Traffic Impact Assessment

4.0 TRAFFIC OPERATIONS


4.1     Development Profile

        4.1.1 Development Staging

        It is standard practice when analysing future year traffic operations to adopt a ten-year design
        horizon from the year of full occupation. Therefore, the following development staging has been
        adopted:

                 traffic counts:                       2021
                 development application:              2021
                 full occupation:                      2023
                 occupation plus ten years             2033

        4.1.2 Assessment Scenarios

        The following assessment scenarios have been adopted:

                 existing conditions (2021)
                 opening year (2023) pre-development
                 opening year (2023) post-development
                 future year (2033) pre-development
                 future year (2033) post-development

        4.1.3 Background Traffic Growth

        Forecast population data published by the Queensland Government Statisticians Office for the
        Noosa Hinterland Statistical Area 2 (ie the expected catchment of Cooroy Belli Creek Road)
        indicates a population growth rate of 1.0% per annum. A conservative background traffic growth
        rate of 2.0% per annum has been adopted. The application of this rate equates to a 26.8% increase
        in background traffic volumes over the next 12 years (2021-2033).

4.2     Traffic Generation

        The peak hour traffic generation of the proposed school expansion has been estimated based on
        the vehicle occupancy and mode share of students and staff.

        TMR’s Household Travel Survey (HTS) data for South East Queensland indicates that approximately
        97% of trips to and from schools for work purposes are by private vehicle. The data also indicates
        an average private vehicle occupancy of 1.1 persons per vehicle for these trips, with approximately
        70% of private vehicle trips to and from schools occurring in the morning and afternoon peak
        hours. Therefore, the peak hour traffic generation has been calculated based on 70% of trips
        occurring in the peak hours.

        A 50:50 in:out split has been adopted for student drop-off / pick-up in the morning and afternoon
        peak periods. A 100:0 in:out split has been adopted for staff trips in the morning peak period, with
        the reverse in the afternoon. The forecast existing and proposed additional traffic generation of the
        school is summarised in Tables 4.1 and 4.2 for the morning and afternoon peak hours,
        respectively. As shown, the predicted traffic attributable to the proposed expansion is estimated to




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