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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-06-17; City Council; 3367-1; General Plan Amendment Circulation & Parks & RecCITY OF CARLSBAD . 3312-Supplement No. 1 AGENDA BILL NO. 3367-Supplement No. 1 . DATE:June 17, 1975 DEPARTMENT:City Attorney Initial: Dept.Hd. C. Atty.V/ffi C. Mgr. Subject:GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT—ADOPTION OF REVISED CIRCULATION AND PARK AND RECREATION ELEMENTS Statement of the Matter The City Council at your May 20, 1975 meeting directed the City Attorney to prepare the documents necessary to adopt the revised circulation element of the General Plan. At your June 3, 1975 meeting, the Council indicated a desire to have the documents for the revised park and recreation element as well. The attached resolu- tion constituting the first of your 1975 "wishes" amends the General Plan by the. adoption of the two revised elements. from City Engineer dated 6-5-75. Exhibit Memo to City Me Resolution No. Revised Circulation' and Park and Recreation Elements. Exhibits A and BRecommendation If the Council desires to adopt the revised circulation and park and recreation elements, your action-is to adopt Resolution Council action: 6-17-75 Following the public hearing Resolution #3664 was adopted, amending the General Plan by the adoption of a Revised Circulation Element and a Revised Park and Recreation Element of the General Plan, and the staff was instructed to change~~ the Park and Recreation Element to reflect the changes indicated, by the Counci1 . June 5, 1975 MEMORANDUM TO: City Manager FROM: City Engineer SUBJECT: Circulation Element - Final Draft Attached is the final draft of the Circulation Element which has been modified to include items discussed at the public hearing at the May 20, 1975 Council meeting. In addition to minor grammati- caI and typographical corrections, the final draft is modified as foI Iows: 1. Item IV (Mobility) B. (Modes of Transportation) 4. Trans i t Service, now reads: "A recommended bus transit plan for North County is being implemented so that over 70 percent of the study area population will be within a quarter mile walking distance of a bus line. This plan includes three levels of improved transit service—I oca I, intercommunity and regional service. To insure efficient and economical operation, the plan recommends that the entire North County Transit System be managed and operat- ed by the Oceanside Transportation System. Each North County juris- diction may contract with the City of Oceanside for the type and level of local service it desires, plus its share of the inter- community service. Park and ride facilities shall be planned when warranted." This modification includes: a) updating references to the North County Transit Plan (as discussed at the public hearing and; b) adding a sentence regarding park and ride facilities (an item re- quested by the Planning Commission but inadvertently ommitted from the THIRD DRAFT). 2. Item V (Circulation Plan) B. (Street Functions and Stand- ards) 2. Collector Streets, now reads: "The col lector street is intended to serve as the connecting link to handle traffic between local streets and the secondary and major arterials. Additionally, collector streets provide access to abutting property and will in- clude those streets which provide for traffic movements within a relatively small area such as a residential neighborhood. General- ly speaking, traffic using the collector streets will have an ori- gin or a destination within the local area. Collector streets are anticipated to carry traffic volumes of up to 5,000 vehicles per day. A collector street will normally have one moving lane in each direction and may provide for on-street parking; therefore, a minimum pavement width of 40 feet is recommended, which can be accommodated within a 60 foot right of way. In areas MEMORANDUM - June 5, 1975 Page 2 City Manager of the City where collectors, or sections of collectors are antici- pated to carry traffic volumes greater than 5,000 vehicles per day, pavement widths and rights of way may be increased to facilitate the additional traffic. Collector streets are not illustrated on the circulation element map since they are only locally important and are related to the design concepts utilized within a neighbor- hood." This modification will allow the City to maintain the necessary flexibility with regards to required number of traffic lanes and/ or turning lanes in high density areas without the need to reclass- ify a roadway as a secondary arterial (and amending the General Plan). Some examples of potential four lane "collector streets" which would not meet "secondary arterial" criteria of the Circu- lation Element could include Grand Avenue (Commercial), Park Drive (High Density Residential), Cabot, street accesses to major office or Industrial) and access to Proposed Lake or Batiquitos Lagoon). Cabot & Forbes Industrial Park industrial complexes (Planned Regional Parks (such as Calavera Tim Flanagan C i ty Eng i neer TCF/sIn attachment cc: City Attorney 0 mtn • cK <~> 0 On.0 Os* ™ 0 VINCENT fCITY ATTORNEYm -M AVENUEALIFORNIA 9.'1200 ElCARLSBAD, C! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 RESOLUTION NO.3664 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE GENERAL PLAN BY THE ADOPTION OF A REVISED CIRCULATION ELEMENT AND A REVISED PARK AND RECREATION ELEMENT OF THE GENERAL PLAN OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD. WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad has undertaken a comprehen- sive review of the General Plan, including the participation of a number of citizens' committees and a series of Planning Com- mission workshops; and WHEREAS, as a result of such review the Planning Commis- sion did on February 25, 1975 and April 22, 1975 after public hear- ings adopt Resolution Nos. 1138 and 1150 recommending to the City Council an amendment to the General Plan (Nos. 33 and 34) adopt- ing a revised circulation element and a revised park and recrea- tion element of the City of Carlsbad General Plan. Said resolu- tions are on file in the Planning Department and are incorporated by reference herein; and WHEREAS, said amendment has met the requirements of the City of Carlsbad Environmental Protection Ordinance of 1972 and has been declared to have a nonsignificant impact on the environ- ment; and WHEREAS, the City Council has held a series of duly adver- tised public hearings to consider said amendments and has received the recommendations, objections, protests and comments of all individuals and parties who desired to be heard; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the to 00 O) £fc»iMt O Oi O So cc< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 City of Carlsbad as follows: 1. That the above recitations are true and correct. 2. That the findings of the Planning Commission as set forth in Planning Commission Resolution Nos. 1138 and 1150 consti- tute the findings of the City Council. 3. That the General Plan of the City of Carlsbad is amended as follows: A. A revised circulation element is hereby adopted as shown on Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein. B. A revised park and recreation element is hereby adopted as shown on Exhibit B attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein. C. Resolution Nos. 1940 and 3036 are rescinded as are any other resolutions adopting matters inconsistent herewith. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Carlsbad City Council held on the 17th day of June , 1975, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: Councilmen Frazee, Chase, Lewis, Skotnicki and Councilwoman Casler NOES: None ABSENT: None TTEST: ROBERT C. FRAZEE^Mayor •MARGARET7 E. ADAMS1, City Clerk '(SEAL) EXHIBIT A to Resolution No. 3664 CITY OF CARLSBAD GENERAL PLAN CIRCULATION ELEMENT (FINAL DRAFT) May, 1975 Prepared By CITY STAFF and LAMPMAN AND ASSOCIATES TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. STATE LAW - CIRCULATION ELEMENT 1 B. SCOPE AND NATURE OF THE CIRCULATION ELEMENT } C. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ELEMENTS ] II. GOALS 2 III. POLICY 2 IV. MOBILITY 3 A. NEEDS ' 3 B. MODES OF TRANSPORTATION 3 V. CIRCULATION PLAN 6 A. GUIDELINES 6 B. STREET FUNCTIONS & STANDARDS 8 VI. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CONS IDERATIONS 15 CIRCULATION ELEMENT I. INTRODUCTION The primary function of the Circulation System is to provide service to the land uses expressed in the General Plan. Traffic facilities are but one element in the overall fabric of the community, and their environmental effect is all too often detrimental. A wel1-conceived circulation plan will designate a system of streets and highways which will provide adequate links within and between the region and the City, as well as between the components of the Land Use Element, and will meet the transporta- tion objectives of the community. These objectives, in turn, assist and contribute to the achievement of the overall economic, physical, and social goals of the community. The circulation system is a primary determinant of the pattern of human settlement. It has a major impact on the areas and activities which it serves, on community cohesion, and on the quality of human life. Economic activities normally require circulation for materials, products, ideas or employees, and thus the viability of the community's economy is directly affected by the Circulation Element. The circula- tion system is one of the chief generators of physical settlement patterns, and its location, design and constituent modes have major impacts on air quality, plant and animal habitats, community appearance and other environmental components. A. STATE LAW - CIRCULATION ELEMENT Section 65302(b) of the Government Code requires a Circulation Element of all city and county general plans, as follows: A circulation element consisting of the general locations and extent of existing and proposed major thoroughfares, transportation routes, terminals and facilities, all correlated with the Land Use Element of the Plan. B. SCOPE AND NATURE OF THE CIRCULATION ELEMENT The Circulation Element of the Carlsbad General Plan (1) identifies the needs and issues concerning transportation in and around Carlsbad, (2) states the goals and policies based on the total circulation needs of the community, (3) describes the mobility needs and the various modes of transportation, (4) presents guidelines for the proposed circulation plan (5) depicts functions and standards for the location, design and levels of service of the street facilities, and (6) contains a map showing the proposed Circulation Plan and a graph showing the Movement-Access Functions of streets. C. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ELEMENTS Although the Circulation Element must include input from all other General Plan Elements, it is most closely related to and has been carefully coordinated with the Land Use Element. All circulation facilities have been designed around the General Plan's proposed land use patterns and these, in turn, have also been kept in scale with the circulation system. In Carlsbad, the Circulation Element is aimed primarily at providing for the community needs and improving and eliminating points of congestion within the system. Proposed streets or highways outside the City in currently undeveloped areas are not intended to encourage or influence the direction of future growth but, rather, to provide the needed facilities when such growth occurs, in harmony with the Land Use Element and other related elements of the General Plan. The Circulation Element has been coordinated closely with the Scenic Highways Element. These two elements include inherent differences related to transportation. However, they also both depend greatly on the adjacent land uses for their.efficiency and value to the community. General circulation in Carlsbad and scenic highway systems have been designed to complement each other. I I . GOALS Provide a comprehensive circulation system to serve the present and future needs of Carlsbad and the greater San Diego County area. This system will require a balance among travel modes based on safety, convenience, attractiveness, costs, social impacts and travel needs of the citizens of Carlsbad. III. POLICY A. Improve operational efficiencies of streets by using modern design standards and the latest available technology. Include provisions for emergency and public service vehicles. B. Construct each addition to the circulation system so that it will provide a usable link in the total system. C. Minimize disruptive effects on human life caused by the construction and expansion of transportation facilities and utility services. D. Provide bikeways for school routes, commuter routes and recreational uses. Also, make provisions for bikeways in virtually all new major, secondary and scenic roadways. Coordinate implementation of bikeways with Parks and Recreation element. E. Encourage and assist in the planning and development of a regional mass transit system with other appropriate agencies. F. Provide adequate traffic safety measures at all intersections involving vehicular, pedestrian, and/or railroad traffic. G. Coordinate the circulation plan with the development of the scenic route program (covered exclusively in the Scenic High- ways Element) for the preservation and enhancement of the scenic qualities of selected corridors. W IV. MOBILITY A. Needs Although there will be additional population growth, the Land Use Element indicates that the Carlsbad area will continue to be predomin- antly low density in nature, with higher densities along the coast. New residential development can be expected to come in the form of low-rise apartments, condominiums, or townhouses, as well as tradi- tional single-family homes. Many of these, especially in the hill- side areas, will be clustered or a part of planned unit residential developments. The basic mobility needs of the future are generally agreed to be: 1. Personal: The individual and family needs for transportation to and between areas of employment, shopping, education, church and medical faci1 it ies. 2. Recreational: The need of the residents and visitors for access to points of interest and recreational areas. 3. Commercial: The needs of retailers to transport goods to their places of business and to deliver merchandise to homes or other purchasers. 4. Industrial: The need of the industrialist to bring raw materials to his facility and to transport the finished products within and beyond Carlsbad. B. Modes of Transportation 1. Freeways: Controlled-access freeways, the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 5) and Vista Freeway, (State Highway 78), constitute the principal regional system and form the backbone of the traffic network. The location, design and construction of the freeway system is a responsibility of the California State Department of Transportati on. 2. Streets: Street standards presented in the Circulation Element for highways identified on the Circulation Element Map should prove adequate to serve anticipated volumes of traffic. However, unusually heavy traffic demands may require that parking lanes be removed along some highways in the already developed portion of the City, particularly in commercial and industrial areas. This alternative appears realistic in light of the fact that the pri- mary purpose of arterial highways is to move traffic. In a few cases, roadside development excludes the possibility of further street widening and normally creates additional demands for access. By removing parking and providing left turn lanes, it is possible to increase highway carrying capacities of arterial surface streets and highways by approximately twenty-five percent. 3. Ra i1 roads: An average of six passenger trains and six freight trains of the Santa Fe Railroad daily traverse the City of Carls- bad. Although there Is no passenger depot currently in use in Carlsbad, there is periodic discussion that provisions be made to restore the old Santa Fe depot and provide for future development as a commuter station. k. Transit Service: A recommended bus transit plan for North County is being implemented so that over 70 percent of the study area population will be within a quarter mile walking distance of a bus line. This plan includes three levels of improved transit service--loca1, intercommunity and regional service. To insure efficient and economical operation, the plan recommends that the entire North County Transit System be managed and operat- ed by the Oceanside Transportation System. Each North County jurisdiction may contract with the City of Oceanside for the type and level of local service it desires, plus its share of the inter- community service. Park and ride facilities shall be planned when warranted. 5. A i r Travel : Palomar Airport is presently operating as a general service airport near the City of Carlsbad with a predominant amount of its current 210,000 annual operations being single engine aircraft. The airport is primarily used for recreational and business purposes. With the forecasted increase in the neighboring population, a doubling of aircraft operations is expected, as this type of facility is dependent on the suburban population. The aircraft utilizing the airport are primarily single and twin engine planes. 6. Pedestrians: There are ways to make walking more pleasant and safer. One way is the separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in areas such as malls or enclosed shopping centers. Parking structures decrease the distance from car to store, thus making the trip more enjoyable. In the commercial areas, pedestrian movement can be improved through other means such as providing additional parking in strategic locations, increasing sidewalk widths and adding land- scaping or other types of visual barriers between people and vehicular traffic. The construction of parks increases pedes- trian movement and enjoyment. Such parks are useful as visual relief areas and rest stops or other purposes such as lunch time get-togethers, or conversation and meeting places. 7. Equestrians: Equestrian trails should take advantage of natural areas of scenic, educational, or unique value. Ecologically significant areas, as pointed out in the Open Space and Conserva- tion, and Parks and Recreation Elements, often provide excellent opportunities for the development of equestrian and hiking trails. Utilities easements and right of way also may be potential trail routes, as are railroad right of ways. 8. Bicycli sts: It will be necessary and desirable to develop a comprehensive bikeway system which includes both the recreation and transportation aspects of bicycle use. The growing use of the bicycle, particularly for short and intermediate trips, is proving to be a viable alternative to the automobile. If properly planned routes are provided, the bicycle can help reduce traffic congestion (traffic volumes) and air pollution. Various terms pertaining to bicycle facilities are used in bicycle planning. Generally, the terms "bikeway" and "bicycle route" are used to denote any facility specifically designated for bicycle travel. Bicycle routes can basically be divided into three classi- fications : i. Shared Route: a part of the roadway which is identified by "Bike Route" guide signing only. There are no special lane markings, and bicycle traffic shares the roadway with motor vehicles. ii. Bicycle Lane: a part of the roadway in which the lane is designated by signs and painted markings on the pavement. This route is also to be shared with moving motor vehicles. iii. Bicycle Path: an exclusive or semi-exclusive right of way for use of bicycles separated from roadway. This route may parallel sidewalks, but should be physically separated from pedestrian movement where possible. (Crossflows by' pedestrians and'motorists are minimized.whenever possible.) On the "Bicycle Routes" map, (page 14) bicycle corridors are shown rather than specific locations and classifications. As the City develops, it will be necessary to prepare more specific plans for individual bicycle routes. In the meantime, the following course of action for establishing bike routes within the City should be implemented: a. Virtually all the arterials (prime, major and secondary) on the circulation system should incorporate bike routes within or near their rights of way. This can be accomplished by either constructing a separate bike path paralleling the roadway (minimum eight feet wide for two-way bike traffic), or by painting a bike lane (minimum five feet wide) on each side of the arterial, in place of the on-street parking. If parking is to be allowed, additional roadway width will have to be supplied. However, for safety, parking should be discouraged where bike routes are proposed. b. If parking were eliminated on some of the existing arterials, bicycle lanes and/or left turn pockets could be painted. c. Separate bike trails (eight feet minimum width) could be constructed along various utility easements, and could be designed within planned communities and new developments. d. The bicycle routes for the City include those depicted in San Diego County's "1990 General Plan - Circulation Element - Bicycle Network". The roads which include these routes are Carlsbad Boulevard, El Cam i no Real, Palomar Air- port Road and Rancho Santa Fe Road. e. Coordinate the development of bike routes with the Park and Recreation element of the General Plan. f. Connect existing cultural and educational facilities by bicycle routes and provide routes for future facilities. g. Utilize State and Federal monies for acquisition and construction of bicycle routes. h. Locate bicycle routes along designated scenic highways whenever possible. i. All bicycle routes shall be designed in accordance with the "Bike Route Standards", Section 7-1000 of the State of Ca1ifornia Highway Design Manual. V. CIRCULATION PLAN Introduct ion The Circulation Element consists of a narrative (text) and maps (page 13 and 1*0. Since all of these constitute the Circulation Element, one should not be amended without considering the other. The local circulation plan should serve as an integral part of the broader regional transportation network, including a balance between various alternate modes of transportation such as highways, mass transit, air, rail and water facilities that will satisfy local and regional transportation needs and the needs of various age and socio- economic groups. A. Guidelines 1. New freeways and major streets should not bisect or isolate indi- vidual communities, neighborhoods, the City and business areas, parks or other homogeneous areas. 2. Coordinate the distribution, character and intensity of all land uses with the Land Use Element to preclude the increased levels of traffic which would be generated beyond the capacity of the existing or planned street system until such time as adequate facilities can be provided. 3. Route major thoroughfares and plan road construction schedules so that development pressure on undeveloped areas is minimized. 4. Minimize freeway and prime arterial access to encourage their use as throughways rather than an access to adjacent properties. 5. Minimize private driveway access onto both major and secondary arterial roads. 6. Design roads so as to minimize conflicting traffic movements such as turning, curb parking, uncontrolled access and frequent stops. 7. Safe, adequate, and attractively landscaped off-street parking facilities should be provided in residential, commercial, in- dustrial, institutional and public areas. 8. Assure sufficient off-street parking with all new developments and encourage joint public-private efforts to improve parking and circulation conditions in existing developed areas. 9. Provide adequate sidewalks and other pedestrian ways. All new construction, including any future redevelopment, should consider the amount and design of pedestrian spaces in relation to the land uses and parking facilities available. A concerted effort should be made by the City, business establishments, and other interests to coordinate parking, loading, pedestrian and vehicular movement in the Central Business District and other activity centers 10. Minimize the number of intersections wherever possible. 11. Secondary arterials should form T-intersections with major arterials whenever possible to provide for maximum capacity and to reduce the number of potential conflicts. 12. Discourage and minimize the use of residential neighborhood streets as thoroughfares. a. Designate truck routes for the use of commercial and industrial t raf f i c. b. Prevent neighborhood through traffic by routing traffic to peripheral collectors or larger streets. c. Streets in residential neighborhoods should move the traffic efficiently to and from homes in that neighborhood and not generate additional unrelated traffic because of its avail- ability as a "short-cut". 13. Construct roads following the natural contours to minimize cuts and fills; avoid grid street patterns. ]k. Design roads to enhance scenic areas; encourage roadside and median landscaping. 15. Separate pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic where possible. Also, establish a separate system of hiking trails, bicycle paths and equestrian trails from which motorized vehicles would be banned. 16. Protect existing railroad rights-of-way as a land resource. 17. Provide railroad grade separations for safety and the reduction of the negative impact of noise on adjacent land uses. 18. Provide adequate street safety lighting. 8 B. Street Functions S- Standards Past practice has been to establish arbitrary standards for right-of- way widths, pavement sections, parkway width's,, etc., for the various classifications of streets. However, experience has shown that better results can be gained from the consideration of established standards as being guides as to what is reasonable or desirable rather than as inflexible rules. Right-of-way requirements and necessary street widths are directly related to the function a roadway is to serve, to the type of abutting development, to the traffic volumes anticipated to be carried, and to the possible provision of facilities for other purposes such as bikeways. The following is a description of the functions and standards of the various categories of streets into which Carlsbad's circulation system has been divided: 1. Local Streets: The principal purpose of a local street is to pro- vide vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle access to property abutting the public right of way, and moving traffic is only a secondary function of the local street. Since land service is its primary purpose, the local street should not carry through traffic, and buses and heavy trucks should be excluded except where the local street is in a commercial or industrial area of the City. Cross sections of local streets vary with building practices, abut- ting land uses, parking requirements, planting of street trees, and other considerations. Where both sides of the street are served equally, the common right of way width for a local street is 60 feet with a pavement width 36 feet in single-family residential areas with scattered parking. In multi-family areas where there is more or less continuous parking throughout the day and night, a minimum of kO feet of pavement is required in order that room for two mov- ing lanes of traffic be available. In commercial areas, a minimum pavement width of ^0 feet is considered necessary as well, while in industrial areas consideration of the predominant type of trucking and whether or not maneuvering of trailers must be provided for will dictate the width of pavement to be provided. When pavement widths exceed kO feet on local streets, right of way must be increased above 60 feet correspondingly. The overall system design of local streets can greatly affect traf- fic since unduly long streets build up traffic volumes and cross streets and intersections with acute angles are likely to cause accidents. Good practice precludes carrying local streets into arterials since such intersections create unnecessary friction points and cause accidents and related congestion on the arterials. A far better approach is to bring local streets into collectors which then feed into arterials. 2. Collector Streets: The collector street is intended to serve as the connecting link to handle traffic between local streets and the secondary and major arterials. Additionally, collector streets provide access to abutting property and will include those streets which provide for traffic movements within a relatively small area such as a residential neighborhood. Generally speaking, traffic using the collector streets will have an origin or a destination within the local area. Collector streets are anticipated to carry traffic volumes of up to 5,000 vehicles per day. A collector street will normally have one moving lane in each direction and may provide for on-street parking; therefore, a minimum pavement width of ^0 feet is re- commended, which can be accommodated within a 60 foot right of way. In areas of the City where collectors, or sections of collectors are anticipated to carry traffic volumes greater than 5,000 vehicles per day, pavement widths and rights of way may be increased to facilitate the additional traffic. Collector- streets are not illustrated on the circulation element map since they are only locally important and are related to the design con- cepts utilized within a neighborhood. Secondary Arterials: The main function of a secondary arterial is to conduct traffic from collector streets to and from major arterials or freeways. Land access is only a minor function of a secondary arterial and, therefore, parking should be discouraged and residential buildings should not have driveways entering a secondary arterial. Additionally, it is good practice to avoid situations where secondary arterials cross major arterials to form a continuous system, since this might result in a tendency for traffic to use the secondary arterial in lieu of a major arterial for long trips. Traffic volumes in the range of 5,000 - 20,000 vehicles a day should be accommodated by secondary streets. Secondary arterials usually have two moving lanes and one parking lane for each direc- tion of flow and, therefore, require a pavement width of 6k feet which requires a right of way of 8k feet. Where necessary, a secondary arterial can fulfill the role of a major arterial through the expedient of prohibiting on-street parking and establish- ment of a central median divider, either raised or painted. Ma jor Arteria1s: The function of the major arterial is to provide for the movement of traffic. The major arterial carries traffic gathered from collector streets and secondary arterials through- out the community to other collector streets and secondary arteri- als or to the freeways within or surrouding the community. Land access and parking should be provided by other classifications of streets. Traditionally, however, this separation between the movement of traffic and the need to serve adjacent land uses has not been well recognized. To encourage this recognition and to move traffic efficiently and safely, adequate medians should be provided and the number of driveways and cross street intersections should be minimized, on-street parking should be eliminated where- ever possible, and off-street parking for adjacent development should be provided. Traffic volumes in excess of 20,000 vehicles a day necessitate the construction of major arterial streets to carry such volumes safely and efficiently. Major arterials will generally have four lanes of moving traffic and, depending upon adjacent development and service needs, may or may not have parking lanes. Where parking lanes are provided, major arterials will have an 82-foot wide curb separation within 102 foot right of way. An 18 foot median divider may be provided. 1 0 A divided arterial provides an outstanding opportunity to improve the appearance of the street and of the community by attractively landscaping the dividing median. 5. Prime Major Arterials: The primary and most important function of prime major arterials is to move large volumes of vehicles including automobiles, trucks and buses; and, as its name implies, it should handle longer through trips. The facility will be able to carry traffic volumes in excess of 40,000 vehicles per day. Prime major arterials will be able to be expanded to six lanes or moving traffic. This facility may be designed with a curb separation within a 126 foot right of way. Also included is an 18 foot median divider. 6. Freeways: The term "freeway" means an access-free, high speed road with grade separated interchanges; and it has only one function- to carry traffic. It is intended to expedite movement between relatively distant areas in a community, metropolitan area, or region. The freeway is a major visual element in the City and in cut, at grade, or on fill, it constitutes a major barrier separating land uses on one side from those on the other. Planning, design, and construction of freeways in California are usually undertaken by the State Department of Transportation and, as a result, fall outside the jurisdiction of a city. Nonetheless, the City should play an important role in the selection of freeway routes, in the determination of the number of lanes required to carry projected traffic loads, and encouraging the installation and maintenance of attractive landscaping so that the freeway right of way can become integrated with and be an attractive part of the community visual scene. The street cross section standards discussed above are suggestions which will provide the quality of traffic flow and capacity that future traffic volumes will require. All intersections of major and second- ary arterials will require signa1ization at an early date and the provision of left turn lanes will substantially increase capacity. Another concept which should be considered with respect to the inter- section of major and secondary arterials is the acquisition of addi- tional right of way and construction of widened pavements at the approaches to intersections so that separate turning lanes, both for left and tight turns, can be installed with the resultant material increase in traffic carrying capacity. The above recommendations illustrate reasonable and desirable standards, but it should be recognized that compromises are sometimes necessary in order to maintain a practical approach and to accommodate the variations which are a part of community growth. The accompanying chart (page 12) illustrates the relationship between the movement and access functions of the various components of a circulation system. The major thrust of the chart is to show that, as the movement function or volume of traffic handled increases, the amount of local access (driveways and number of intersections) should be reduced. 11 Except where street rights of way already exist, the alignments of streets shown on the circulation system map (page 13) are general only, and the map is not intended to portray a specific location. Precise alignments can only be developed after complete and detailed design studies have been undertaken. 12 CUL-DE-SAC LOCAL STREET 'COLLECTOR STREET SECONDARY ARTERIAL MAJOR ARTERIAL PRIME MAJOR ART. FREEWAY No through Increasing proportion of through traffic traffic, increasing speed. MOVEMENT FUNCTION No local traffic CHART 1 MOVEMENT-ACCESS FUNCTION OF ROADWAY TYPES Circulation 13 fw : freeway pa : prime major arterial ma : major art. sa : secondary art. CITY OF CARLSSA DATE S'/.4--75 BICYCLE ROUTES OF CARLSBAD DATE S-J4-7S 15 VI. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CONSIDERATIONS Two types of environmental impacts are generally attributed to trans- portation systems. One is the actual physical impacts created by the installation and/or usage of the system itself. The other is the potential growth-inducing impact created by improved accessibility. The physical impacts of installation are primarily linked to the exist- ing environment that would be disturbed or eliminated within the pro- posed right-of-ways, Environmental factors that should be considered at this stage of the system's development include, but are not limited to, topography, flora, fauna, soil stability, archaeology, hydrology, and seismic hazards. Because of the general nature of this Element, these types of impacts cannot be adequately evaluated. The physical impacts normally attributed to the usage of the different systems include, but are not limited to, air pollution and noise. The extent of these impacts, that is, the amount of usage, is primarily determined by the intensity of the surrounding land use. The effects of these impacts also depend on what the surrounding land uses are. These land uses are governed largely by the Land Use Element of the Genera 1 Plan. The final impact generally attributed to transport systems is growth inducement. There is no question that increased accessibility to an area increases the potentiality of development in that area. However, this fact does not necessarily imply an adverse impact. The Land Use Element of the General Plan designates today's concept of the ultimate land use pattern of the City. Programs are offerred within the Element that would guide the City in attaining that end product in the most efficient and beneficial manner. Therefore, areas that are prime for development, for all of the different reasons, can be influenced by this factor of increased accessibility. Obviously, then, transport systems within areas not ready for development can be deterred until the appropriate time. As mentioned here, and earlier in this Element, there is a very strong relationship between the Circulation and Land Use Elements of the General Plan. The Land Use Element was developed over many months with maximum citizen input. Numerous alternative plans were developed and evaluated. Each alternative land use pattern was coordinated with an appropriate circulation plan. This Element represents the final circulation plan developed as a result of the adopted Land Use Plan. As a result of the necessity of an ongoing review process to keep the General Plan current, the following policies are hereby established: (1) Upon completion and adoption of all the mandatory Elements of the General Plan, the City shall prepare a comprehensive environ- mental impact report for the entire General Plan and process it according to the provisions of the City of Carlsbad Environmental Protection Ordinance of 1972 and the California Environmental Quality Act. 16 (2) The City shall require specific environmental review, according to the provisions of the City of Carlsbad Environmental Protection Ordinance of 1972 and the California Environmental Quality Act, prior to the construction of any of the transport systems recommended in this Element.