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HomeMy Public PortalAboutPublic Comment #031 (Ketron)November 18, 2014 Town of Truckee, Town Administrative Center Senior Planner 10183 Truckee Airport Road Truckee, CA 96161 Attenion: Denyelle Nishimori, AICP RE: Comments on Canyon Springs Subdivision Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report, RDEIR Dear Denyelle, I have reviewed a portion of the Revised DEIR, specifically the Traffic portions. Below is a list of topics, 1 through 11, which I believe are omissions in the Traffic portion of the Revised DEIR (Section 4.14 and the Traffic Appendix) . I believe analysis of these omissions must be made and the results included with the revised draft before it is considered a final and inclusive Environmental Impact Report for the Canyon Springs Project. 1. The Canyon Springs traffic analysis addendum was prepared by LSC Transportation and Consultants, Inc. on January 17, 2014, as noted in RDEIR page 4.14 -1. This traffic analysis was conducted in December of 2013 and January of 2014 during a period that coincided with the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District winter break. The study did not accurately analyze the AM -PM peak school season travel times. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until this information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 2. The revised DEIR states that a traffic analysis was derived from the Joerger Ranch Specific Plan (PC -3) Traffic Impact Analysis by LST Transportation Consultants, Inc. PC -3 is a project along highway 267 and Joerger Road, near the airport. The PC -3 plan has no immediate relation to Canyon Springs and therefore the analysis is invalid for the RDEIR. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until new traffic analysis information for Glenshire Drive and Donner pass Road has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 3. Additional traffic traveling along Glenshire Drive will have an affect upon pedestrians walking along portions of Glenshire Drive. This effect is compounded since there are no sidewalks and often little shoulder space. The condition is made worse during snowy times when there is no road shoulder at all to walk on. This study was omitted from both the DEIR and the Revised DEIR. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 4. Additional traffic traveling along Glenshire Drive will affect bicyclists traveling along the same road. Bicycle traffic has increased with the opening of the Glenshire end of the Legacy Bike Trail. This study was been omitted from the DEIR and has not been revisited in the Revised DEIR. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 5. The S -Bend portion of Glenshire Drive near the intersection of Old Highway 40 (leads to the SF flyfishing club) is steep, insufficiently banked for slippery conditions, and can be very hazardous in the winter. Several accidents have taken place here. There is no mention of these accidents, including the head -on collision accident that took place here over the summer, in clear daylight conditions and after recent road work and a guard rail installation was completed! There is no mention of the additional accidents which are projected to take place at this location with the increase of traffic on Glenshire Drive. This study was omitted from the DEIR and has been omitted from the Revised DEIR. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 6. The intersection of Highland Drive and Glenshire Drive has not been addressed in the report. What is the wait time for vehicles leaving Highland Drive and traveling west or east along Glenshire Drive. How will this wait -time increase if traffic volume increases? What is the wait -time for east -bound cars traveling along Glenshire Drive waiting for a vehicle to turn left onto Highland Drive? Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 7. The intersection of Olympic Blvd and Glenshire Drive has not been addressed in the report. What is the wait time for vehicles leaving Olympic Blvd and traveling west or east along Glenshire Drive. How will this wait -time increase if traffic volume increases? What is the wait -time for east -bound cars traveling along Glenshire Drive waiting for a vehicle to turn left onto Olympic Blvd Drive? Recent road work has added a short turn lane for cars in this direction. No mention of this has been included in the report. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 8. One tenth of a mile west of Olympic Blvd on Glenshire Drive is a rise in the road which effectively blocks line of sight for traffic traveling in either direction along Glenshire Drive. This blind -hill is extremely hazardous for traffic leaving Olympic Blvd and turning east. Ten feet of elevation rise could have been easily removed during the recent road work by SNC Construction but was not included in the design drawings. This rise in not mentioned in the report, nor is the effect of additional traffic due to the Canyon Springs project will have upon this blind rise. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 9. During school days, School buses travel along Glenshire Drive. Per law, when a School bus stops, no vehicle may travel past the bus, in either direction. The more cars traveling along Glenshire Drive, the longer the line of cars waiting for the bus. This affects the wait -time and/or travel for many cars. For instance, an east -bound bus that stops on Glenshire Drive near the corner of the Strand effectively blocks traffic east -bound and west -bound on Glenshire Drive as well as all traffic exiting The Strand and waiting to turn West onto Glenshire Drive. In addition, this traffic also blocks a number of driveways (approximately 7) under current traffic conditions. The additional traffic and the additional School buses required for the Canyon Springs Project will increase this wait - effect. This study was omitted from the DEIR and the Revised DEIR. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 10. As noted in the Revised DEIR, the result of a survey show that driver sight distances are not adequate at Whitehorse road and Glenshire Drive. The 25 mph sign is at the top of the hill — almost at the intersection. West -bound traffic traveling up the hill have no speed limit, other than the California 55 mph rule, before reaching the 25 mph sign inside Glenshire. The report also notes that speeds were observed and they averaged 30 mph. Higher speeds, which occur frequently at this location, exacerbate the line of sight deficiency. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. 11. Both the DEIR and the Revised DEIR make the assumption that a certain portion of vehicles leaving Martis Road or Whitehorse road would take the freeway to town, rather than Glenshire- West. It notes that some drivers, such as the elderly, would choose to drive along Glenshire rather than take the freeway. While this is great guesswork, there is no independent study data to support any of this conjecture. Where is the study from existing traffic and age -of- driver data from Whitehorse or Martis Peak? What happens when the roads are icy? How many drivers will choose to take the less -steep Glenshire- West rather than the very steep Glenshire -to- Hirschdale? How many drivers which to avoid the chain control happening at the bug station? None of this data has been provided in the report. Section 4.14 of the RDEIR, Transportation and Traffic, should not be considered accurate or complete until the additional safety study information has been compiled and included in the RDEIR. Thank you for reviewing the Revised DEIR and allowing time for public comment. Sincerely, Mike Ketron 15257 Glenshire Drive Truckee, CA 96161