Traffic impact studies are required to enable the Township to identify the potential impacts of a proposed development and determine the roadway improvements necessary to mitigate any impacts resulting from the development.
A traffic impact study shall be submitted for any development which meets the following criteria: residential, 50 or more dwelling units; nonresidential, 20,000 square feet or more of total floor area; or any use that generates 750 or more trips per day. In all cases, a traffic impact study will be conducted when, in the opinion of the Planning Commission/Township, the site development is expected to have a significant impact on the safety and/or traffic flow of the affected roadway(s).
The study shall be conducted by a professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that has verifiable experience in the study of traffic engineering. The study shall be prepared in accordance with the Institute of Transportation Engineer's Recommended Practice Traffic Access and Impact Studies of Site Development, current edition, and PennDOT Publications 201 and 282, current edition, and the requirements contained herein. The full cost of completing the study and of a review by the Township representative shall be borne by the applicant.
Study area boundaries shall be determined in accordance with the preceding publications and through discussion with the Township Planning Commission and Township Engineer. When establishing the study area boundaries, sufficient area shall be included to ensure that any corridors that afford access to the site and critical intersections that may be affected by the site generated traffic are taken into account. The study area will generally include the adjacent major intersection plus the first signalized intersection.
A traffic study prepared in accordance with the preceding publications and shall include the following sections:
A. 
Site description. This section should contain a brief description of the size, location, existing and proposed land uses, current zoning, construction phasing and completion date of the proposed development. A brief description of other major existing and proposed land development within the study area shall be provided.
B. 
Existing and Proposed Roadways And Intersections. Within the study area, describe existing roadways and intersections (geometrics and traffic signal control) as well as improvements proposed by government agencies. Describe the proposed internal transportation system for this development including ingress and egress locations, existing or proposed internal roadways, parking conditions, traffic channelization and any other traffic control devices within the site.
C. 
Existing Traffic Conditions. This section describes the existing traffic conditions analysis to be completed for the roadways and intersections in the study area.
(1) 
Provide daily and peak hour(s) traffic volumes for roadways within the study area. Turning movement and mainline volumes are to be presented for the a.m. and p.m. peak hours and any site generated peak hours. Traffic volumes should be based on actual counts conducted within the prior two years.
(2) 
Utilizing methodology described in the Highway Capacity Manual, current edition, include a volume/capacity analysis of the existing volumes during the peak hours for all roadways and intersections. Levels of service (A through F) are to be computed and presented for key traffic movements, including turning movements. Traffic signal warrant analysis shall be conducted for all unsignalized intersections in accordance with PennDOT Publication 201. Gap studies and queue length analysis shall also be completed for the key intersections. The analysis of the existing road network will be based on the current geometric condition and traffic condition.
D. 
Analysis of Future Conditions Without Development. The analysis of the future conditions without the proposed development will document the adequacy of the study area network to accommodate the traffic in the design year(s) without the proposed development. This analysis must include a full consideration of all committed roadway improvements to the study area network. Clearly indicate the method and assumptions used to forecast future traffic volumes. Perform volume/capacity and associated analyses.
E. 
Trip Generation. The study shall include an estimate of the number of trips expected to be generated by the use during the a.m., p.m. and site-generated peak hours. Such estimates shall be based on the latest published estimates of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, unless the applicant provides the Township with estimates and supporting documentation based upon actual counts at similar developments. These generated volumes shall be distributed to the study area and assigned to the existing roadway at key intersections throughout the study area.
F. 
Analysis of Future Conditions With Development. Perform a volume/capacity analysis for the appropriate peak hours for future conditions with the site development as proposed. As a result of the volume/capacity analysis, compute and describe the level of service on the study area roadway system. Final design must address both traffic flow and traffic safety considerations to provide safe operational characteristics.
G. 
Recommended Improvements. Detail necessary improvements to the study area roadway network which will provide for a level of service for the design year(s) with the development which is at least equivalent to the projected level of service for the design year(s) without the proposed development. Describe the location, nature and extent of proposed improvements to assure sufficient roadway capacity. Perform volume/capacity analysis, which demonstrates the anticipated results of making these improvements. As a result of the revised volume/capacity analysis presented in the previous section, present levels of service for the highway system with improvements. For each recommended improvement, provide a preliminary cost estimate, source of funding, and the implementation schedule for the improvement. Where new intersections are being established to serve as access to the proposed development, these intersections must be designed to at least operate at Level of Service D or better.
H. 
Final Report. A final report must be prepared to document the results of the traffic study and the recommended improvements to accommodate the projected traffic due to the proposed development. Provide an executive summary, which provides a concise description of the study area, result of the traffic analysis and any recommended improvements. The presentation of data and analyses results should be accomplished on schematic diagrams of the study area and the use of charts and/or tables. All sources of data and methodologies that were used in the study must be properly reference and documented. Provide all computer output and calculations in appendices.
I. 
Completion of Improvements. Any traffic improvements that are required as a condition for any approval shall be in place of sufficient funds committed in escrow acceptable to the Township prior to the issuance of any needed occupancy permit, or within a staged process agreed to at the time of approval.