Transportation
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Wenatchee Urban Area Comprehensive Plan 201410-9-16 TRANSPORTATION TOPICS The Transportation Chapter aims to increase the mobility, accessibility, and . Purpose safety of the road network, in coordination . Regional Coordination & with enhancing the multimodal nature of ReferencedReferenced Plans the transportation system and . Background encouraging viable alternatives to the . Complete Streets Policy single-occupant automobile. Inventory . Level of Service This chapter includes: a brief inventory of . FundingImprovements transportation facilities, adopted level of . Regional ConnectivityCirculation service standards, and a discussion of . Foothills and Canyons current and future system needs and . Complete Streets Policy strategies for meeting demands including . System Maintenance & Safety utilizing demand management and non- . Parking motorized transportation. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) . Freight Management REFERENCED REGIONAL . Regional Goals and Policies COORDINATION & REFERENCED . Goals and Policies PLANS The Chelan-Douglas Transportation PURPOSE Council (CDTC) is the region’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO) The purpose of the Transportation Element and the region’s Rregional Ttransportation of the Comprehensive Plan is to ensure the Pplanning Oorganization (RTPO) made up transportation system within the Urban of cities, towns, counties, ports, the Growth Area (UGA) is preserved and Washington State Department of enhanced to meet the growth needs of the Transportation (WSDOT), and LINK community. The Transportation eElement transit. The CDTC has set transportation must consider all modes of transportation policy and goals for Chelan and Douglas from non-motorized functions, such as counties through Transportation 2040 walking, to aviation. The State Growth which addresses regionally-significant Management Act requires the transportation deficiencies, opportunities Transportation Element to consider and recommends transportation system existing inventories of services and improvements in all of Chelan and Douglas facilities, levels of service, system counties. deficiencies, regional coordination, land use patterns and goals and policies among As such, local transportation planning other items. takes place within the context of greater The vision for Wenatchee’s Transportation regional efforts. The City of Wenatchee Element is to promote, manage, and coordinates transportation issues and maintain a safe, efficient, and integrated planning on a regional basis through the multi-modal transportation system that is CDTC. All jurisdictions within the region consistent with the city’s overall vision and including the WSDOT, Chelan County, and adequately serves anticipated growth. LINK Transit participate in coordination Wenatchee Urban Area Comprehensive Plan 2014 efforts through the CDTC. The City also plans and coordinates transportation Nearly every transit trip begins or ends as matters directly with the WSDOT, Chelan a walking or bicycle trip. Providing a County, the Wenatchee School District, multimodal transportation system that is the Port of Chelan County, and other reliable, aesthetic, efficient, integrated agencies and non-profit groups. and intentionally connected gives people the option to avoid traffic jams and This Transportation Element is consistent increase the overall capacity of the with the Transportation 2040 priorities. established network. Building upon the OtherSeveral existing plans hold important information for painting a existing system to adequately comprehensive transportation overview of accommodate users of all ages and our urban area. Rather than reiterating abilities requires planning, designing and their information, tThese plans are constructing in such a way that considers adopted by reference, as now and pedestrians, bicyclists, public/paratransit hereafter amended, into this users, people with disabilities, emergency Transportation . Chapter. Plans, responders, motorists, freight providers, documents or studies which have been commercial vehicles, delivery/service adopted as a component of this plan or personnel, adjacent property owners and serve as adopted guidance materials are additional modes of transportation. listed in their entirety under the section, Relationship to Other Plans & Studies, in The decision to consider transportation the Wenatchee Urban Area Plan. The alternatives for the single occupancy Transportation Element and other motor vehicle is influenced by applicable portions of the Comprehensive neighborhood design and density (mixed Plan provides direction on the use and use and short blocks), comfortable and implementation of these plans or guidance convenient infrastructure (size, materials. : placement and feel), narrow streets, lighting, and aesthetic landscaping and . Transportation 2040: The Regional Transportation Plan for Chelan and architecture. Alternative transportation Douglas Counties modes are found along and across . City of Wenatchee’s adopted Six Year arterials, collectors, alleyways and trails Transportation Improvement Program in order to connect home, work school, . City of Wenatchee Capital Facilities recreation, retail and other destinations Plan 2017-20** for residents and visitors. Access and . 2016 City of Wenatchee Citywide mobility from one place to another is Pavement Management Program essential for all users regardless of . 2013 Greater Wenatchee Bicycle neighborhood status, health equity, Master Plan income, race or ethnicity. The North Wenatchee Transportation Master Plan Wenatchee’s transportation system is Wenatchee Valley Urbanized Area primarily centered on the private Freight Study automobile. There are ever increasing Wenatchee Foothills Development driver numbers and resulting traffic Potential Study (Resolution 2010-27) congestion on the road system. As the urban area continues to grow, new roadways, bridges, and the expansion of BACKGROUND Page 2 of 37 Wenatchee Urban Area Comprehensive Plan 2014 existing roadways in conjunction with motorists, and public transportation continuous maintenance will be required. users.” This Plan expands the multi-modal nature The Complete Streets Act establishes a of our transportation system. This is grant program to help cities, towns, and achieved, in part, by adopting land use counties pay for complete streets projects. policies that reduce the need for To be eligible for a grant, the Act requires automobile travel. Strategies include local governments to adopt a jurisdiction- providing opportunities for greater wide complete streets ordinance. The residential densities close to employment National Complete Streets Coalition and transit routes, promoting compatible emphasizes a number of important criteria infill in established neighborhoods, as well including incorporating all users and as encouraging a mix of uses in modes, applying to all types of commercial and surrounding areas. transportation projects, recognizing the Facilitating modes other than the importance of a complete street network, automobile also necessitates planning for using the latest design guidance, and reviewing such systems in a identifying specific implementation steps, comprehensive manner for the entire and creating measurable performance urban area. standards to evaluate whether the Due to Wenatchee’s status as the regional jurisdiction is meeting the goals. urban center, however, the city Municipal Research Services transportation network is significantly The City of Wenatchee adopted a affected by traffic generated from outside Complete Streets Policy (Ordinance 2016- the city limits. This presents a significant challenge in utilizing land use and 24) in 2016. Wenatchee’s Complete transportation planning policies to Streets Policy provides: encourage infill development and maintain - Vision for the multimodal a compact urban area while managing transportation system; increasing traffic congestion on the - Core commitment around transportation network generated outside the planning area. identifying users and modes, integration into projects/phases, COMPLETE STREETS POLICY and policy exceptions; - Best practices for establishing a “Complete streets” refers to the concept multimodal transportation system that roadways should be designed with all network, effective complete streets users in mind, not just motorists.Pav The partnerships, design guidance, and term was introduced around 2003 in an performance measures; and effort to improve pedestrian and bicycle - Next steps for implementing facilities in particular, and it is now used complete street elements. by many local governments. In 2011, the state legislature passed the Complete Many of Wenatchee’s streets are designed Streets Act, codified in RCW 47.04.320- for motor vehicle travel; by expanding and 340, encouraging local governments to improving the multi-modal nature of the adopt their own complete streets city’s system, safety and accessibility can ordinances. In particular, RCW increase for all. Amongst the barriers to 47.04.320(1) states that such ordinances utilizing alternative transportation should “provide safe access to all users, facilities is an incomplete transportation including bicyclists, pedestrians, system, the classic examples are Page 3 of 37 Wenatchee Urban Area Comprehensive Plan 2014 piecemeal sidewalks and bicycle lanes. improvement program for the region are Because of the piecemeal nature of developed by WVTC. development, many bicycle and pedestrian gaps within the system should be targeted by the city