July 15, 1998

   To:Budget Committee

 From:City Clerk

 Subject:Request to Install Traffic Control Signals Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate

  Recommendations:

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee on July 13, 1998:

 (1)recommended to the Budget Committee, the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, and Council, the adoption of the recommendation of the North York Community Council, embodied in the communication (June 19, 1998) from the City Clerk, subject to amending the motion by Councillor Flint by striking therefrom the third operative paragraph, viz:

 "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT provision be made in the 1998 Transportation budget to cover the cost of installing this signal light."; and

 (2)recommended to the Budget Committee that funds for the proposed traffic control signals at Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate be allocated from cancelled projects within the Works and Emergency Services Department's 1998 Capital Budget for Transportation Services.

The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports having:

(A)requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, to submit a report to the next meeting of the Budget Committee on the funding sources for the proposed traffic control signals at Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate; and

 (B)received the communication (July 6, 1998) from Mr. Clifford R. Jenkins, President, The York Mills Ratepayers' Association.

Background:

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee had before it the following communications:

(i)(June 2, 1998) from the City Clerk advising that the North York Community Council on May 27, 1998, recommended to the Urban Environment and Development Committee the adoption of a motion by Councillor Flint, which contains the following operative paragraphs:

 "THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT a traffic signal light be installed on Bayview Avenue at Tudor Gate; and

 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this light be activated in off-peak hours so as to allow a single vehicle to legally turn left onto Bayview Avenue; and

 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT provision be made in the 1998 Transportation budget to cover the cost of installing this signal light.".

 (ii)(July 6, 1998) from Mr. Clifford R. Jenkins, President, The York Mills Ratepayer's Association, recommending strongly that the City of Toronto install traffic control signals at the intersection of Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate in the interest of the community's safety.

The following persons appeared before the Urban Environment and Development Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

-Mr. Ryan Brooker, North York;

-Mr. Paul Elstro, North York;

Ms. Margaret Nightingale, North York;

-Mr. Ruby Osten, Toronto;

-Councillor Joanne Flint, North York Centre South; and

-Councillor Milton Berger, North York Centre South.

City Clerk

 N. Rickford/lv

 Attachment

(Communication dated June 2, 1998, headed

"Traffic Signal Light - Bayview Avenue at Tudor Gate",

from the City Clerk.)

 Recommendation:

 The North York Community Council on May 27, 1998, recommended to the Urban Environment and Development Committee the adoption of the following motion (May 27, 1998) from Councillor Flint, North York Centre South:

"WHEREAS a minimum of 45,000 vehicles per day travel Bayview Avenue; and

 WHEREAS the distance between Post Road andYork Mills Road makes it impossible to achieve necessary gaps in traffic for vehicles from Tudor Gate/Wilket Road to exit the neighbourhood safely during peak hours; and

 WHEREAS residents in the Tudor Gate/Wilket Road area have no other choice but to exit their neighbourhood by Bayview Avenue; and

 WHEREAS it is unsafe to do so for most of the day and early evening due to the increase of traffic on Bayview Avenue; and

 WHEREAS there exists technology to co-ordinate signal lights so that Bayview Avenue traffic is not impeded while residents exit their community with the assurance of a signal light; and

 WHEREAS there exists technology that would allow the Bayview Avenue light to remain green in off hours except for ten-second changes to allow vehicles to exit the Tudor Gate/Wilket Road neighbourhood; and

 WHEREAS there have been repeated requests by residents to the City to provide safe exit and entry to their neighbourhood; and

 WHEREAS a centre left-turn lane has helped those who enter the neighbourhood but has not achieved safe exit;

 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT a traffic signal light be installed on Bayview Avenue at Tudor Gate;

 AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this light be activated in off-peak hours so as to allow a single vehicle to legally turn left onto Bayview Avenue;

 AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT provision be made in the 1998 Transportation budget to cover the cost of installing this signal light.

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 (Communication dated May 26, 1998, addressed to

Councillors Joanne Flint and Milton Berger, North York Centre South, from

the Manager, North and West Traffic Regions, Transportation Department,

regarding "Request to Install Traffic Control Signals:

Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate".)

 Further to our meeting of March 16, 1998, regarding this issue, we have completed a review of the need to install traffic control signals at the above-noted intersection. Based on our review, the traffic volumes recorded during the busiest hours of a typical weekday do not satisfy the minimum technical warrants for the installation of traffic control signals.

 We have, however, recommended that Bayview Avenue be re-striped to provide a centre two-way left-turn lane between York Road/Wilket Road and Post Road. Our report, which is attached, was approved by the Urban Environment and Development Committee at its meeting on May 19, 1998. We believe that the addition of this lane will assist motorists turning left onto Bayview Avenue from Tudor Gate, Country Lane and other streets and driveways in this vicinity.

 The details of our findings are shown in the attached technical summary.

 Should you have any questions regarding this investigation, please call me at 392-8826.

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 Technical Summary

 Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate

 Traffic Control Signal Warrant Study:

 Study Results:

 WarrantCompliance

 (1)Minimum Vehicular Volume 6 percent;

(2)Delay to Cross Traffic12 percent; and

(3)Accident Hazard 6 percent.

 For the traffic control signal warrants to be numerically satisfied, one of the "Minimum Vehicular Volume" or "Delay to Cross Traffic" warrants must be 100 percent satisfied or any two of the three warrants must be 80 percent satisfied.

 To satisfy the warrants for the installation of traffic control signals, a certain threshold of traffic volumes must be exceeded for eight hours of a typical weekday. At this location, this threshold is not reached even in the peak periods.

 The accident warrant is based on the number of collisions that occurred at the intersection in a three-year period which were potentially preventable by the installation of traffic control signals. Collisions statistics provided by the Toronto Police Service revealed that there have been two potentially preventable collisions in the vicinity of Bayview Avenue and Tudor Gate during the five-year period ending December 31, 1996.

 In order to assess the possible migration of left-turn movements to a controlled location, we conducted similar studies at the intersection of Bayview Avenue with Valley Road, Highland Crescent and Wilket Road/York Road. We totalled the appropriate movements from all these intersection to determine the resultant warrant values as follows:

 WarrantCompliance

 (1)Minimum Vehicular Volume56 percent;

(2)Delay to Cross Traffic29 percent; and

(3)Accident Hazard27 percent.

 The results indicate that even if all left-turning traffic and pedestrians migrated to one controlled intersection, the warrants would still not be satisfied.

 Observations:

 -Currently Bayview Avenue between Post Road and Wilket Road/York Road is marked as a four-lane roadway.

 -In the morning peak period, southbound traffic on Bayview Avenue is frequently queued back from the Post Road intersection to north of York Road/Wilket Road. This queuing of southbound traffic combined with free-flowing northbound traffic can make it difficult for eastbound and westbound left-turning motorists to find a suitable gap in two-way traffic. This condition reverses direction in the afternoon peak period.

 -We observed that southbound motorists frequently provide a "courtesy gap" to eastbound right-turning vehicles in the morning peak period, but westbound left-turning motorists are not as likely to be offered the gap, or able to accept it, because of the northbound traffic lanes. Therefore, a centre two-way left-turn lane on Bayview Avenue should provide assistance by allowing motorists to complete their turning movement in two parts.

 Conclusions:

 Based on the above, the technical warrants for the installation of traffic control signals are not met and the collision records do not indicate a pattern of preventable collisions.

 The introduction of a centre two-way left-turn lane on Bayview Avenue between Post Road and York Road/Wilket Road will assist eastbound and westbound left-turning traffic to complete a two-part left turn onto Bayview Avenue.

 (Clause No. 22 embodied in Report No. 7 of

The Urban Environment and Development Committee, headed

"Proposed Two-Way Left-Turn Lane Designation: Bayview Avenue

Between York Road/Wilket Road and 180 Metres South of Post Road".)

 (City Council on June 3, 4 and 5, 1998, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)

 The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (April 20, 1998) from the Interim Functional Lead, Transportation:

 Purpose:

 To propose the installation and designation of a two-way, left-turn lane on Bayview Avenue between York Road/Wilket Road and a point 180 metres south of the southerly curb of Post Road.

 Funding Sources:

 The funds for this work are contained in the Transportation Department's 1998 Current Budget Estimates. The estimated cost of the installation of a two-way, left-turn lane on this section of Bayview Avenue is $21,000.00.

 Recommendations:

 It is recommended that:

 (1)once the pavement markings on Bayview Avenue, between York Road/Wilket Road and a point 180 metres south of the southerly curb of Post Road, have been modified to provide for two northbound traffic lanes, two southbound traffic lanes, and a centre lane, the centre lane be designated for northbound and southbound left turns only; and

 (2)the appropriate by-law(s) be amended accordingly.

 Background:

 This location was investigated at the request of Councillors Berger and Flint, and members of the local community, with respect to the difficulties experienced by motorists wishing to access Bayview Avenue between York Road/Wilket Road and Post Road, particularly during the peak periods.

 Discussion:

 Bayview Avenue in this vicinity is a four-lane arterial roadway with left-turn lanes at selected intersections and a two-way traffic volume of approximately 50,000 vehicles per day. The posted speed limit is 60 kilometres per hour. The adjacent land-use is primarily single family homes with individual driveways fronting onto Bayview Avenue.

 This section of Bayview Avenue experiences significant congestion in the southbound direction during the morning peak period, and in the northbound direction during the afternoon peak period; however, the opposite directions of traffic flow freely during these periods. As a result, it is difficult for a motorist to comfortably choose an appropriate gap in both directions of flow in order to make a left turn onto Bayview Avenue. In addition, vehicles turning from Bayview Avenue into a driveway or local street must turn left from the median through lane.

 The installation of a centre two-way left-turn lane will assist outbound left-turn manoeuvres by allowing motorists to complete their turn in two stages. Also, inbound left-turning vehicles will be able to wait in the centre lane without blocking through traffic.

 It is possible to re-arrange the pavement markings on Bayview Avenue to provide for two northbound traffic lanes, two southbound traffic lanes, and a centre two-way left-turn lane by a marginal reduction in the width of the through lanes.

 In order to install the standard regulatory lane designation signs which will clearly show the correct use of the centre two-way left-turn lane, and provide for police enforcement if necessary, a by-law amendment is required.

 The estimated cost of the pavement marking alterations and sign installation is $21,000.00. The signs will be side-mounted on poles situated in the boulevard.

 Conclusions:

 The designation of a two-way, left-turn lane on Bayview Avenue, between York Road/Wilket Road and a point 180 metres south of the southerly curb of Post Road, would permit outbound left-turn movements onto Bayview Avenue to select gaps in one direction of Bayview Avenue traffic at a time, and it would reduce the conflicts between left-turning vehicles and through traffic in the median lanes.

 Contact Name:

 Mr. Bruce Zvaniga, Manager, North and West Traffic Regions, 392-8826.

 (A copy of the location plan, which was appended to the foregoing report, has been forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the May 19, 1998 meeting of the Urban Environment and Development Committee, and a copy thereof is also on file in the office of the City Clerk.)