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(1) Roads and Highways.

(a) [Policy No. 1] Preserve and enhance Highway 101 corridor.

(i) Promote year-round safe commuter bicycling in urban growth areas with regularly maintained bicycle facilities and appropriately designed shoulders on Highway 101.

(ii) Review new traffic circulation patterns to disperse or separate traffic from congested segments.

(iii) Encourage the analysis of freight scheduling to split traffic use and reduce peak hour conflict.

(iv) Enhance the scenic nature of Highway 101 by:

Developing consistent information signage;

Prohibiting off-premises sign construction;

Adoption of corridor management plans along the scenic designated areas;

Discourage additional commercial or industrial development immediately adjacent to the areas designated as scenic.

(v) Deciduous street trees, landscape and pedestrian amenities should be included in all future Highway 101 upgrades or private development in urban areas as per matrix cell RH1-7 (see CCC 31.02.435 for the Design Standard Policy Matrix).

(vi) Passing lanes should be planned as per matrix RH1-8.

(vii) Encourage the marking of historic and cultural sites along or adjacent to the Highway 101 corridor.

(b) [Policy No. 2] Improve the aesthetics of scenic Highway 101 corridor.

(i) Encourage placing new and upgraded service utility lines less than twelve (12) kilo-volts (KV) underground as per matrix cell RH2-1. When new utility lines over twelve (12) KV are constructed, they should be placed on the south side of the road to reduce icy pavement conditions.

(ii) Encourage highway landscaping to support the rural character and reduce visual impact of parked vehicles, equipment, etc., along the highway as per matrix cell RH2-2. Consider retaining native vegetation as a priority.

(iii) New fence construction adjacent to road right-of-way should not detract from the rural character as per matrix cell RH2-3.

(iv) Improve aesthetics of the scenic Highway 101 by the prohibition and eventual elimination of off-premises commercial signs (e.g., billboards). Prioritize the removal of off-premises signs, with signs outside urban growth areas being considered a high priority.

(c) [Policy No. 3] Increase regional mobility of goods, services and passengers and increase access to regional attractions while preserving and enhancing the urban commercial corridor.

(i) Insist upon the State Legislature and Department of Transportation to complete improvements in the Sequim-Dungeness subregion as described in the final environmental impact statement for SR 101, Palo Alto to O’Brien Road.

(ii) Review need for new highway alignment to improve circulation and regional mobility in the Port Angeles subregion.

(iii) Review the need to have a new highway connection from Neah Bay to Ozette along or near the coast.

(d) [Policy No. 4] Preserve existing road and highway system.

(i) Highway level of service will be calculated for planning purposes consistent with the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

(ii) Highway level of service for County roads will have a minimum acceptable level of “C” for rural and urban roads. (See Figure 1.)

(iii) Highway level of service for State highways will be consistent with the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization. LOS = “D” for urban highways and tourist corridors. LOS = “C” for rural highways.

(iv) A computer transportation model to forecast future road deficiencies and a transportation inventory data base will be maintained for the County and municipal jurisdictions to monitor growth and forecast predictions and also become the basis for a concurrency management system. (See CCC 31.02.425 for discussion of forecasting methodology.)

(v) Ensure the continued viability of Highway 112 as a major transportation route by protecting segments in geologically unstable areas (i.e., land slides).

(vi) Continue to encourage volunteer help to maintain roads.

(e) [Policy No. 5] Develop rural design standards which enhance strong rural character and neighborhood identity while providing adequate safety.

(i) Design rural major collectors and higher classified roadways to accommodate various transit vehicles according to transit comprehensive plans.

(ii) All road structural improvements should be coordinated with Paratransit services as required by the American Disabilities Act (ADA) to meet driving maneuverability needs).

(iii) Design standards for County roads should adhere to the standards set forth in the “City and County Design Standards,” adopted by WSDOT pursuant to RCW 35.83.030 and RCW 43.32.020, as now or hereafter amended. As of this date, the following standards are adopted:

ADT

Below 150

150 – 400

401 – 750

751 – 1,000

1,001 – 2,000

2,001 and over

Roadway Width

20 – 24 ft.

24 ft.

26 ft.

28 ft.

34 ft.

40 ft.

Lane Width

10 ft.

10 ft.

10 ft.

10 ft.

11 ft.

12 ft.

(iv) All rural federal routes should adhere to minimum WSDOT design standards but not exceed the given standards per criteria unless warranted by a specific land-use impact.

(v) The design and construction of private roads should allow for flexibility while meeting minimum safety requirements for emergency vehicles. The developer should be responsible for improvements to bring the private road up to public road standards if future public agency acceptance is desired.

(vi) To minimize conversion of land designated as commercial forestry or commercial forestry mixed, unpaved County roads in these designations should be returned to private or State ownership, or remain unpaved. The County should not construct or accept as a County facility any road in these designations if the road performs to a local access or minor collector functional classification.

(f) [Policy No. 6] Manage access to the transportation system.

(i) Periodically, review the State access management classification for State highways to advise changes towards comprehensive planning goals.

(ii) The following standards for access to State highways and County arterials shall be followed:

(A) New businesses locating in designated commercial and industrial zones that do not have access to a County road shall combine accesses with neighboring business to the maximum extent possible when adjacent to State highways.

(B) No new commercial or industrial zone shall be established along Highway 101 without access to a County road.

(C) No new subdivisions or short subdivisions in commercial and industrial zones with County road access shall be granted access to State highways.

(D) All new subdivisions or short subdivisions in any land use classification with access to a County arterial shall be allowed only one access point to the County arterial at a location approved by the County Engineer.

(iii) Promote the consolidation of access and the development of ingress/egress easements along State highways and the County arterial system as per matrix cell RH6-2.

(iv) Provide incentives to adjacent property owners (such as setback flexibility) to establish mutually shared driveways. Ensure that development does not preclude shared access in the future as per matrix cell RH6-3.

(v) Develop frontage roads as an alternative to consolidation for removing direct access to Highway 101 as per matrix cell RH6-4.

(vi) Access should be controlled with raised medians with low maintenance and “non-lethal” vegetation as per matrix cell RH6-5. Raised medians, or the “boulevarding” concept should be a recommendation in the Coastal Corridor Master Plan to be implemented with federal funds.

(vii) Deceleration and acceleration lanes should be planned to allow stable through traffic flow as per matrix cell RH6-6.

(g) [Policy No. 7] Consider the needs of school bus transportation in the design and maintenance of the transportation system.

(i) WSDOT service objectives and design standards need to be consistent with school bus design standards.

(ii) School bus route level of service developed by the school districts should trigger a review of transportation solutions by the responsible transportation agencies to resolve the deficiency caused by the changing demographics of school-age children.

(iii) The quantity of school bus pullouts should be adequate and the location of school bus pullouts should be coordinated with the city, County, and especially Clallam Transit System.

(iv) Traffic control, weight and structural improvements for school bus traffic should be coordinated in all agency plans.

(h) [Policy No. 8] Create an awareness for sharing the road with bicyclists. Promote a change of attitude.

(i) Plan the widening of paved shoulders as in the bicycle plan (CCC 31.02.440) in accordance with recognized guidelines, such as AASHTO.

(ii) Designated bicycle lanes should be provided on bicycle routes according to the bicycle plan (CCC 31.02.440).

(iii) Introduce public awareness signs to bicycle lane courtesy and commuter choices as per matrix cell RH8-3.

(i) [Policy No. 9] Encourage alternatives to the single occupant vehicle (SOV), such as transit, commuter van pools, bicycles, and ferries by improving facilities for and links between such alternative modes of transportation.

(i) Encourage coordinated land use planning and zoning regulations to place services and development where there is existing infrastructure. Land use intensities (densities) should be based on a reasonable and balanced transportation system.

(ii) Level of service standards should be adjusted to allow concentrated growth in existing urban centers and to discourage growth in resource lands by tolerating more congestion in urban areas.

(iii) The concurrency management system should give priority to the implementation of transportation demand management strategies to alleviate highway deficiencies before expanding a road facility if the level of service is one grade below acceptable.

(iv) Establish incentives to transit ridership such as offering free transit passes in lieu of private vehicle mileage reimbursement.

(v) Promote strategies that favor alternative modes of transportation such as imposing parking fees and the limitation of private vehicle access in nonmotorized corridors.

(vi) Encourage and support the major employment and commercial centers in reducing single occupant vehicle trips by enacting ridesharing, transit flexible and staggered work hours, and other transportation demand management strategies.

(vii) Support capital improvement projects that facilitate and contribute to the success of transportation demand management measures.

(viii) Encourage transportation shuttle services and parking strategies for regional attractions with private charter services and public/private partnerships.

(ix) Foster employer and retail business partnerships with the assistance of local service organizations in employee encouragement programs. The program should encourage employees to use alternate transportation modes by exchanging coupons from retail businesses for HOV or nonmotorized trips to work.

(x) New parking standards should be developed for commercial and employment centers that are located adjacent to or within a one-half mile range of an existing transit corridor and commuter bicycle facility. Required number of parking stalls and dimension of the stalls should be reduced to make allowances for transit, nonmotorized and HOV travel options. Parking location should give preference to HOVs, bicycles and the compact car. Parking stall ratios should be established for carpools, vanpools, (HOVs) and compact vehicles. Employment centers with minimal external traffic should have standards based on number of employees instead of floor space.

(xi) The orientation of commercial buildings or employment centers should have a connection with the street and provide minimal parking in the “front” and the majority of parking around the side or in the “back” to achieve pedestrian and transit friendly development and to create definition to the street.

(j) [Policy No. 10] Road safety should continually increase as population growth occurs.

(i) Prioritize safety deficiencies using both statistical measures (e.g., accidents and road geometrics) and public input. Periodically, review the process for effectiveness of prioritizing road segment and intersection deficiencies.

(ii) Roadway level of service standards shall incorporate other factors of transportation to calculate the safety element of level of service such as quantity of freight vehicles and bicycles.

(iii) Encourage a network of secondary routes to address emergency vehicle access.

(iv) New development should not be allowed unless accessed by a County road meeting the following minimum standards:

Surface Width    16 feet

Grade    12 percent maximum

Curves    Centerline radii not less than 100 feet

(k) [Policy No. 11] Protect wildlife habitat and prevent watershed degradation, where possible, through:

(i) New transportation corridors shall minimize to the reasonable extent possible the disruption to wildlife and stream corridors and shall provide for maintaining connectivity between habitat areas with the application of buffers and other means.

(ii) Expansion of existing transportation corridors should enhance and/or restore connectivity between habitat areas.

(iii) New transportation arterials and major collectors which have the potential to transport hazardous materials should not be planned parallel to and in close proximity to shorelines. Transportation facilities should minimize the potential impact of accidental spillage of hazardous materials into any waterway.

(iv) Roadside ditches should be maintained for biofiltration functions. Vegetated, grassy swales should be designed to collect pollutants from highway runoff.

(v) Bridges and other transportation facilities should not constrict the natural meander of river channels.

(vi) Design road geometrics and drainage to intercept or minimize the transport of roadway sanding materials from entering stream corridors.

(vii) The amount of impervious surfaces should be minimized to allow for maximum infiltration, reduced quantity of runoff and potential reduction for flooding.

(viii) County roads shall be managed in accordance with the WSDOT Highway Puget Sound Runoff Manual that incorporates Department of Ecology’s best management practices.

(ix) Support the City, County and WSDOT nonspraying portion of their vegetative maintenance programs and the WSDOT District 3 roadside reseeding program. Avoid intrusive exotic vegetation.

(l) [Policy No. 12] Provide rest areas which promote safety and provide for views of culturally or historically significant sites and information to augment the travelers’ enjoyment of the highways. Rest areas are needed in the following areas:

(i) Between the Hood Canal Bridge and Sequim;

(ii) Between Lake Crescent and the Hoh River;

(iii) Between Port Angeles and Clallam Bay along Highway 112.

(2) Marine Transportation.

(a) [Policy No. 13] Enhance marine activities for transportation and economic benefit.

(i) Consider the advantage of high speed boat transit to Puget Sound and British Columbia destinations.

(ii) Have adequate marine facilities to promote marine transportation.

(iii) Have adequate surface transportation serving marine facilities to promote marine transportation.

(b) [Policy No. 14] Provide marine terminals throughout the Port Angeles Harbor, adequate to serve the needs of vessels engaged in marine transportation.

(i) Maintain at least five (5) berths at the Port Angeles Marine Terminal to accommodate cargo vessels engaged in international trade.

(ii) Provide additional cargo vessel berths to accommodate ships engaged in importing or exporting cargoes in support of local industries.

(iii) Maintain existing barge terminals, and provide additional barge terminals in the future if needed to allow the waterborne movement of commodities that are efficiently transported by barge.

(iv) Maintain and improve existing ferry terminals, and provide additional ferry terminals as required.

(v) Include ferry terminal operations with other transportation modes in the proposed Port Angeles Multimodal Transportation Center.

(vi) Provide appropriate berthing facilities to allow Port Angeles to become an intermediate stop for cruise ships operating in the region.

(vii) Encourage efforts to establish a high speed passenger/package freight vessel transportation system (i.e., mosquito fleet) in the Puget Sound region, and support the inclusion of Port Angeles in such a system if it is established.

(3) Public Transportation. Encourage ridership and support transit expansion to reduce single occupant vehicles (SOVs).

(a) [Policy No. 15] Develop and adopt transit friendly design standards for high capacity and priority transit corridors. Land use densities in these corridors should support transit usage.

(b) Transit-compatible design standards should apply to new development within one-half mile of an existing transit route or an urban growth area to ensure cohesive and efficient transit service to major commercial, medium to high density residential and public facility development. Clallam Transit System shall be involved in the development review process.

(c) Developers should be given the opportunity to utilize transit credits for their development if located within one-half mile of an existing transit facility in lieu of road capacity (mitigation) improvements.

(d) Promote government/private partnerships in public transportation facilities.

(e) Pursue the Port Angeles Multimodal Transportation Center for most efficient usage as a regional facility.

(f) Encourage public transportation service around the Olympic Loop.

(g) Develop neighborhood-scale park-and-ride lots at Highway 101 junction with collectors. Design lots with bicycle storage facilities on-site.

(h) The supply of transit service shall be consistent with population and employment densities. More service should be provided to urban growth areas and the interconnection of urban growth areas than to rural areas.

(i) Transit level of service should be evaluated according to Clallam Transit System performance criteria and Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization methodology which analyzes supply and demand in terms of passengers per seat, headway, and comparison travel time. Refer to “Transit Demand and Supply LOS Tables” in CCC 31.02.430.

(j) Concurrency for transit level of service shall be met within six years of new development when demand LOS standard is deficient. Supply LOS should be representative of ways to resolve demand deficiencies. However, this concurrency requirement shall be governed by the current financial ability of the transit organization to fund service improvements.

(k) Transit level of service shall have a minimum acceptable level of service of “D” for either supply or demand. Target ranges are set to consider optimum performance efficiency and comfort level for urban, intercity, and rural routes as per table in CCC 31.02.430.

(4) Airport.

(a) Policy 16. Maintain air transportation as a safe, efficient, economical, and environmentally acceptable travel mode serving the needs of County citizens.

(b) Policy 17. Encourage airport managers and sponsors to maintain up-to-date airport master plans, airport layout plans, airport facility plans, or other similar documents meeting Federal Aviation Administration and Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division requirements to determine the existing and future air transportation role of airports and provide the needed direction for future development.

(c) Policy 18. Coordinate land use development in and adjacent to public use airports to reduce hazards that may endanger the lives and property of the public and aviation users and to protect the viability of Clallam County’s public use general aviation airports.

(d) Policy 19. Provide adequate surface transportation between airports and urban growth areas and ensure that the existing major arterial streets, roads and highways serving the airport are adequate.

(e) Policy 20. Recognize Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) as the major air carrier hub airport for Clallam County. Support efforts to attract a passenger airline carrier with direct flights to Sea-Tac.

(f) Policy 21. Discourage siting of incompatible land uses around public use airports. Pursue a balance between this requirement and other goals of the Growth Management Act including, but not limited to, protection of private property rights, providing adequate housing, and appropriate economic development in rural and urban areas.

(g) Policy 22. Protect navigable airspace, as provided in Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 77 – Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace, from obstructions that are of sufficient height as to constitute a danger to aircraft flight. See Figure 31.02.420(A) for an illustration of objects penetrating FAR Part 77 airspace.

Figure 31.02.420(A). FAR Part 77 Schematic Displaying Objects Penetrating Airspace

(h) Policy 23. Provide notice and disclosure to current, future and prospective purchasers of lands within the Airport Overlay District of potential hazards and nuisances associated with aircraft operations and the potential for land use and height regulations.

(i) Policy 24. Designate public use, general aviation airports located within Clallam County as essential public facilities.

(j) Policy 25. Enact regulations to preserve open land along the extended runway centerline within the Airport Overlay District.

(k) Policy 26. Discourage airport hazards including, but not limited to, the siting of land uses adjacent to airports that foster an increase in bird or wildlife populations, create visual hazards, discharge emissions of any particulate matter in the air that could impair airport operations, emit electrical transmissions that would interfere with aviation communications and/or instrument landing systems, or otherwise obstruct or conflict with aircraft patterns or result in potential hazards to aviation.

(l) Policy 27. Encourage economic development opportunities and aviation-related land uses within the Airport Overlay District to promote the efficient mobility of goods and services consistent with the economic development element and the regional transportation strategy.

(m) Policy 28. Consult with the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division to provide input into the land use planning efforts around Clallam County’s public use airports.

(5) Trails, Paths and Sidewalks. Policy 29. The safety and quality of the travel experience for the non-motorized traveler shall be improved with a greater role in the transportation system.

(a) Widely and prominently sign for the public the location of safe alternate bicycle routes and trails to separate motorized and non-motorized traffic when possible.

(b) The Olympic Discovery Trail shall be developed as a priority transportation facility to bring non-motorized travelers from Jefferson County to the Port Angeles corridor and to the major towns and communities west to the Pacific Coast.

(c) A system of lateral/feeder routes should connect Highway 101 to the Olympic Discovery Trail.

(d) Support the Foothills Cross Country Equestrian Trail and the Pacific Northwest Trail.

(e) Encourage developments that promote pedestrian, bicycle, and non-motorized use such as bicycle and hiker-only campgrounds and the placement of benches and vault or portable toilet facilities.

(f) Require developers to provide safe access for pedestrian traffic to transit stops.

(g) Develop and implement on-site pedestrian and bicycle access standards for new development in conjunction with County bicycle plans as per matrix cell TPS1-7.

(h) Provide adequate and secure bicycle parking at all ferry terminals, park-and-ride lots, and public facilities as demand requires.

(i) Storage facilities for bicycles should be available in conjunction with transit shelters along the Highway 101 corridor as per matrix cell TPS1-9.

(j) Incorporate appropriate bicycle parking design standards for major employers, institutional, and retail uses, in Clallam County’s zoning regulations as per matrix cell TPS1-10.

(k) Pedestrian facilities, such as walkways and trails, should be required per matrix cell TPS1-11 and within walking distance of school facilities along Highway 101, County arterials and major collectors.

(l) Encourage the installation of bicycle detection traffic control devices on regular replacement schedule at intersections of minor roads to connecting arterials as per matrix cell TPS1-13.

(m) Significant historical or cultural sites along trails and paths should be identified. Identify trails as to their basic historic beginnings. For example, the Olympic Discovery Trail had its historic beginnings with the railroad. Interpretive markers identifying this trail beginning should be included in the trail system.

(n) Design non-motorized routes for multiple users, including walking, running, bicycling, equestrian, etc.

(6) Finance. [Policy No. 30] Identify and develop a practical and realistic financial plan that is both adequate and equitable in terms of meeting the needs of the people of Clallam County. Such a plan shall seek to provide efficient and effective services and facilities.

(a) Maximize private funding of transportation facilities and maintenance.

(b) Ensure new development projects contribute a “fair share” of financing transportation improvements needed to accommodate the impacts to the transportation system resulting from new developments. “Fair share” means that existing and new revenue sources to finance transportation system improvements (see CCC 31.02.460) maintains level of service standards adopted in this Plan. If these revenue sources do not maintain level of service standards, then new development must be responsible for funding the balance. “Fair share” also means ensuring that new development projects on roads not meeting minimum safety standards (see Policy No. 10.d, subsection (1)(j)(iv) of this section) adheres to mitigation goals of the County (see Policy No. 31, subsection (7) of this section).

(c) The nonmotorized element shall be a part of the funding component of the capital improvement program.

(d) Encourage and support volunteer participation in transportation facility construction and maintenance.

(e) Coordinate federal, State, and private funding.

(f) Public agencies should coordinate joint projects that would consolidate funding and benefit multiple jurisdictions. Public-private partnerships should also be encouraged.

(g) Spending priorities will be established that recognize the practicable limits of public and private funding sources.

(7) Mitigation. [Policy No. 31] Clallam County should require new development to mitigate impacts on transportation facilities which are insufficient to safely handle transportation demands. The County should require new development to rectify and/or compensate for impacts to transportation facilities not meeting minimum safety standards, when reasonable and capable of being accomplished.