Implementation of the New Guidelines Questions
When do the new Multimodal Transportation Analysis Guidelines go into effect?
Monday, October 2, 2023.
For projects that have been in the planning phases for the last several months to a year, is there an upcoming deadline for submitting scoping forms to allow projects already planned to follow the previous TIS guidelines?
The Multimodal Transportation Analysis is a preliminary step in the development process and should be done as soon as possible. Moving forward, the Multimodal Transportation Analysis will need to be completed and finalized with NDOT prior to submitting plans for the Planning Commission cases. If you are trying to follow the TIS guidelines, note they must follow the Interim Instructional Bulletin, and those scoping forms may only be submitted until Friday, October 2, 2023.
Can I still submit a Traffic Impact Study (TIS) if I submitted a scoping form prior to October 2nd, 2023?
You can submit a Traffic Impact Study (that follows guidance from the Interim Instructional Bulletin) until December 31, 2023. All studies shall follow the Multimodal Transportation Analysis Guidelines starting January 1, 2024.
Code-Related Questions
What is the ordinance bill number?
BL2023-2010
Why was the passage of this ordinance important for the city of Nashville?
The passage of this legislation was needed to enhance the Nashville Department of Transportation's ability to require developers to build infrastructure improvements aimed at counterbalancing the introduction of higher traffic volumes and enhancing the overall safety for all road users.
Why has the title of Traffic Impact Studies (TIS) changed?
The Nashville Department of Transportation has decided to change the name of the studies to Multimodal Transportation Analyses (MMTA) to align with the shifted focus from vehicle traffic to all modes of transportation.
Are the thresholds for Multimodal Transportation Analyses’ changing?
No, the minimum thresholds are remaining largely the same with the only change being that peak hour trips are now calculated as total trips instead of solely vehicle trips.
Why are the thresholds remaining the same?
It was decided that the existing thresholds that were updated in 2017 are still applicable. The Nashville Department of Transportation did not see a reason to change these values aside from making the trip-based thresholds apply to all trips instead of vehicle-only trips.
What has changed in the code and why was it changed?
The code was broadened to encompass all modes, including bicycle, pedestrian, and micromobility modes. This change was necessary to reflect the existing modes used by users of the Nashville transportation network as well as to be consistent with the multimodal vision that the citizens of Nashville have developed. In addition to language to address all modes, names and roles were updated to be reflective of the current city departments.
Has the code ordinance been approved?
The third reading of Ordinance BL2023-2010 was approved on August 15, 2023 with a unanimous vote. This action builds upon previous council and Nashville Department of Transportation efforts to maintain and further expand Nashville multimodal transportation system. Specifically, this follows updates in policy targeted at restricting the long-term closure of sidewalks and bikeways as allowed by the amendment of Chapter 13.20 by BL2016-240.
Guideline-Related Questions
What data will the Nashville Department of Transportation provide for the development of a Multimodal Transportation Analysis?
The Nashville Department of Transportation will provide any applicable background development data and crash history in an excel file.
To Whom do I submit Scoping Forms, Multimodal Transportation Analyses, and Waiver Forms?
For proper tracking and distribution, all submittals should be made using the Nashville Department of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Analysis e-mail, [email protected].
How do I know if I need to complete a Multimodal Transportation Analysis for my development project?
The Metro Code 17.20.140 outlines the development thresholds requiring Multimodal Transportation Analysis. Those projects which are believed to be exempt from the Multimodal Transportation Analysis requirement will submit a scoping require form providing details about the proposed development, the Nashville Department of Transportation will review the Scoping Form and provide concurrence within 10 business days.
Is there a specific format that needs to be followed for the Multimodal Transportation Analysis?
While a specific format is not required, the standardization of structure and tables does aid Nashville Department of Transportation reviewers in expediting the review process. To assist developers in preparing Multimodal Transportation Analyses, an Example Multimodal Transportation Analysis has been developed. Additionally, preferred tables and table formats are available in the appendix of the Multimodal Transportation Analysis Guideline.
What is the purpose of a Multimodal Transportation Analysis?
When new developments are planned that may be larger in scale and/or have a change in land use, the impacts of the added trips to the existing transportation system need to be assessed. A development is expected to offset their added impacts to all modes of transportation which will be identified in the Multimodal Transportation Analysis. This is to ensure that the performance and safety of the transportation system does not deteriorate due to the generation of additional trips.
Analysis Related Questions
Will the vehicle Level of Service (LOS) still be analyzed?
Yes, the vehicle Level of Service will continue to be analyzed as it has in the past.
Will two-hour counts or three-hour counts be taken?
Two-hour counts from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.
How will the Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) scores be affected after new access points for the facility are constructed? Are there requirements that a development cannot worsen the existing conditions scores?
The Multimodal Transportation Analysis should reflect any impacts to Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) scores due to the new development. The Applicant and the NDOT Reviewer will ensure that the development is not worsening pedestrian or bicycle level of traffic stress in the study area.
Are crosswalk signal times considered for intersection Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) scores?
Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) methodology was designed to be as efficient as possible and rely on easily verifiable characteristics at intersections. As a proxy for pedestrian wait times, we have included the number of travel lanes crossed. NDOT will continue to research opportunities to refine Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress (PLTS) and Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS) methodologies.
What are some of the differences between intersection and segment analysis? How does the criteria change for the bike and pedestrian ratings?
A segment level of traffic stress analysis looks at the facilities characteristics along a road segment, such as bike lane width, sidewalk width, buffer width and type, and posted speed limit. An intersection level of traffic stress analysis looks at characteristics at an intersection, such as signalization, stop control, number of vehicular travel lanes crossed, and posted speed limit. Flow charts provided in the appendix of the MMTA Guideline outline the methodology in greater detail.
What will be analyzed in the safety section of a Multimodal Transportation Analysis?
The safety section will include access evaluation for the proposed development, historical crash evaluation in the study area over the past five years, and the High Injury Network’s rankings in the study area. Both traffic and multimodal considerations will be accounted for as well as a development’s trip impacts to the existing or anticipated safety issues.
How will different areas and communities in Davidson County influence a Multimodal Transportation Analysis?
The community’s demographics will be considered when prioritizing infrastructure and safety improvements. The USDOT Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer will be used to identify several characteristics of the study area.
Mode Split and Background Development Related Questions
How will mode splits be determined?
Mode splits will be recommended by the MMTA preparer based on land use, demographics, available mobility options, location, existing mobility tendencies, and the anticipated shift of travel modes in the future. As more quality data and guidance becomes available the MMTA Guidelines should be updated to reflect new guidance on mode splits throughout the County. The NDOT reviewer will encourage a multimodal-centric analysis through approval of modal splits in the Scoping Evaluation Form (Form A).
Due to uncertainty of project implementation, should we assume background development recommendations are not happening unless there is active construction?
We are working through options to make information such as background developments and previously conditioned improvements more available to the public. In the short term, this will require communication with Nashville Department of Transportation regarding which background developments are ongoing. We are actively working on developing digital tools that would more easily share this information with the public.
Mitigation-Related Questions
Will the MMTA call out all the study area’s needs and improvements or only what the development would be responsible for?
The MMTA will provide a comprehensive list of improvements that address transportation deficiencies. Inclusion of items in this list doesn’t indicate responsibility. From this list of potential improvements, the Applicant should provide a specific list of mitigation measures. A critical aspect of this selected process involves establishing a rational nexus between the mitigation measure and the proposed development. For more information, see Section 6 of the MMTA Guideline.
How will a nexus between improvements and development impacts be decided on?
The term “rational nexus” signifies a clear and logical connection, or justification for the development taking responsibility for a specific mitigation measure. For example, if a new development is expected to generate a significant number of pedestrian trips at an intersection without adequate pedestrian infrastructure, a logical mitigation measure might involve constructing enhanced crossing infrastructure to improve safety and pedestrian mobility.
Some of the MMTA analysis addresses existing problems that need to be addressed even if the development is not constructed. What effort will fall on NDOT to address some existing issues?
An MMTA should provide NDOT with a list of improvements that address findings of the traffic, multimodal, and safety analyses. If a rational nexus between the development impact and the potential improvement can be established, the developer should take partial or full responsibility for constructing and/or funding the improvement. Improvements provided in the MMTA for which a rational nexus can’t be established will be collected by NDOT and considered for future implementation.
Will Metro contribute towards larger infrastructure improvements that, to be fully covered, may stretch beyond the influence area limits of the development?
There will be circumstances in which the Nashville Department of Transportation and Metro Planning will work in collaboration with the relative District Council Member(s) to program Metro funding for infrastructure improvements. Additionally, Metro will continue to work with the State on needed transportation improvements on the State Highway system.
Cost Estimate Related Questions
Why are cost estimates required now as they were not expected previously?
High-level, cost estimate ranges (minimum and maximum) for the development’s mitigations have been added to the guidelines to identify the scale of improvements versus the scale of the development, and to provide developers and Nashville Department of Transportation with an initial look at the cost estimations for the mitigation measures. See Section 6 of the Multimodal Transportation Analysis Guideline for more information.
Will Metro contribute towards larger infrastructure improvements that, to be fully covered, may stretch beyond the influence area limits of the development?
There will be circumstances in which the Nashville Department of Transportation and Metro Planning will work in collaboration with the relative District Council Member(s) to program Metro funding for infrastructure improvements. Additionally, Metro will continue to work with the State on needed transportation improvements on the State Highway system.
Other Project Questions
How were the peer cities chosen for the existing analysis?
The four cities, Austin, Seattle, San José, and Washington D.C. were chosen because they all have desirable development transportation review characteristics that the Nashville Department of Transportation aspired to achieve with an updated guideline. These cities are not necessarily characteristically comparable to Nashville.
What Stakeholders have been involved with this project?
Metro Planning, Metro Legal, Metro ITS, Metro Parks, Nashville Connector, Metro’s Traffic and Parking Commission, Nashville Department of Transportation’s Vision Zero team, the Sustainability team in the Mayor’s Office, WeGo, external Engineering Consultant Firms who complete Traffic Impact Studies, the development community, NAIOP members, ULI members, Walk Bike Nashville, Tennessee Department of Transportation, and Neighbor2Neighbor.
What do I do if I have more specific questions about the requirements or specific items needed for my project?
Please reach out to the Nashville Department of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Analysis Reviewers at [email protected].