Laserfiche WebLink
EVERETT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN <br />MOTOR VEHICLES <br />Most Everett residents (about 75%) use motor <br />vehicles as their primary mode of transportation to <br />work. Moreover, many non-resident travelers pass <br />through the City via 1-5 or park at Everett Station <br />and take public transit into Seattle. There is peak <br />hour congestion on some City roadways, including <br />Airport Road and North Broadway. <br />Analysis of Everett's congestion for motorists is <br />based on traffic counts collected in 201-3 and 201-4. <br />Each of the major roadways in Everett was <br />evaluated based on their ability to accommodate <br />PM peak hour demand in their existing <br />configuration (number of lanes, traffic control, etc.). <br />The corridors were scored into one of six level of <br />service (LOS) categories based on aspects of traffic <br />flow such as speed, travel time, delay, and freedom <br />to maneuver. Levels from LOS A to LOS F <br />correspond to a range of completely uncongested to <br />oversaturated operational conditions. Table i <br />describes the LOS definitions from Chapter 1-6 of the <br />Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) (Transportation <br />Research Board, 201-0), which is the methodology <br />applied to Everett's transportation network. <br />Table z: Level of Service Definitions <br />Levelof <br />Service <br />Description <br />A <br />Free-flowing conditions. <br />B <br />Stable operating conditions. <br />C <br />Stable operating conditions, but <br />individual motorists are affected by <br />the interaction with other motorists. <br />D <br />High density of motorists, but stable <br />flow. <br />E <br />Near -capacity operations, with <br />speeds reduced to a low but uniform <br />speed. <br />F <br />Over capacity, with delays. <br />Source: 2oio Highway Capacity Manual. <br />For the purpose of this analysis, LOS was calculated <br />by corridor instead of by individual intersection. <br />Though a single intersection on these corridors may <br />experience longer delays, the overall concern for <br />residents and travelers on these roadways is to get <br />through multiple intersections in a reasonable <br />amount of time. For this reason, average delay <br />along the corridor is a more meaningful level of <br />service measure than the experience at a single <br />intersection. <br />The LOS standards adopted by the City of Everett <br />are as follows: <br />• LOS D in general <br />• LOS E/F if approved by city engineer <br />It should be noted that 1-5, SR 526, US 2, and <br />portions of SR 529, as Highways of Statewide <br />Significance (HSS), are exempt from the City's LOS <br />standards. However, HSS do have specific LOS <br />goals that are defined by WSDOT and PSRC. 1-5, Sr <br />526, and US 2 have a LOS D standard. SR 529 has a <br />LOS E standard. Furthermore, managed access <br />state routes within the City (e.g. SR 527 and SR 99) <br />are not exempt and Everett's concurrency standards <br />apply to these roadways. <br />Figure 17 shows the calculated LOS on Everett's <br />major roadways. As the figures show, the City - <br />owned roadways are mostly free flow with <br />moderate congestion on some arterials mostly <br />south of downtown. The northbound lane -drop that <br />narrows Broadway at East Marine View Drive causes <br />PM peak hour congestion and the 128th Street <br />corridor between Evergreen Way and 1-5 is also very <br />congested. 1-5 is congested throughout much of <br />Everett, and some motorists may choose to take <br />city streets instead of 1-5 to avoid the congestion. <br />TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT 22 <br />