VI.

Methods to Reduce Local Area

Transportation Review and
Policy Area Mobility Review Impact
A. Methods to Reduce LATR or PAMR Impact for Residential and Non-Residential
Development

1. Traffic Mitigation Agreement Measures

The applicant may be required to reduce LATR and PAMR impact by entering into a legally-
binding agreement with the Planning Board and DPWT to mitigate the impact of all or a part
of their site-generated trips within the policy area where the site is located. Each traffic
mitigation program will be required to operate for at least 12 years once trip reduction
requirements are initially achieved and after use and occupancy permits are drawn. Many
elements are designed to continue in perpetuity.

The following are examples of the measures that could be included in a TMAg:

• Subsidizing transit fares to increase ridership on existing or other transit bus routes
• Constructing a new park-and-ride facility and maintaining it over time
• Providing funds to increase use of an existing park-and-ride facility
• Funding a private shuttle service; e.g., to and from the site to a nearby Metrorail station
or to a park-and-ride facility
• Constructing queue-jumper lanes, providing traffic signal priority treatment for transit
devices and other techniques to improve bus travel times. Only results that are shown to
improve travel times are to be considered.
• Parking management activities
• Establishing live-near-work programs

Other measures may be suggested by applicants, Transportation Planning staff, or DPWT.

Creative approaches to reducing traffic impacts are encouraged.

TMAgs require monitoring to ensure compliance with the conditions of the contract.
Monitoring will be done on a quarterly basis, at minimum, at the applicant’s expense by
DWPT staff or a consultant selected by the Planning Board. If the goals are not being met,
DPWT staff or the consultant shall monitor the TMAg on a monthly basis until the goals are
met for three consecutive months. Transportation Planning staff and DPWT shall work with
the applicant to seek additional measures to ensure compliance during periods when the
goals are not being met.

M-NCPPC Local Area Transportation Review Guidelines Page 29

 2. Non-Automobile Transportation Facilities

To maintain an approximately equivalent transportation local level of service for both auto
and non-auto modes of travel, the Planning Board may permit a reduction in the amount of
roadway improvements or traffic mitigation in exchange for the installation or construction of
non-automobile transportation facilities that will enhance pedestrian safety or encourage
non-automobile mode choices, including sidewalks, bike paths, curb extensions, countdown
pedestrian signals, Super Shelters, bus shelters and benches, bike lockers, and static or real
time transit information signs.

Such facilities must be implemented to offset the local area impact at the intersections that
exceed the congestion standard and the need for an improvement has been identified. Thus,
trip distribution and assignment assumptions are a key factor in determining local area
intersection impacts and the level of trip mitigation required.

In determining the adequacy of such improvements in mitigating local area congestion, the
Planning Board must balance the environmental and community impacts of reducing
congestion at an intersection against the safe and efficient accommodation of pedestrians,
bike riders, and bus patrons. Periodic monitoring shall not be required of non-automobile
transportation facilities.

a. Construction of Sidewalks, Bike Paths, Curb Extensions, Pedestrian Refuge Islands,

Accessible or Countdown Pedestrian Signals, and Handicap Ramps
An applicant may propose to reduce LATR impact by constructing off-site sidewalks
and/or bike paths, curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, accessible or countdown
pedestrian signals and handicap ramps that provide safe access from proposed or
existing development to any of the following uses:

• Transit stations or stops (rail or bus)

• Public facilities (school, library, park, post office, etc.)
• Recreation centers
• Retail centers that employ 20 or more persons at any time
• Housing projects
• Office centers that employ 100 or more persons
• Existing sidewalks or bike paths
• Adjacent development or private amenity space (sitting area, theater, community
center).

Curb extensions may be considered along streets where on-street parking already exists,
provided the extenstions don’t reduce traffic capacity and operations at the proposed
intersections. Accessible pedestrian signals (for the visually-impaired community),
retrofitting existing traffic signals with countdown lights, and reconstructing existing sub-
standard handicap ramps (to current ADA guidelines) should be allowed as optional
facilities.

These uses must be within one-quarter mile of the proposed development. For transit
stations or stops, the frequency of transit service must be at intervals of 20 minutes or
less during the weekday morning and evening peak periods.

Page 30 Local Area Transportation Review Guidelines M-NCPPC

 New bikeway segments can be indentified from the Countywide Bikeway Functional
Master Plan. The Plan’s prioritization strategy lists bikeways categorized by activity center
for example, Metro stations, CBDs, park trails, etc.

b. Provision of Super Shelters, Bus Shelters, and Benches

An applicant may propose to reduce LATR impact by constructing a “Super Shelter,” bus
shelter or bench, including a concrete pad, to encourage bus use, which reduces
weekday peak-hour vehicle trips by diverting some person-trips to buses. Two types of
shelters can be provided: standard bus shelters and Super Shelters.

• The County has an agreement with Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. (CCO) to provide a
minimum of 500 standard bus shelters in the County. CCO has first choice of
locations for these shelters, a number of which will carry advertising. Standard bus
shelters to be provided under LATR must be located in areas where CCO chooses not
to provide shelters. CCO must be offered right of first refusal for any new sites before
shelter placement is accepted from the developer.

• “Super Shelters” include heating and lighting, have larger capacity, four walls (with
openings to enter and exit), and a higher level of design than standard shelters. A
Super Shelter is located on Rockville Pike near Marinelli Road (as part of an
agreement with Target/Home Depot). These shelters may be provided only at
locations where CCO has chosen not to provide shelters. If agreed to by DPWT and
the developer, Super Shelters should be incorporated as part of development
planning and will need to be coordinated with existing and planned locations for
standard shelters.

All bus shelters must be on a bus route, at an existing stop, within one-quarter mile of the
edge of the proposed development. The frequency of the transit service must be at
intervals of 20 minutes or less during the weekday morning and evening peak periods.

For any off-site improvement shown in Table 5, pedestrians and bicyclists should be able
to safely cross any roadway to reach their destination. The applicant may provide
improvements that Transportation Planning and DPWT staffs agree would increase the
safety of the crossing.

c. Provision of Bike Lockers

An applicant may propose to reduce LATR impact by providing bike lockers for a
minimum of eight bikes at an activity center located within a one-mile radius of the edge
of the development.

d. Provision of Transit Information Signs and Kiosks

An applicant may propose to reduce LATR impact by providing static or electronic signs,
and/or information kiosks at bus shelters, large office buildings, retail centers, transit
centers, or residential complexes. They should communicate scheduled or real-
time transit information, for example, the scheduled or estimated arrival of the
next bus on a given route.

M-NCPPC Local Area Transportation Review Guidelines Page 31

 Static transit information signs may be provided only at locations other than CCO-
provided standard bus shelters, since the CCO agreement already provides for type of
information. For static transit information provided at office buildings, retail centers, etc.,
the applicant should provide for changing this information three times a year.

e. Graduated and Maximum Trip Reduction Credits

Related to the construction or provision of the above (a through d), the maximum trip
credit for any development is related to the congestion standard for that policy area. In
policy areas with higher congestion standards, the maximum reduction in trips is higher
in recognition of the desire to enhance pedestrian safety and/or encourage transit and
bike use in these areas. (See Table 5).

Table 5 identifies trip reduction options. Any or all of the options may be used for a given
application. The maximum trip reduction per development is a function of the policy area
congestion standard.

Table 5
Graduated and Maximum Trip Credits Related to Congestion Standards

Trip Credit vs Congestion Standard

Non-Automobile Transportation Facility
1350-1500 1550-1600 1800

100 linear feet of five-foot wide sidewalk 0.5 0.75 1.0

100 linear feet of eight-foot wide bike path 0.5 0.75 1.0
Curb Extension/Pedestrian Refuge
2.0 3.0 4.0
Island/Handicap Ramp
Accessible or Countdown Pedestrian Signals/
1.0 2.0 3.0
Intersection
Bus Shelter 5.0 7.5 10.0

“Super” Bus Shelter 10.0 15.0 20.0

Bus Bench with Pad 0.5 0.75 1.0

Information Kiosk 1.5 3.0 4.5

Bike Locker (set of eight) 2.0 3.0 4.0

Real-Time Transit Information Sign 10.0 15.0 20.0

Static Transit Information Sign 0.25 0.4 0.5

Maximum Trip Credits 60 90 120

Page 32 Local Area Transportation Review Guidelines M-NCPPC

B. Procedures for Applying Section VI – Trip Reduction Methods

The determination of the total number of trips generated by a proposed development will be
made prior to any reduction. If a proposed development generated more than 30 total
weekday peak-hour trips, a traffic study would be required. If an applicant proposes a traffic
mitigation agreement or non-automobile transportation facilities, the reduction will be
accounted for in the traffic study. An applicant proposing these trip reduction strategies may
be required to gather data on current bus patronage or pedestrian/bicycle activity within the
local area to aid in evaluating effectiveness.

The applicant may only apply a trip reduction method after the total number of peak-hour
trips is determined using standard trip rates.

C. Payment Instead of Construction

For requirements of LATR where an applicant has made a good faith effort to implement an
acceptable improvement and where the Board finds that a desirable improvement cannot
feasibly be implemented by the applicant but that it can be implemented by a public agency
within four years after the subdivision is approved, The County Council has authorized the
Planning Board to accept payment to the County of a fee commensurate with the cost of the
required improvement.

M-NCPPC Local Area Transportation Review Guidelines Page 33