they will have no place to legally stop in front of the site or the other site.
In reality, many rideshare vehicles will be stopping regardless, as I just said.
Buses will have to maneuver around them,
create unexpected conditions, as I said a few minutes ago.
I don't want to go into that again.
I also have some photos of my report that shows this as well.
Excuse me.
And do you have any comments regarding the parking situation at Bankroll?
And given the lack of parking available for bankrolls patrons on site, do you have an opinion of the consequences of the failure to conduct a meaningful survey and plan for use of publicly available parking in the vicinity of 1910 Chestnut?
And given the lack of parking available for Bankroll's patrons,
And what's your opinion?
Complete traffic and parking study should have been done, and it was not.
I've been doing this for 52 years, and I've never seen a project of this size in such a busy area have these type of issues without a traffic and parking report prepared, showing backup data, information, anything.
There was actually no data shown from any of the documents that I could receive.
And in your opinion, will this project cause unexpected congestion in the public streets or on the local transportation systems?
Absolutely. Okay. You know, they have to demonstrate that there's enough parking available elsewhere.
And as I said a few minutes ago, parking studies should have been shown during peak times.
And they should have done a study of the parking specifically.
And as a professional engineer with more than 50 years of experience, do you have an opinion of the impact of a 490-person capacity bankroll project, which includes food service, alcohol until 2 a.m., games, entertainment, competition, broadcasting, and related activities we'll have on traffic and public safety in the neighborhood?
And what's your opinion?
there will be obviously greater congestion on the roadways more illegal use of the bus lane in front
of the site higher accident rates as i mentioned higher parking demand obviously you know the
concentration that you have of this amount of vehicles coming to and leaving this site they
have to go somewhere and people are just people negatively illegally park it'll put a tremendous
burden on the neighborhood as well and realize this site, according to the applicant, will be
using hours up until as late as or as early as 2 in the morning.
Jack, that's not what was said. Liquor licenses require closing at 2 a.m. if you know that.
Do you have an opinion on whether this impact will exceed that which would be expected of
a 490-person capacity restaurant?
Absolutely.
What's the basis of your opinion?
Yeah, I
reviewed, which I didn't see anything from
their traffic engineer,
ITE, which is the Institute of Transportation
Engineers,
called a trip generation manual.
It's basically
the industry-wide standard
to determine the number of trips a
typical restaurant would generate
for a restaurant without the live
entertainment and bedding
aspects. A restaurant of this size would generate as much as 132 trips and a peak hour on a Saturday.
From a traffic engineering perspective, this is a significant number of trips over one hour
at one concentrated site. With the added entertainment value, whatever you guys want to
call it, it is what it is, it is reasonable to anticipate that the number of trips generated
will be more substantial.
Many of the patrons would have the ability to stand
and not even use the seats.
Additionally, it must be realized that regular quality restaurants
are not typically this size.
Realistically, if a regular restaurant were to be established here,
it would be much smaller and therefore generate obviously less traffic.
One more question.
Did you have an opportunity to view an evaluation
from traffic planning and design?
Yes, I did quickly, yes.
And I put up on what I've labeled as ZIPA 10.
Is this your reply to reading that evaluation from TPD?
Yes, it is.
Do you have any comments on the TPD evaluation to share with the board?
Yeah, I just mentioned four quick ones.
Again, I didn't have much time, but that's okay.
Basically, there was no engineering data to support any of their conclusions, nothing at all.
The report uses even the word may about patrons staying in this restaurant longer. May is not an engineering answer. Again, no support for this statement.
They claim that people going to the restaurant will also make other planned stops and will be on the street already, thereby not adding any new traffic.
Well, I don't agree with that people wanting to go to a high-end restaurant as their destination will be going to clothes shopping, food stores, or any shopping.
Their destination is, in fact, that location.
Their destination is, in fact, that location.
It's not being shared by other sites along the way there, adjacent to the site.
It's not being shared.
Again, there was no data support.
And the last point in this case is that I also looked at the ITE parking generation manual,
which is also an industry standard, which they all use as well.
And it requires between 184 and 208 parking spaces for a restaurant of this size.
and it doesn't take into account any of the, I'll call it sports portion aspect, I'll call it, of the site.
They did not discuss this in any detail.
Traffic evaluation must address this.
Evaluation claims that rideshare services must obey motor vehicle laws.
Does this mean that rideshare services will not utilize the loading space for the William Penthouse?
They will be forced to use the William Penthouse Loading Space.
Objection. Speculation.
He's a traffic engineer.
I think he can make that as part of his opinion.
I don't know what the basis of it is, but I hear you.
If I could answer it, it's my pictures that already show it's being used.
Well, I was going to give a blanket objection on your pictures,
because I really can't tell what you're saying or they purport to be if it's accurate,
but that's my objection.
Or maybe a traffic engineer.
It could be interpreted different ways.
Maybe a traffic engineer is willing to stand.
Are you going to get cocky now?
come on
I apologize
are the opinions you expressed today
based upon a reasonable degree of traffic engineering
certainty? Absolutely. I have no further questions
I do Michael, if you don't mind
Hi Mr. Snyder, let's start off
on a better foot.
Absolutely.
I really do apologize.
After 50 years already, you know.
It's been a long two days.
So a few questions in no particular order.
So you mentioned you have over 50 years experience
in traffic engineering and planning.
Is that fair to say?
That is correct, yes.
Have you done any other studies in Philadelphia
regarding restaurants?
In Philadelphia, regarding restaurants, no, I have not.
And you mentioned about requiring traffic impact studies for restaurants.
I forget how you actually put it.
But are you saying that the zoning code requires a traffic impact study for a special exception?
No, what I'm saying is that a traffic engineering report should be prepared when it affects the safety of pedestrians and traffic in an area.
Okay. Well, do you know that the zoning code requires no traffic impact study for a restaurant?
As a matter of fact, it only requires one for an above-ground parking garage in certain locations in the city?
Well, I do know what it says, except that I disagree with it, because safety is mentioned in other parts of the city codes, and safety comes first.
Okay, but that's the policy we live with here. Would you agree with that?
I don't know the policy you live with, but I do know.
Okay, well, let me state that.
Don't speak for a quote.
I'm sorry.
yeah so so you don't know that the zone neither the zoning code nor the streets department code
does not it does not require traffic impact study
for a restaurant that's what i'm getting at i do know that i do not know that answer okay um
are you aware that under the zoning code that restaurant uses require no on-site parking yes
Have you looked at any of the other restaurants in the area as part of your analysis?
Have I looked at the other restaurants? In what way?
Sorry, what was the answer?
I said in what? I'm sorry, in what way?
In terms of your traffic impact study, in your testimony.
Yeah, I did notice that most of them, if not all of them, are not nearly the size of this one.
Most of them are about half the size.
Well, I think you're on Zoom yesterday for our testimony.
You heard at least Michael Palermo from the Star Restaurant indicate that the nearby Continental Midtown and Park-Barclay combinations are both approaching 350 patrons in each of those.
Objection, because the only one that he said at 350 was a Continental Midtown.
He'd considerably less for Park and Barclay Prime.
i say partly in part combined which they're both i understand what you're saying
Well, I say parkly and park combined, which they're both out, but I understand what you're saying.
I'm sorry, was there a question?
Are you aware if there's any traffic impact studies done for those restaurants?
Did I do any? No.
No, are you aware of any that were performed?
Absolutely not.
Okay, are you aware of whether there's on-site parking for those restaurants?
I do not know.
I wanted to clarify operational time.
So are you aware that this 2 a.m. closing time is related to liquor licenses?
That's my understanding, yes.
And you mentioned about a 10 p.m. closing time, typical.
Where did you get that information?
From the other restaurants that I walked around and tried to get into, to be honest.
Well, you think is that typical or is that regarding because it's COVID times?
No, I think it's typical.
It's typical.
I would disagree.
At least, again, if you looked at Midtown or Park or any of the other restaurants around there,
they're open past 10 p.m.
Would you know that or not?
No, I would not know that.
I'm sorry if I asked you this right now maybe I'll ask the prior witness did you happen to view
floor plans of the proposed restaurant? Yes, I did. And did you see dance floors or concert areas or
did you see tables? Mostly tables. I remember it, mostly tables. Okay, thank you. Just a few more questions.
So in your report you talk about there's some trip generation numbers? Yes.
these values are, I guess,
they're vehicle trips, I guess?
Total trips, that's correct.
Both in and out, that's correct.
And the number of trips,
is that based on an analysis
of current demand?
That's based on, it's an ITE,
it's based on hundreds of studies
that were done across the country
and based on the size of the facility,
in this case, it was a restaurant,
what they call a high-end restaurant,
and now based on them versus a mcdonald's or something uh and and that those numbers are
are based on studies that were done uh over the last oh god uh you know 30 40 years
but specifically as to chestnut street here and you know you mentioned about a traffic impact study
um was a traffic impact study conducted on this block for current conditions or you just or you
modeled it.
I did not do a study.
I was hoping that someone else would, but yes,
I did not do a study.
Would you agree
or disagree that given this, well,
let me ask you this. Do you think
Chestnut Street is not a commercial
street?