The local Patch did a story on the recent conditional use hearing for the proposed apartment developed at West Elm and Corson.  There was one interesting section to the story about traffic.  It reads:

Traffic and parking was a topic of discussion, although McMahon and Associates Traffic Engineer Christopher Williams said that the development won’t impact traffic very much, and that the signalized intersections along West Elm Street operated well.

When Council President Paul McConnell asked about the traffic at West Elm Street and Fayette, Williams said that the traffic during peak hours was so bad at the intersection that the additional traffic doesn’t make much of a change.

“There is no grade worse than “F,” Williams said, referring to the current level of service grade for the intersection.

Kaplan (the development’s attorney) said that 70 percent of the units would be one bedroom, and 30 percent would be two bedroom, lessening the impact of vehicles in the area, and the need for parking.

So if you utilize this intersection during rush hour, it could potentially get worse.  Based on how Borough Council has talked about the purpose of its own traffic study, one that will take into consideration all of the proposed development and not just a single project, how in the world can they approve anything that will impact an intersection that has an existing grade of F?  With a busy pipeline of potential developments, is it time to take a step back?

Thoughts?