HomeMy WebLinkAboutIV(b)_Additional Materials Received_MosherNovember 6, 2024, GPAC Agenda Item IV.b Comments
The following comments on an item on the Newport Beach General Plan Advisory Committee agenda are
submitted by: Jim Mosher (jimmosher@yahoo.com ), 2210 Private Road, Newport Beach 92660
(949-548-6229)
Item IV.b. Guest Presentation: Tony Petros on Circulation and
Transportation
The October 2 minutes indicate GPUSC Nancy Gardner said Mr. Petros would be presenting on
“Complete Streets” at the present meeting, and invited advance comments and questions based
on a talking points memo to be circulated. While the expectation was the presentation would be
confined to that, the present agenda announces the broader topic of “Circulation and
Transportation.”
Complete Streets
The complete streets talking points memo (which is, oddly, not part of the agenda packet) cites
Goal CE-5.1 in the 2022 Circulation Element and quotes the related Policy CE 5.1.1 (Circulation
Complete Streets System for All Users) to “Develop a Complete Streets master plan and design
guide.”
A major concern of the GPAC has been the extent to which General Plan policies actually
produce results. Curiously, the new Circulation Element did not introduce any new
Implementation Programs, but instead relied on existing ones. Yet one of the three existing
implementation programs cited (Imp 16.1, 16.8 and 16.11) seems to task anyone with developing
a Complete Streets master plan.
● What progress has been made on developing the Complete Streets master plan?
Conversely, although the City’s most notable complete streets initiative to date would seem to be
the approval of a Bicycle Master Plan in 2014. it does not seem to have been the result of any
policy or implementation program announced in the 2006 General Plan. Instead, it seems to have
been separately developed and contains policies recommending it be added to the General Plan.
This makes it sound like initiatives expected from the General Plan may not happen, while the
initiatives that do happen may not have been anticipated in the plan.
Peninsula Trolley
Another transportation initiative not specifically recommended in the 2006 General Plan, but
consistent with its policies, has been initiation of the summertime Peninsula Trolley service in
2017. I seem to recall then Council member Petros predicted that although it would obviously be
beneficial for riders, the trolley would likely impede, rather than improve, traffic flow for other
motor vehicles.
● Has any conclusion been reached as to the trolley’s effect on traffic?
General Plan Advisory Committee - November 6, 2024 Item No. IVb - Additional Materials Received
November 6, 2024, GPAC agenda comments - Jim Mosher Page 2 of 3
Newport Beach Transportation Model
As the GPAC knows, the Noise Subcommittee has been advocating for updated noise mapping
because the “future contours” for roadway noise in the current General Plan say they are
projections made 20 years ago for conditions expected in 2025.
As subcommittee members learned at the October 28 meeting (see agenda Item IV.c on this
agenda) the contours have been and will continue to be based on information provided by the
City, apparently in the form of the “Newport Beach Transportation Model” which, we understand,
gives current and projected traffic levels on major streets in terms of number, types and speeds of
vehicles.
The existence of this model seems to be assumed, but not explicitly mentioned, in the past and
current general plans. It was apparently last updated pursuant to a contract approved as Item 7
on the Council’s December 10, 2019, consent calendar, and is referenced in Appendix F of the
recently certified Housing Implementation Program EIR as providing projections through 2040.
Beyond that, details of the model and how reliable it is remain vague, even though the noise
calculation to produce Community Noise Equivalent Levels would presumably require knowing
the composition of the flow on each road in each hour of each day over the course of a year. Of
particular concern was the reliability of the projections for future years, since even the “2040”
predictions seem to include only the effects of the Sixth Cycle RHNA housing development, which
the Housing Element promises will be largely built by 2029, and there will be more RHNA cycles
following that.
It would seem beneficial for the GPAC to better understand more about the City’s Transportation
Model.
● Does it reflect time of day and seasonal variations?
● Does it reflect different variations, including vehicle mixes, on different roads?
● How will projections be made for the proposed General Plan Update horizon year of
2050?
● Will they include anticipated changes in neighboring cities?
As to the seasonal variations in roadway noise, the GPAC is also hoping for a new community
noise survey to document existing levels, which we understand will be used to validate the model.
The most comprehensive previous survey was conducted in 1991 in connection with the Noise
Element adopted by Council Resolution No. 94-96. Although it consisted of only 15-minute
samples, mostly collected in April and May, and some details relegated to a technical appendix
may have been lost, five locations were retested on a summer weekday and a summer weekend
(August 28 and 31, 2019). Surprisingly to me, there was only 1 decibel difference between the
summer weekday and weekend results. However, three separate locations along Balboa
Boulevard, from 41st Street to F Street all showed an 8 to 9 dB increase in summer compared to
the springtime measurements.
1 If traffic volume, alone, were responsible for this, it would require
6 to 8 times as many vehicles passing the monitor in summer as in spring.
1 By contrast, measurements in West Newport, taken on Seashore Drive, did not show a significant
summer vs. spring difference.
General Plan Advisory Committee - November 6, 2024 Item No. IVb - Additional Materials Received
November 6, 2024, GPAC agenda comments - Jim Mosher Page 3 of 3
● Do we know how much traffic varies during the year?
The “Context” section of the 2006 Circulation Element says “During June, July and August,
weekend traffic near the beach and harbor is substantially higher than typical spring/fall
(“shoulder season”) or winter conditions. Volumes on impacted roadways generally increase by
almost 30 percent, but summertime beach traffic occurs at different times than the typical
weekday business or school related traffic during most of the year. The two locations with
weekend volume increases of more than 30 percent during the summer are Newport Boulevard
south of Coast Highway (75 percent) and Balboa Boulevard east of 20th Street (75 percent) on
the Peninsula.”
The 2022 Circulation Element says only “Summertime beach traffic has been a predictable
source of traffic volumes near or exceeding roadway capacity in the beach areas for a century”
with no geographic or numerical estimates.
None of this would seem to explain why Balboa Boulevard was observed to be so much noisier in
the summer.2
Advanced Air Mobility
A widely anticipated change in transportation that does not seem to be addressed in the 2022
Circulation Element is the emergence of Advanced Air Mobility, whereby people and goods will
be transported by small electrically-powered aircraft that can take off and land at non-airport
locations. Both the Noise and Safety Subcommittees have asked for presentations on this.
● How do we expect Advanced Air Mobility (and specifically,Urban Air Mobility) to alter the
City’s transportation landscape in the next 25 years?
2 All else being equal, a 75% increase in traffic volume would add only 2.4 dB.
General Plan Advisory Committee - November 6, 2024 Item No. IVb - Additional Materials Received