DRAFT Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update: July 23, 2018 version

TRAVEL MODE

POLICY OR PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION

GUIDING PRINCIPLES ADDRESSED

During road projects, develop a methodology to determine appropriate crossings to enhance with marked crosswalks, pedestrian signal phasing, and ADA-compliant accessibility features. Completing safety improvements at the same time as a major roadway project is less costly and disruptive than funding it as a standalone project, and designing the pedestrian facility in tandem with the roadway can ensure they work together safely for improved mobility. However, not every intersection benefits equally from these improvements. Town Planning and Public Works staff should collaborate to determine how best to identify locations needing bicycle and pedestrian crossing improvements to help more effectively allocate Town resources.

Bicycle & Pedestrian

Roadway Project Prioritization The assessment of roadway projects for the Town of Morrisville Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update includes both quantitative and qualitative metrics. The metrics used were defined using feedback from Town staff, the Morrisville Planning and Zoning Board, CAMPO, and NCDOT. National resources such as Transportation for America’s The Innovative MPO and their Transportation Performance Measures: 2017 Survey were consulted to pull from national best practices. In addition to each metric, the importance of each metric to the prioritization process and how much weight each should carry was evaluated through a coordinated effort including Town staff, the Morrisville Planning and Zoning Board, and the public. The following sections define the metrics used in the prioritization process. RELATIONSHIP TO GUIDING PRINCIPLES During the development of prioritization criteria, the relationship to the Plan’s guiding principles was closely considered. Each of the prioritization criteria identified responds to one or more guiding principles. The relationship between prioritization criteria and guiding principles is detailed in Figure 5-2 . Figure 5-2: Prioritization and Guiding Principles Relationship

PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA APPLICABLE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA APPLICABLE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Schools and Community Facilities

Crash History

Existing Volume to Capacity Ratio Volume to Capacity Reduction QUANTITATIVE METRICS Crash History

Activity Centers

Supports Transit Routes

To ensure that project recommendations best serve areas with existing safety concerns, crash data from June 2013 to May 2016 was analyzed relative to crash severity and frequency. Crash frequency includes a raw count of crashes along roadway project segments and within 300 ft. of intersection projects. The crash severity metric was calculated using NCDOT’s methodology that converts each crash to a “property damage only” equivalency. This is called the equivalent property damage only (EPDO) index, and gives greater weight to more severe crashes. The Table 5-7 shows the coefficients used by NCDOT to weight crashes by severity. Table 5-7: NCDOT Crash Weighting Coefficients SEVERITY DESCRIPTION WEIGHT K fatality 76.8 A incapacitating injury 76.8 B evident non-incapacitating injury 8.4 C injury not evident, but complaint of pain or lapse in consciousness 8.4 PDO property damage only 1 ܧ ܲ ܦ ܱ = 76.8( ܭ + )ܣ + 8.4( ܤ + )ܥ + 1(ܲ ܦ ܱ) Existing Volume to Capacity Ratio Existing volume-to-capacity ratios (V/C) were scored using the Locally Administered Projects Program (LAPP) methodology. The existing V/C for each linear project was obtained from the 2010 Triangle Regional Model and scaled using a point system. For new location roadways, parallel facilities that would be improved by the project were identified and the V/C of the parallel facility was used. The scoring system is defined below.

V/C < 0.2 0.0 points V/C < 0.4 0.2 points V/C < 0.6 0.6 points

V/C < 0.8 0.8 points V/C > 0.8 1.0 point

5-8 | P A G E D R A F T | 0 7 / 2 3 / 2 0 1 8