The purpose of a traffic impact study is:
A. 
To allow the Borough to determine the safety and congestion impacts and related costs of proposed major traffic-generating uses.
B. 
To require that applicants respond with reasonable proposals to resolve the negative traffic impacts that their proposed uses will cause to the public.
C. 
To recognize that sufficient federal, state, and Borough funds are not available to resolve traffic problems caused by private development.
D. 
To assist in carrying out Section 503(2)(ii) and (3) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10503(2)(ii) and (3).
E. 
To ensure that streets bordering a subdivision or land development are coordinated and of such widths and grades and in such locations as deemed necessary to accommodate prospective traffic and to facilitate fire protection.
F. 
To ensure that the access into and out of subdivisions and land developments is reasonably safe.
A. 
The Borough may require a full or abbreviated traffic study as a part of its review process for subdivisions and land developments to be prepared in a manner consistent with the standards of this article.
B. 
The full cost of the traffic study shall be borne by the applicant. Any costs associated with professional review of the traffic study by the Borough's professional consultants shall also be borne by the applicant. The applicant shall provide the appropriate escrow to ensure the payment of the costs of such traffic study review.
C. 
Traffic impact studies shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer and/or transportation planner with previous traffic study experience. To be considered as qualified, the engineer or planner shall have completed at least three comparable studies and shall make copies of same available to the Borough. The Borough reserves the right to review and approve the qualifications of any proposed consultant.
D. 
The Borough shall require such on-site traffic improvements to be provided by the applicant as the Borough deems appropriate, in light of the traffic impact study, as a specific condition of preliminary plan approval for all land developments and/or subdivisions for which a study has been required. The study shall identify improvements/facilities to be installed or actions to be undertaken by the applicant.
E. 
Joint traffic studies by different applicants are acceptable and are strongly encouraged.
A. 
The Borough, with advice of its own professional consultants, shall make a determination on the level of traffic study required based upon two factors: the location of the proposed development and the projected traffic generation of the proposed development.
(1) 
Location factors. The Borough has identified as stressed road in its Comprehensive Plan and subsequent studies Philadelphia Street, S. Sixth Street, Oakland Avenue, and Wayne Avenue.
(2) 
As deemed necessary by changes in information gathering and new land developments, the Borough may remove or add new stressed roads and intersections as necessary upon the recommendation of the Planning Commission and resolution by the Borough Council.
B. 
Traffic study level requirements.
(1) 
Based upon the location and trip generation characteristics, the Borough shall use the following table as a guide for the level of traffic study required:
Trip Generation at Peak Hours
Location Directly Accessing a Stressed Road or Within 200 Feet of a Stressed Road
Other Locations
At least 50 trips but less than 100 trips
Full study
Abbreviated study
More than 100 trips
Full study
Full study
(2) 
The Borough may, in its discretion, require any other subdivision or land development application to be accompanied by an abbreviated traffic impact study. In such circumstances, the Borough will notify the applicant within 10 days following the Planning Commission's first meeting with the applicant. Such notification shall specify the reason for the requirement, citing the proposal's particular location, existing problems, or type of use (i.e., generation of heavy truck traffic).
C. 
Determination of peak-hour trips. As a general guide, the Borough shall utilize the second edition of Transportation and Land Development, as published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), included in the table below for reference. The Borough may utilize alternative information provided by the developer for more specific land uses, if consistent with the ITE trip generation manual and if consistent with the advice of its professional consultants.
Land Use
50 or More Peak-Hour Trips
100 or More Peak-Hour Trips
Single-family dwellings
45 dwelling units
90 dwelling units
Apartments
75 dwelling units
150 dwelling units
Townhouses or condominiums
90 dwelling units
180 dwelling units
Retail/shopping centers
3,000 square feet gross floor area
6,000 square feet gross floor area
Convenience store/gas stations
3 pumps
7 pumps
Banks with drive-in
1,000 square feet gross floor area
2,000 square feet gross floor area
Professional offices
33,500 square feet gross floor area
67,000 square feet gross floor area
Medical/dental offices
15,000 square feet gross floor area
30,000 square feet gross floor area
Research and development/corporate offices
35,500 square feet gross floor area
71,000 square feet gross floor area
Light industrial/warehousing distribution centers
49,000 square feet gross floor area
98,000 square feet gross floor area
Heavy industry
72,750 square feet gross floor area
145,500 square feet gross floor area
Colleges and universities (General guideline: specific residential or other special-purpose facilities may have higher trip generation.)
1/2 acre of developed land area
1 acre of developed land area
D. 
Abbreviated study requirements.
(1) 
The following abbreviated traffic impact study shall be required as part of the preliminary plan submission. Development of a project in stages or on a phased basis will not avoid this requirement. The trips expected to be produced by the ultimate buildout of the development will be the basis for such a study. Even if a development generates less than the required peak-hour trips, it is not totally excluded from the adequacy requirements of these guidelines unless site traffic generation is anticipated to be de minimus (less than five peak-hour trips).
(2) 
A written abbreviated traffic study, where appropriate, and a traffic-calming and access management analysis shall be submitted at the time of the preliminary plan application and shall include:
(a) 
Projected peak a.m., p.m., and Saturday traffic volumes of the development;
(b) 
Projected ADT (average daily trips) of the development;
(c) 
Current ADT and peak-hour volumes of streets adjacent to any access drives;
(d) 
LOS (level of service) of existing and proposed access drives;
(e) 
Modal split of services (categories of vehicles) entering the site;
(f) 
Proposed sight distances at access drives;
(g) 
Existing and proposed pedestrian paths from streets and within the site to entrances of all buildings;
(h) 
The study shall identify improvements and facilities to be installed or actions to be undertaken by the applicant to ensure the following:
[1] 
LOS C or higher overall for all new access drives;
[2] 
No reduction in the levels of service for existing access drives, except that LOS D shall be permitted during the a.m. and p.m. peak hour. If an applicant cannot meet this requirement, an analysis shall be completed to show that all reasonable options have been considered to create the most efficient access possible; and
[3] 
Sight distances for all access drives intersecting with all streets shall meet Borough and/or PennDOT requirements, as applicable.
E. 
Full traffic impact study.
(1) 
A written full traffic study and, where appropriate, traffic-calming and access management measures shall be submitted at the time of preliminary plan application. The study area shall include all public streets and intersections within a radius of 1,600 feet of an access drive to the site, unless the Borough's consulting traffic engineer determines that another study area shall be more appropriate. The full traffic study shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(a) 
Current ADT and peak-hour volumes of all streets.
(b) 
Current LOS of all intersections.
(c) 
Projected ADT and peak-hour volumes of all streets without the development.
(d) 
Projected LOS of all intersections without the development.
(e) 
Site traffic generation, including projected ADT and peak-hour volumes of the development. Development of a project in stages, or on a piecemeal basis, must create a realistic assumption expected to be produced by the ultimate buildout of the development.
(f) 
Site traffic distribution.
(g) 
Site traffic assignment.
(h) 
Projected ADT and peak-hour volumes of all streets and intersections within the development.
(i) 
Projected LOS of all intersections within the development, including all existing and proposed access drives.
(j) 
An assessment of the change in roadway operating conditions resulting from the development traffic.
(k) 
Modal split of vehicles entering the site.
(l) 
Proposed sight distances at access drives.
(m) 
Existing and proposed pedestrian paths from streets and within the site to entrances of all buildings.
(2) 
The study shall identify improvements and facilities to be installed or actions to be undertaken by the applicant to ensure the following:
(a) 
LOS C or higher overall for all new access driveways.
(b) 
No reduction in the levels of service for existing access driveways, except that LOS D shall be permitted during the a.m. and p.m. peak hour. If an applicant cannot meet this requirement, an analysis shall be completed to show that all reasonable options have been considered to create the most efficient access possible.
(c) 
No reduction in the levels of service of intersections within the study area as a result of the development; however, if the intersection already has an LOS, no reduction in the intersection delay shall occur.
(d) 
Sight distances for all access drives intersecting with all rights-of-way shall meet Borough and/or PennDOT requirements, as applicable.
F. 
Implementation. The Borough shall review the traffic impact study to analyze its adequacy in solving any traffic problems that will occur due to the land development or subdivision. The Borough's professional consultants shall review the study and submit their review comments to the Borough. These review comments shall be part of the Borough's official review and approval process. The Borough may decide that certain improvements on an adjacent site within the study area are necessary for land development or subdivision plan approval and may attach these conditions to the approval. If the municipality concludes that additional improvements are necessary, the developer shall have the opportunity to resubmit alternative improvement designs to obtain plan approval.