of Baltimore, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Johns Hopkins University were all on Spring Break, ensuring lower volumes for baseline calculations of "existing conditions." In fact, almost a third of the intersections in the study were counted during Spring Break 2009 and 2010.
So now that these ugly truths about the origin of the TIS data have been admitted, what's next? Does City government intend to base decisions about the future of Remington on this flawed study?
NUMBER 4 - Lowered Expectations for the City's No. 2 Walmart? (Or, Covington versus Remington) - 9 June 2010
The May 2010 'Draft' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) predicts that a total of 1,620 cars will come into Remington each weekday to visit the new Walmart. With Walmart open 18 hours - 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight - that's an average of 90 cars per hour.
To put this prediction in perspective, let's look at traffic at Baltimore City's No. 1 Walmart, which is at Port Covington. On a recent weekday, during a random off-peak visit, 98 cars were counted entering the Port Covington Walmart parking lot - not in one hour, but in half an hour.
So is the average number of cars at the new Remington Walmart really expected to be half what Port Covington is getting now? Or are we just expected to BELIEVE?
NUMBER 3 - The Really Big Mystery; Or, What's Really Missing - 8 June 2010
The real problem with the 'Draft' TIS? It looks like the big problem with the May 2010 'Draft' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) for the '25th Street Station' project may be the source of the original data used -- or at least, the fact that nobody has bothered to identify the source. What we do know, from the TIS 'Scoping' documents, is that the Department of Transportation didn't order actual traffic counts at all of the intersections. Instead, the Department decided to recycle a lot of existing data.
Is this normal? Is it normal to mix and match new traffic counts with recycled data? If it is, why not reveal how and when the new traffic counts were collected, along with the sources and dates of the recycled data? Don't Traffic Impact Studies normally identify the dates and times of traffic counts?
NUMBER 2 - The Lost Cars of Huntingdon Avenue (Who can solve this mystery?) - 6 JUNE 2010
According to the May 2010 'Draft' Traffic Impact Study (TIS), there is an unsolved mystery on Huntingdon Avenue worthy of Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, Columbo, or whoever happens to be your own personal favorite detective. Here's the mystery:
Just the facts, ma'am: According to the 'Draft' TIS, every weekday morning during Rush Hour (when, admittedly, mischief might happen), 329 southbound cars pass through the intersection of Huntingdon Avenue and 27th Street. These cars are joined by 79 cars that turn onto southbound Huntingdon Avenue from 27th Street, for a total of 408 cars traveling southbound on Huntingdon Avenue toward 26th Street. Why is it, then, that only 361 cars actually make it to 26th Street? That's 47 cars not accounted for in one hour, in one block, every weekday morning.
More fun with numbers: According to the 'Draft' TIS, the same thing happens every weekday during evening Rush Hour, when 188 cars going south on Huntingdon Avenue are joined by 128 cars turning from 27th Street. That's a total of 316 cars traveling south on Huntingdon Avenue toward 26th Street, but only 272 make it to 26th Street. That's 44 cars unaccounted for in a single hour, in a single block, every weekday evening.
The plot thickens: According to the 'Draft' TIS, this weird phenomenon will continue after the '25th Street Station' is up and running. The exact same number of cars is predicted to disappear on the 2600 block of Huntingdon Avenue, or at least never make it to 26th Street, every weekday morning and every weekday evening. Hmm . . . could this be Remington's answer to the Bermuda Triangle?
Seeking professional help? Your Webmaster is considering submitting this Puzzler to Click and Clack of 'Car Talk' fame. Or maybe you can solve it first, so they don't have to. Feel free to send your explanation, rational or otherwise, via the Contact and Comment page.
NUMBER 1 - Initial Observations from the May 2010 'Draft' 25th Street Station Traffic Impact Study (TIS) - 30 MAY 2010
EXISTING TRAFFIC
FUTURE TRAFFIC
CAR TRIP PROJECTIONS, REDUCTIONS
WHEN CARS DON'T COUNT
THE WALMART TRAFFIC DISCOUNT
THE LOWE'S TRAFFIC DISCOUNT
SOME INITIAL QUESTIONS
NUMBER 8 - Existential crisis on Howard Street - 2 August 2010
Currently, there is no parking at all on Howard Street from North Avenue to 23rd Street. But between 23rd and 25th Streets, some parking is allowed on both sides of Howard Street, according to these signs:
So the TIS should not say that parking on Howard Street "is restricted at all times south of 25th Street." And Appendix C should not show Howard Street between 23rd and 25th Streets as having two lanes in each direction at all times, including Saturdays. That is wrong.
The TIS claims that a field study was done to verify the configurations of all the roads in the study area. If that's true, maybe there should be a reward for its return.
* * * * *
NUMBER 7 - TIS adds capacity to 28th Street on paper . . . and in the plan? - 2 August 2010
Huntingdon Avenue isn't the only street in Remington that's wrongly depicted in the 'Final' 25th Street Station Traffic Impact Study (TIS). 28th Street is described as having three traffic lanes where it only has two.
In Remington, curb parking on both sides of 28th Street is currently unrestricted, leaving two traffic lanes at all times west of Howard Street, as shown in this photograph:
But in Appendix C of the TIS, all the charts depict 28th Street west of Howard as having three traffic lanes now and three traffic lanes after the shopping center is built.
To add a third traffic lane to 28th Street in Remington, the City would have to remove a lane of curb parking. Is that the plan?
* * * * *
NUMBER 6 - Double your traffic lanes, double your fun; Or, What's really going on? - 1 August 2010
Let's talk about Huntingdon Avenue, one of Remington's residential streets, which runs two ways between 26th and 30th. Why is Huntingdon Avenue being described in the 25th Street Station 'Final' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) as an "Arterial"?
Here is how the Baltimore City DOT 2007 Traffic Calming Guidelines defines "Arterials":
"Arterials - Roadways that facilitate high volume vehicular traffic between collector streets and freeways. . . . traffic volumes are usually greater than 3,000 vehicles per day."
"Arterial roadways are designed to move high volume traffic on multi-lane roadways at reasonable speeds, usually at or higher than 35 miles per hour. A typical example of arterials in the City of Baltimore include Pratt and Lombard Streets in the downtown neighborhoods, and Boston Street and Edmondson Avenue in the east and west neighborhoods, respectively. These streets must be allowed to serve the function for which they were designed."
Huntingdon Avenue currently has one traffic lane in each direction, according to Remington residents and anybody who's actually driven on Huntingdon Avenue. Here's a photograph:
But according to the TIS, Huntingdon Avenue currently has two traffic lanes in each direction from 26th Street to 30th Street. And apparently, the TIS analysis of Huntingdon Avenue's capacity and level of service has been based on this fiction. On every chart that includes Huntingdon Avenue in Appendix C of the TIS, both northbound and southbound Huntingdon Avenue are shown as having two traffic lanes. (By contrast, Howard Street above 26th is depicted as having only one through lane in each direction except during AM and PM peak hours.) So Huntingdon Avenue is depicted in the TIS as having double its capacity.
And not only is Huntingdon Avenue incorrectly treated as having two lanes now in each direction, it's being projected as having two through lanes in each direction after the shopping center is built.
What's the plan? Is it to make Huntingdon Avenue an "Arterial" with two traffic lanes in each direction, creating a nice, wide front driveway for the shopping center? How? By removing existing curb parking relied on by Remington residents? Or widening the roadbed and reducing the width of the existing sidewalk in front of residents' homes?
Remington residents are asking for Huntingdon Avenue to be blocked to through traffic at 26th Street. Remington residents are saying "NO" to shopping center traffic passing through their residential streets.
So what's really going on?
* * * * *
NUMBER 5 - Burning questions about the TIS traffic counts are answered - and it isn't pretty. - 1 August 2010
At last, the 'Final' 25th Street Station Traffic Impact Study (TIS) reveals the origin of all the traffic data it's based on. We now know that the data was collected over a one-year period from Spring 2009 to Spring 2010.
For the all-important weekday AM and PM peak hour traffic, each intersection was counted on a single Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. In all, 30 intersections were counted on 23 different weekdays during the one-year period. In Remington, no two adjacent intersections were counted on the same day.
Is this really how a major traffic study for a huge new shopping center is supposed to be done? How can this TIS be the basis for decisions which will have long-range consequences for our neighborhood?
And it gets worse. AM and PM peak hour counts at intersections such as North Ave at Mt. Royal, North Ave at Howard, and 28th Street at Howard were taken when the University of Baltimore, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Johns Hopkins University were all on Spring Break, ensuring lower volumes for baseline calculations of "existing conditions." In fact, almost a third of the intersections in the study were counted during Spring Break 2009 and 2010.
So now that these ugly truths about the origin of the TIS data have been admitted, what's next? Does City government intend to base decisions about the future of Remington on this flawed study?
* * * * *
NUMBER 4 - Lowered Expectations for the City's No. 2 Walmart? (Or, Covington versus Remington) - 9 June 2010
The May 2010 'Draft' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) predicts that a total of 1,620 cars will come into Remington each weekday to visit the new Walmart. With Walmart open 18 hours - 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight - that's an average of 90 cars per hour.
To put this prediction in perspective, let's look at traffic at Baltimore City's No. 1 Walmart, which is at Port Covington. On a recent weekday, during a random off-peak visit, 98 cars were counted entering the Port Covington Walmart parking lot - not in one hour, but in half an hour.
So is the average number of cars at the new Remington Walmart really expected to be half what Port Covington is getting now? Or are we just expected to BELIEVE?
* * * * *
NUMBER 3 - The Really Big Mystery; Or, What's Really Missing - 8 June 2010
The real problem with the 'Draft' TIS? It looks like the big problem with the May 2010 'Draft' Traffic Impact Study (TIS) for the '25th Street Station' project may be the source of the original data used -- or at least, the fact that nobody has bothered to identify the source. What we do know, from the TIS 'Scoping' documents, is that the Department of Transportation didn't order actual traffic counts at all of the intersections. Instead, the Department decided to recycle a lot of existing data.
Is this normal? Is it normal to mix and match new traffic counts with recycled data? If it is, why not reveal how and when the new traffic counts were collected, along with the sources and dates of the recycled data? Don't Traffic Impact Studies normally identify the dates and times of traffic counts?
* * * * *
NUMBER 2 - The Lost Cars of Huntingdon Avenue (Who can solve this mystery?) - 6 JUNE 2010
According to the May 2010 'Draft' Traffic Impact Study (TIS), there is an unsolved mystery on Huntingdon Avenue worthy of Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Sam Spade, Columbo, or whoever happens to be your own personal favorite detective. Here's the mystery:
Just the facts, ma'am: According to the 'Draft' TIS, every weekday morning during Rush Hour (when, admittedly, mischief might happen), 329 southbound cars pass through the intersection of Huntingdon Avenue and 27th Street. These cars are joined by 79 cars that turn onto southbound Huntingdon Avenue from 27th Street, for a total of 408 cars traveling southbound on Huntingdon Avenue toward 26th Street. Why is it, then, that only 361 cars actually make it to 26th Street? That's 47 cars not accounted for in one hour, in one block, every weekday morning.
More fun with numbers: According to the 'Draft' TIS, the same thing happens every weekday during evening Rush Hour, when 188 cars going south on Huntingdon Avenue are joined by 128 cars turning from 27th Street. That's a total of 316 cars traveling south on Huntingdon Avenue toward 26th Street, but only 272 make it to 26th Street. That's 44 cars unaccounted for in a single hour, in a single block, every weekday evening.
The plot thickens: According to the 'Draft' TIS, this weird phenomenon will continue after the '25th Street Station' is up and running. The exact same number of cars is predicted to disappear on the 2600 block of Huntingdon Avenue, or at least never make it to 26th Street, every weekday morning and every weekday evening. Hmm . . . could this be Remington's answer to the Bermuda Triangle?
Seeking professional help? Your Webmaster is considering submitting this Puzzler to Click and Clack of 'Car Talk' fame. Or maybe you can solve it first, so they don't have to. Feel free to send your explanation, rational or otherwise, via the Contact and Comment page.
* * * * *
NUMBER 1 - Initial Observations from the May 2010 'Draft' 25th Street Station Traffic Impact Study (TIS) - 30 MAY 2010
EXISTING TRAFFIC
The May 2010 TIS estimates that 595 weekday car trips and 120 Saturday car trips are associated with the businesses that currently occupy the site of the proposed '25th Street Station' development. (The businesses are not open on Sundays.) As each car represents two trips (coming and going), the estimated number of cars is half, or 297 and 60.
FUTURE TRAFFIC
The May 2010 TIS calculates the amount of car traffic generated by '25th Street Station' at 9,233 car trips (4,616 cars) each weekday and 15,402 car trips (7,701 cars) each Saturday and Sunday. The TIS attributes no more than 33% of this new traffic to Walmart (which is projected to be open seven days a week from 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight). The following information is derived from "Trip Generation - Option 2B" in the TIS (no other "Trip Generation Options" are provided):
| Weekday Car Trips |
Saturday/Sunday Trips |
|||
| Walmart | 3,239 trips |
32.96% of all trips |
4,681 trips |
30.16% of all trips |
| Lowe's | 2,234 trips |
22.73% of all trips |
5,619 trips |
36.20% of all trips |
| All Other Businesses |
4,061 trips |
41.32% of all trips |
4,975 trips |
32.05% of all trips |
| Apartments |
294 trips |
2.99% of all trips |
247 trips |
1.59% of all trips |
| Total |
9,828 trips |
15,522 trips |
||
| Minus Existing Trips |
595 trips |
120 trips |
||
| Final Trip Total |
9,233 trips |
15,402 trips |
||
CAR TRIP PROJECTIONS, REDUCTIONS
Traffic engineers reached the car trip counts shown above by making traffic projections, based on the type and square footage of the proposed businesses, and then reducing those projections by several factors.
WHEN CARS DON'T COUNT
The May 2010 TIS indicates that it has reduced all projected car trips by 25% across the board, because nearly 25% of people in the Baltimore area currently get to work by walking, biking, or using public transit. The TIS does not indicate how people currently get to and from discount stores, supermarkets and home improvement centers. Nor does the TIS take into account variations in public transit availability and use, such as differences between days of the week or times of the day.
THE WALMART TRAFFIC DISCOUNT
- In the May 2010 TIS, initial projections of 5,357 Walmart weekday car trips and 7,426 Walmart Saturday and Sunday car trips are automatically reduced by 25% for walking, biking, or using public transit. This subtracts 1,340 Walmart car trips each weekday and 1,856 each Saturday and Sunday.
- A further reduction is made for car trips that are attributed to another business in the shopping center, with Walmart considered as the secondary destination. The amount of car trips subtracted from Walmart for this reason is 368 on weekdays and 599 on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Yet another subtraction is made to account for cars that are already traveling in the area, whose occupants decide to visit the Walmart. The weekday reduction is 410; the reduction for Saturdays and Sundays is 290.
These subtractions reduce projected Walmart car trips by 39.54% on weekdays from 5,357 to 3,239, and by 36.96% on Saturdays and Sundays from 7,426 to 4,681. Because each car is counted twice (entering and leaving), the projected number of cars brought into the area by Walmart is 1,620 on weekdays and 2,340 on Saturdays and Sundays.
THE LOWE'S TRAFFIC DISCOUNT
- In the May 2010 TIS, initial projections of 4,187 Lowe's weekday car trips and 8,297 Lowe's car trips for each Saturday and Sunday are automatically reduced by 25% for walking, biking, or using public transit. This subtracts 1,047 car trips each weekday and 2,074 each Saturday and Sunday.
- A further reduction is made for car trips that are attributed to another business in the shopping center, with Lowe's considered as the secondary destination. The amount of car trips subtracted from Lowe's for this reason is 356 on weekdays and 604 on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Yet another subtraction is used to account for cars that are already traveling in the area, whose occupants decide to visit the Lowe's. The weekday reduction is 550; there is no Saturday/Sunday reduction.
These subtractions reduce Lowe's car trips by 46.64% on weekdays from 4,187 to 2,234, and by 32.28% on Saturdays and Sundays from 8,297 to 5,619. Because each car is counted twice (entering and leaving), the projected number of cars brought into the area by Lowe's is 1,117 on weekdays and 2,809 on Saturdays and Sundays.
SOME INITIAL QUESTIONS
The above data seems to be at odds with other Walmart and Lowe's stores in the Baltimore area. How many customers are realistically going to shop at Lowe's without a car? How can the Saturday and Sunday Lowe's numbers, with the reduction, be greater than the Walmart numbers? Hours of operation for the Lowe's and the other businesses are unknown at this time. How might the hours affect traffic counts?
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