TRANSPORTATION CHAPTER 16 Our modes of travel — private car, taxi cab, subway/rail, bus, ferry, bicycle, or by foot — form the basis of New York City’s extensive and interrelated transportation infrastructure and system. A positive effect on one mode of travelel may negatively impact another, while a negative effect on travel modes may negatively impact several aspects of thehe trantrans- portation system. The objective of the transportation analyses is to determine whetherer a proposed projectt may have a potential significant impact on traffic operations and mobility, public transportationon facilitiefacilitiesacilit and services,ces, pedestrian elements and flow, safety of all roadway users (pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles),ehicles),es), on- anda off-street-streetstreet parking, or goods movement. As with each technical area assessed under CEQR, it is important for applicantspplicantsants to wowork closelyse with the leadle agency during the entire environmental review process. As appropriate, thehe New York CityC Departmentepartmeepart ofUSE TransportationT (DOT), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), its affiliatesatess and subsidsubsidiary agencies,encies, shouldshou also work with the lead agency during the CEQR process to provide information,on, technical rerreview,, recommendarecommendatrecommendations and approvals relating to transportation and any required mitigation. It iss recommendedrecommende that thehe lead agencyagencag consult with expert agencies as early as possible in the environmental review process.ocess. The levelle andnd extent of consultationconco may vary based upon the in-house technical expertise of the lead agency.ncy.cy Sectionction 70700 furtherher outlineoutlines apappropriate coordination with these agencies. Manual This chapter describes each technical area to be addressedaddresdressedsed in a transportationansportationsportat assessment,NOT and outlines the general elements needed for any transportation assessment.essment. This chapc terer alsoso discusdiscussediscusses each specific technical area separate- ly, beginning in Section 340, “Detailed Trafficafficc Analysis,” sshouldd a detailed anaanalysis be needed. A proposed project and any recommended improvement or mitigationtigationtion measumeasmeasures, if any,ny, should,should to the extent practicable, be guided by the pol- icies of Sustainable Streets: Strategicic Planlan for the NNew York City DepartmentDepartmDepart of Transportation 2008 and Beyond, which seeks to promote efficient meansns of travel withwit emphasis onn “alternativeerDOD modes” like transit, pedestrians or bicycles. The specific DOT guidelines applicablepplicablecable tohn mitmitigationn measuresres- are discussed in greater detail in Section 510. 100. DEFINITIONS The transportation analyses shouldshou addresresss the followfollowing major technical areas: TRAFFIC FLOWW ANDAN OPERATINGERATINTeTechnical CONDITIONSDITIONSDITI , includingincludiate the traffic volume expected to be generated in the future with the proposeded project in place andnd thee impact oof the project-generated volume on traffic levels of service. The purpose of thishis assessment is to evaluateevaluatvalu theheDat ttraffic operating conditions and ability of roadway elements to adequately process the expectedexpeexp trafficffic flow undeun r the future With-Action condition. RAIL AND SUSUBWAY FAFACILITIESTIESES AND SSESERVICES, including the capacity of subway lines (known as "line haul" capacity), sta- tion platplatforms,s, stairwells,stairwetairw , ofcorridors,co and passageways, station agent booths/control areas, turnstiles, and other criticacriticcritical stationion elementsements tto accommodate projected volumes of passengers in the future with the proposed project in2012 place. BUS SERVICERV , includingincludincl the ability of existing routes and their frequency of service to accommodate the expected level off bus demdedemand without overloading existing services. MTA has three agencies that operate bus service in New Yorkk CitCity:Out MTA Bus Company (MTABC), MTA Long Island Bus (LIB) and New York City Transit (NYCT). In addi- tion to these entities, privately operated fixed-route service should be included in these analyses to the extent known. CEQR TECHNICAL MANUAL 16 - 1 JANUARY 2012 EDITION TRANSPORTATION PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES, which include three elements – sidewalks, crosswalks and intersection corners (corner reser- voirs). The purpose of the assessment is to evaluate the capacity of these elements to safely and conveniently process or store the volume and activities of pedestrians expected to be generated by the proposed project. PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE AND VEHICULAR SAFETY ASSESSMENTS principally focus on the effect of the proposed project’s gener- ated demand at existing high-crash locations or at locations that may become unsafe due to the proposed project. PARKING CONDITIONS, which include occupancy levels of parking lots and garages (public and accessory) as well as curbside parking utilization. The purpose of the on- and off-street parking assessment is to determine what efeeffect the proposed project may have on parking resources in the study area. GOODS DELIVERY, which includes the capacity of proposed loading areas to accommodatemodateoda the expected volume of dde-e- liveries and the ability to do so without interfering with vehicular, pedestriann andnd bicyclebicyclbicyc traffic or compromisingcompromisin safety. CONSTRUCTION PHASE IMPACTS, which include projected impacts on transportationsportationrtation (traffic,(traf pedestrian,destrian, parking,parkp etc.) during a proposed project's construction phase. Guidance for conductinguctingng the transportationtranstran ationatio analysesalyses forfof construc- tion activities is presented in Chapter 22, “Construction Impacts.” USE To analyze each of these technical areas, specific technical methodologies,hodologies, databases,da es, and proceduresproceduproce have been de- veloped and are referenced in this chapter. It is also importantnt too note the iinterrelationshipelationshiptionship betweenbetw the traffic analy- sis, and air quality and noise studies, which should be kept inn mind duringdurin the courseourseurse of the datadad collection and analysis stages. Both the air quality and noise analyses may calll fof r extensivetensive traffic information; therefore,t traffic information should be collected and formatted in a way that can be easilyeasi usededManual for the otherher analyses.analys It may also be necessary to assess transportation impacts on residential streetsts ass part of thetht neighborhoodhborho charactercharachaNOT studies. 200. DETERMINING WHETHER A TRANSPORTATIONPORTATIONORTATION ASSESSMENTMENT IS APPROPRIATEPPR While interrelationships between the keyy techtechnicaltechnicanical areasa of the transptransportationtranspor system — traffic, transit, pedestrians, and parking — should be taken intoo account in anaany assessment, ththee inindividual technical areas are separately assessed to determine whether a project hass the potentpotentialnicalnic to adverselyely anda DO significantly affect a specific area of the transporta- tion system. Consequently, each area is discusseddiscd separately.separ ely.ely - It is possible that detaileded transportationtransportatiotransportati analysesalysesyses may notnon be needed for projects that would create low- or low- to moderate-density developmentvelopment in pparticularlar sections of tthe City. Before undertaking any transportation analysis, ref- erence should be madeade to Table 16-11 too detedetermineerminermine whetherwh numerical analysis is needed. Technic Date of 2012 Out CEQR TECHNICAL MANUAL 16 - 2 JANUARY 2012 EDITION TRANSPORTATION Table 16-1 Minimum Development Densities Potentially Requiring Transportation Analysis Development Type Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Residential (number of new dwelling units) 240 200 200 200 100 Office (number of additional 1,000 gsf) 115 100 100 75 40 Retail (number of additional 1,000 gsf) 30 20 20 10 10 Restaurant (number of additional 1,000 gsf) 20 20 15 15 10 Community Facility (number of additional 1,000 gsf) 25 25 25 15 15 Off-Street Parking Facility (number of new spaces) 85 85 80 60 600 With the following zone definitions: Zone 1: Manhattan, 110th Street and south; Downtown Brooklyn. Zone 2: Manhattan north of 110th Street, including Roosevelt Island; Long Island City; Downtown Flushing; Fort GreeGreene; Park Slope;ope; Portions of BrEBrooklyn Heights; Greenpoint-Williamsburg; Jamaica; all areas within 0.25 miles of subway stations (excludingng Staten lIsland,Is Broadad ChannChannelel and the Rock- aways, Queens); South Bronx (south of 165th Street). Zone 3: St. George (Staten Island); all other areas located within 0.5 miles of subway stations (exceptexcept in StatenS al Island, Broad ChannelChan SE and the Rock- aways, Queens). Zone 4: All areas in Staten Island located within 0.5 miles of subway stations; all other areaeass locatedlocate ualua within oneone-mile-m of subwayUSEUSU stations (except in Staten Island, Broad Channel and the Rockaways, Queens). Zone 5: All other areas. nuanu The attached map shows the zone boundaries. anuan T OT The development thresholds cited in Table 16-1 weree detdetermetererminededManualManMaM by b applyingg typical traveltratr demand factors (i.e., daily person trips, temporal distribution, modal split, vehicleehiclecle occupancy,occupa etc.c..) for the land uses cited in the table for each of the zones, up to a development density at