8 December 1998
To:Chairman and Members of the North York Community Council
From:Roberto Stopnicki,
Director, Transportation Services - District 3
Subject:Traffic Management Plan: Wendell Avenue, Gary Drive and Yelland Street
North York Humber
Purpose:To address the effect that the temporary traffic calming measures, on Wendell
Avenue, Gary Drive and Yelland Street have had on the communities concerns with regard to
the rate of speed of motor vehicles on the roadways, and the volume of heavy truck traffic
infiltrating the residential community and if the above measures should be made permanent.
Source of funds:
All costs associated with the installation of the permanent traffic calming measures (traffic
circle, pinch points, median gateway narrowing) should be considered within the 1999 Capital
Budget item for Road Improvements and Traffic Calming.
Recommendations:
1.That the two gateway narrowings, median and pinch points on Wendell Avenue between
Gary Drive and Pellatt Road, traffic circle at the intersection of Gary Drive and Wendell
Avenue, the two gateway narrowings at the intersection of Gary Drive and Yelland Street be
approved for permanent installation;
2.That Staff of the Works and Emergency Services and Technical Services Department be
directed to design, tender and construct the traffic calming measures as detailed in this report,
subject to their approval in the 1999 Capital Budget.
Council Reference/Background/History:
Toronto Council, at its meeting of April 15, 1998, approved a recommendation from the
Transportation Services Division of the Works and Emergency Services Department to
implement a six month trial period of traffic calming measures on Wendell Avenue, Gary
Drive and Yelland Street.
For quite some time, the residents of Wendell Avenue and Gary Drive had a concern with
respect to vehicle speeds, transient traffic and the large number of combination tractor trailers
using the residential roadways. Residents were of the opinion that Police enforcement of the
heavy truck restriction had been ineffective in improving the situation.
As a result, a request for the installation of the temporary traffic calming measures was put
forward at a meeting between staff, Councillor Mammoliti and the Wendell Avenue\Gary
Drive working group, which consisted of residents of the local Community.
The proposal, which was endorsed by the working group and the local Councillors, called for
the following test installations:
- Intersection dividers on the south approach to the Wendell Avenue\Pellatt Avenue
intersection and the south and east approaches to the Gary Drive\Yelland Street
intersection;
- A series of : APinch Points@ and median on Wendell Avenue, between Pellatt
Avenue and Gary Drive; and
- A traffic circle at the intersection of Wendell Avenue with Gary Drive.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
The temporary traffic calming measures were installed in June of 1998. Throughout the test
period, vehicle volumes, speed and classification counts\studies were completed.
The results of the vehicle volume and classification counts, conducted both before and after
the installation of the temporary traffic calming measures, does not indicate that there has
been a reassignment of traffic to the adjacent road network. Although traffic volumes on
Wendell Avenue and Gary Drive remained consistent throughout the test period, there was a
significant decrease in the number of heavy vehicles (tractor trailer units). Heavy truck traffic
decreased from approximately 35 vehicles per day to 5.
A further review of vehicle operating speeds on Wendell Avenue revealed that with the
installation of the measures, the 85th percentile speed of northbound and southbound traffic
decreased by 8 km/h to 12 km/h, respectively, from those recorded prior to the installation of
the traffic calming measures.
In addition to the above, a questionnaire was circulated to the residents of the affected
roadways to solicit their comments/impression of what effect the traffic calming measures
have had on the their lives and the overall safety of the community. Based upon the responses,
the following table has been compiled so that a clearer understanding of the community's
views can be seen, on a street by street basis.
