CITY CLERK
Clause embodied in Report No. 8 of the North York Community Council, as
deferred by the North York Community Council at its meeting held on July
22, 1998.
30(c)Modifications to the Intersection of Pembury Avenue with the Bayview Avenue
Access Ramp - North York Centre South.
The North York Community Council reports having deferred consideration of the
following report to its meeting scheduled for October 14, 1998:
(July 10, 1998) from the Deputy Commissioner of Transportation, North York Civic
Centre, recommending that Pembury Avenue, at the intersection with the ramp from
Lawrence Avenue East to southbound Bayview Avenue, be redesigned to discourage the
high speed access to Pembury Avenue from the ramp while maintaining access to/from the
greater community to the west of Bayview Avenue and south of Lawrence Avenue East.
10 July 1998
To:Chairman and Members of the North York Community Council
From:Roberto Stopnicki
Deputy Commissioner of Transportation
Subject:Modifications to the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the
Bayview Avenue access ramp.
North York Centre South
Purpose:
Provide assessment of either the closure of Pembury Avenue at the intersection with the
ramp from Lawrence Avenue East to southbound Bayview Avenue or modifications to the
intersection to reduce southbound vehicle operating speeds.
Source of funds:
This project should be considered as a local intersection improvement and sufficient funds
be included in the 1999 Capital Works Construction Program.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that Pembury Avenue at the intersection with the ramp from Lawrence
Avenue East to southbound Bayview Avenue, be redesigned to discourage the high speed
access to Pembury Avenue from the ramp while maintaining access to/from the greater
community to the west of Bayview Avenue and south of Lawrence Avenue East.
Background:
The current configuration at the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the Bayview Avenue
access ramp, (see Exhibit 1 attached), provides the opportunity for southbound motorists on
the access ramp to continue on Pembury Avenue at a higher than acceptable rate of speed.
As can be noted from the exhibit, the intersection is designed at an angle of much greater
that the traditional 90 degrees. Northbound traffic on Pembury Avenue is required to stop
prior to proceeding southbound on the Bayview Avenue access ramp.
Access from Bayview Avenue and Lawrence Avenue East, to the greater community to the
west and south, is significantly restricted during the am peak traffic period as southbound
right turn restrictions are in place at all intersections along Bayview Avenue, between
Lawrence Avenue East and Eglinton Avenue East and westbound traffic on Lawrence
Avenue East is restricted from travelling southbound on Mildenhall Road. These
restrictions divert considerable traffic on both Pembury Avenue and Wood Avenue as they
are the only roadways where motorists may legally access the community. However, as
neither Wood or Pembury Avenues have full access to Bayview Avenue, they would not
experience the same volume of traffic, local or transient, as those with direct access to
Bayview Avenue.
Only southbound traffic is permitted on the ramp from Lawrence Avenue East to
southbound Bayview Avenue. Southbound traffic on the Bayview Avenue access ramp
may continue to the west on either Pembury or Wood Avenues. Eastbound traffic on
Pembury or Wood Avenues may only continue southbound on the Bayview Avenue access
ramp.
Residents of Pembury Avenue have indicated in a petition to Councillor Flint that the
current traffic volume and rate of speed on Pembury Avenue are not appropriate for the
roadway. On Pembury Avenue, between the Bayview Avenue access ramp and St. Leonard
Drive, there are only single family residential properties.
As a result of their concerns, residents have requested that access to/from Pembury Avenue
at the Bayview Avenue access ramp not be permitted.
Discussion:
At the time of the request for the permanent closure of Pembury Avenue, the
Transportation Committee for the former City of North York could not support the
residents' proposal due to objections received from the residents of Wood Avenue. The
residents of Wood Avenue indicated that, as access to the community is restricted to either
Pembury or Wood Avenues during the a.m. peak traffic period, any additional restrictions
put in place, would result in significant increases in the traffic volumes on Wood Avenue.
Residents of Wood Avenue did not indicate any concern for the rate of speed of traffic on
Wood Avenue.
Consequently, staff of the Transportation Division were directed to consider alternatives to
a full closure, which would reduce the rate of speed of southbound traffic on Pembury
Avenue, and to identify the potential impacts on traffic operations on Wood Avenue should
a permanent closure be considered for Pembury Avenue at the Bayview Avenue access
ramp.
To thoroughly identify the potential impacts and benefits for traffic on the existing roadway
system, Transportation Division staff undertook the necessary studies to identify existing
traffic volumes and developed Traffic Management Techniques (TMT) to address the
Pembury Avenue and Wood Avenue residents. Specifically, TMT included the temporary
closure/redesign of the Pembury Avenue/Bayview Avenue access ramp intersection and:
- identify the existing traffic volumes on Pembury and Wood Avenues, and the rate of
speed of southbound traffic on Pembury Avenue, south of the Bayview Avenue access
ramp;
- the use of new Jersey barriers (see Exhibit 2 attached), to temporarily restrict
northbound and southbound traffic at the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the
Bavyiew Avenue access ramp. With the closure in place, identify what effects the
closure had on traffic volumes on Wood Avenue; and
- with the use of temporary curb stones and minor intersection improvements, modify the
intersection of Pembury Avenue and the Bayview Avenue access ramp to require
southbound motorists to access Pembury Avenue at a more traditional intersection (see
Exhibit 3 attached). Northbound traffic would not be permitted to access the Bayview
Avenue access ramp. With the intersection modifications in place, identify what affects
the modifications had on traffic volumes on Wood Avenue.
Existing Conditions
Table 1, below, identifies the traffic volumes and vehicle speeds on Pembury and Wood
Avenues prior to the installation of any temporary TMT at the intersection of Pembury
Avenue with the Bayview Avenue access ramp.
These traffic volumes are well within acceptable levels for both local roadways. The speed
of southbound traffic on Pembury Avenue is of concern, due to the existing alignment of
the intersection and the character of the properties along the roadway.
Road Closure
With the use of new Jersey barriers, northbound and southbound traffic on Pembury
Avenue, at the Bayview Avenue access ramp, was prohibited. Subsequently, numerous
traffic studies were undertaken to determine what effects the closure would have on traffic
volumes on Wood Avenue. Table 1 below identifies the average traffic volume on Wood
Avenue, recorded during the studies, with the closure of the intersection.
Intersection Modifications
In order to maintain access to Pembury Avenue while reducing the operating speeds of
southbound motorists, the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the Bayview Avenue
access ramp was modified.
Although southbound motorists on the Bayview access ramp were required to access
Pembury Avenue at a more traditional intersection design, it was not possible to continue to
permit northbound traffic on Pembury Avenue to access the Bayview Avenue access ramp.
Table 1, below, identifies the average vehicle volume and speeds, which were recorded on
Pembury and Wood Avenues during the traffic studies, with the modifications to the
intersection.
Conclusions:
As a result of the traffic studies completed on both Pembury Avenue and Wood Avenue,
the following was concluded:
- Should access to/from Pembury Avenue be closed permanently at its intersection with
the Bayview Avenue access ramp, the expected increase in traffic volumes on Wood
Avenue would not be considered excessive;
- With the proper modifications to the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the Bayview
Avenue access ramp, northbound traffic on Pembury Avenue could access the Bayview
Avenue access ramp to continue southbound on Bayview Avenue, traffic volumes on
Wood Avenue would be maintained at their existing level, and the rate of speed of
southbound traffic on Pembury Avenue would be significantly reduced from that which
is currently being observed; and
- From the results of the traffic studies, it would appear that when access was restricted at
the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the Bayview Avenue access ramp, the majority
of traffic which previously utilized Pembury Avenue was reassigned to Wood Avenue.
Although the total volume of traffic which was reassigned on Wood Avenue is not
significant, the concerns of the residents of Wood Avenue, which included further
access restrictions into the community, were justified.
It was generally concluded that traffic volumes on Pembury and Wood Avenues are not,
even when access is restricted or modified at the Pembury Avenue/Bayview Avenue access
ramp intersection, considered excessive. Southbound Pembury Avenue vehicle speeds were
significantly reduced with the modifications to the intersection.
It is this departments opinion that to address the principal concerns of the residents of both
Wood Avenue and Pembury Avenue, the intersection of Pembury Avenue with the
Bayview Avenue access ramp should be modified as described in this report.
Contact Name:
Michael Frederick, Director of Traffic Operations, 395-7484
Roberto Stopnicki,
Deputy Commissioner of Transportation
Attached
g:\investig\operate\tt28\reports\11007
Table 1
Traffic Volumes and Vehicle Speeds |
Wood Avenue and Pembury Avenue
|
Direction |
Traffic Volumes |
85th Percentile
Vehicle Speeds (km/h) |
|
AM |
PM |
24
Hr |
AM |
PM |
24
Hr |
|
Pembury
Avenue |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Northbound |
3 |
1 |
8 |
17 |
17 |
17 |
Southbound |
18 |
8 |
59 |
64 |
55 |
52 |
Wood Avenue |
Eastbound |
6 |
11 |
60 |
(data not collected) |
Westbound |
19 |
30 |
160 |
- Temporary Closure of Pembury Avenue/Bayview Avenue Access Ramp
|
Pembury Avenue |
Northbound |
(access closed - data not collected) |
Southbound |
Wood Avenue |
Eastbound |
14 |
10 |
86 |
(data not collected) |
Westbound |
29 |
22 |
203 |
- Intersection Modifications at the Pembury Avenue/Bayview Avenue Access Ramp
|
Pembury Avenue |
Northbound |
(access closed - data not collected) |
Southbound |
14 |
9 |
64 |
25 |
18 |
22 |
Wood Avenue |
Eastbound |
8 |
7 |
59 |
(data not collected) |
Westbound |
29 |
15 |
151 |