HD40 - Evaluation of Residential Cut-Through Traffic Policies


Executive Summary:
This report contains the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) evaluation of the policy and procedures that were adopted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board on March 16, 1989, and includes recommendations relative to policy modifications as a result of the public meetings.

House Joint Resolution No. 404 of the 1995 General Assembly requested the Department of Transportation to study and evaluate this policy and submit its findings to the 1996 General Assembly. The study and evaluation were to involve citizens, civic organizations, and other interested persons or groups. The report was to further include a determination as to whether the residential cut-through traffic policy should be modified to include additional classifications of residential streets.

(See Appendix A for a copy of HJR 404)

VDOT's Traffic Engineering Division was assigned to conduct the review. Four public meetings were held on October 3, 1995, in the Department's Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Salem Districts. Verbal and written comments were solicited from citizens, civic organizations, community groups, and others who wished to be involved.

A majority of persons commenting felt the policy should be expanded to include additional classifications of roads. The current policy applies only to local residential streets.

Following the public meetings, a task force comprised of VDOT and local government representatives met on October 16, 1995, to evaluate the policy and public meeting comments and provide recommendations for consideration by the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

The task force determined that the policy has been working well for local residential streets meeting the cut-through traffic criteria and should remain in effect for these streets. Intervention strategies on streets meeting the cut-through traffic criteria may continue to be fully financed with state secondary roads funds with concurrence of the local Boards of Supervisors.

The task force also recognized that some localities may have unique needs and may wish to implement cut-through traffic intervention programs that would include some local streets not meeting the current cut-through traffic threshold criteria and some collector roads that function similar to local streets.

These localities should have the flexibility to implement these higher level programs provided they agree to provide a part or all of the funding. Agreements could be negotiated with the appropriate VDOT district administrators (prior to any implementation of the higher level programs) as to the types of allowable interventions and the amount of VDOT financial participation. Such a flexible supplemental option allows localities and VDOT to become more responsive to the public, and on a limited basis, .addresses the citizens' suggestions to include other classifications of roads in the policy.

VDOT also recommends that the Commonwealth Transportation Board issue a broad policy statement on cut-through traffic that states that procedures will be determined by the Transportation Commissioner.