(1) GMA Goals. Encourage efficient multimodal transportation systems that are based on regional priorities and coordinated with County and city comprehensive plans.

Ensure that those public facilities and services necessary to support development shall be adequate to serve the development at the time the development is available for occupancy and use without decreasing current service levels below locally established minimum standards.

(2) Definition. The “transportation system” is composed of air, water, and land transportation facilities and services, including highways and streets, paths, trails and sidewalks, transit, airports, and ports.

(3) Circulation System. The transportation and circulation system should function to serve the land use patterns established by the Comprehensive Plan. For example, rural areas should be served by a transportation system designed for rural uses while urban areas should be served by a circulation system designed to serve urban uses. The transportation system should also focus on connections, either between urban centers, such as from Port Angeles to Sequim, or between different “modes” of travel, such as automobiles to public transit. Some parts of the circulation system in this area serve County-wide and State-wide interests, such as Highway 101, Olympic Discovery Trail, Old Olympic Highway, and boat launch/moorage facilities. It is imperative that the County-wide and State-wide interests are considered when making land use or facility decisions affecting these systems.

(4) Land Use Coordination. In the past, land use planning and transportation planning were not always coordinated. A major problem with the 1982 comprehensive plan was that it utilized a saturation density scheme which allocated enough density to handle more than 100 years of growth. This over-allocation of density creates problems for planning the transportation system due to the fact that large populations can be accommodated in many rural locations and it is difficult to determine where system improvements will be needed next. Although densities allocated in this plan correct this problem in some areas, the problem can still be seen in examining the system deficiencies at build-out densities. As some areas approach build-out in the near future, the transportation system would fail without large expenditures for system improvement. These types of problems will need careful monitoring in the future and a concurrency management system must be instituted to maintain the level of service at acceptable levels. Gone are the days when developments were approved on roads without consideration to impacts on roads or better use of public transportation and highways were built in rural areas which encouraged their conversion. The Clallam County Comprehensive Plan indicates that the transportation system should be consistent with the land use plan.

(5) Level of Service. Level of service standards measuring the degree of traffic congestion are used to serve as a gauge to judge the performance of the transportation system. Level of service is ranked from “A” (free flowing, uncongested) to “F” (Highly congested). When land use assumptions are made based on expected population growth and traffic demand, transportation engineers determine whether the transportation system is capable of handling the increased demand by using these level of service (LOS) standards. LOS standards are based on the average daily traffic (ADT) and characteristics of the area that the road serves (rural, suburban and urban). While LOS standards indicate the degree of congestion or how free-flowing the traffic is, they do not indicate whether the road meets adopted County road (safety) standards.

The level of service established in the County-wide Comprehensive Plan for County roads, either in urban or rural areas is LOS “C.” LOS “C” describes a condition of traffic where the flow of traffic is stable but speeds are controlled by the volume of traffic and the driver begins to feel uncomfortable due to the number of vehicles on the road. Level of service for State highways is LOS “D” for urban areas and tourist corridors, and LOS “C” for rural highways. LOS “D” describes a traffic condition where flow is stable but speed and freedom to maneuver are severely restricted and the driver experiences a poor level of comfort. Figure 6 indicates that most County roads are currently operating at or above these standards.

The forecast of future traffic on County roads in this plan is based on two (2) methods: projected population growth and build-out potential based on land use designations. The forecast of traffic and the impact on adopted LOS standards is used to determine if the transportation system is capable of handling the demand. If the system is not capable of handling the demand, the comprehensive plan must identify how the system will be improved and financed, or the land use plan must be revised to ensure that the minimum “level of service” standards are met.

Figure 4 indicates that the current system is designed to handle the projected twenty (20) year population growth of this region. Table 1 in this section, however, indicates that the system is not designed to handle the estimated build-out. The following roads show failure to meet LOS standards based on the build-out analysis: Old Olympic Highway, Black Diamond Road, Mt. Pleasant Road and Monroe Road. The date when they fail to meet LOS standards depends upon growth rates. As can be seen in the table, portions of Old Olympic Highway, Mt. Pleasant Road and Monroe Road are already operating at LOS “C.” This indicates that these road segments may fail to meet standards within a shorter period of time.

(6) Road Standards. Level of service standards do not indicate that a County road meets minimum design standards. Design standards for County roads are set forth in RCW 35.83.030 and RCW 43.32.020. Those standards are as follows:

Based on these standards, Figure 2 indicates the County roads with width deficiencies. As can be seen, nearly all of the County roads in this region do not meet the adopted road width standards, even though they meet LOS standards.

Table 3 identifies the County roads segments which are eighteen (18) feet or less in width. These road segments do not meet minimum safety standards. The table also clearly outlines the discrepancy between using LOS standards and road width standards. For example, although Kemp Street is currently at LOS “A,” and is projected to be LOS “B,” it clearly is deficient in road width (only twelve (12) feet). LOS measures how free-flowing a roadway segment is, but fails to recognize whether the road meets minimum safety standards.

(7) Private Roads. The transportation system in the Port Angeles region also includes private streets and easements, often unimproved, designed to serve lots within short plats and surveys. A mechanism to upgrade these roads to land division and fire protection minimum standards should be in place to assist property owners developing property which does not directly abut a public street.

(8) Alternative Solutions. Solutions to transportation deficiencies may include incentives to change patterns of transportation behavior, such as car pooling rather than single occupancy vehicles, and enhancements to alternative modes of transportation that would be efficient and less costly to maintain, such as transit or bicycle lanes.