August 31, 1998
To:Toronto Community Council
From:A. Koropeski, Director, Infrastructure Planning and Transportation, City Works Services
Subject:Intersection of Hertle Avenue and Highfield Road - Installation of a northbound "Stop" sign (East Toronto)
Purpose:
To report on a request to install a "Stop" sign for northbound traffic Highfield Road at Hertle Avenue, thereby creating an
all-way stop controlled intersection.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Not applicable
Recommendation:
That this report be received for information.
Comments:
At the request of Councillor Tom Jakobek, I am reporting to the Toronto Community Council on the installation of all way
"Stop" sign control at the intersection of Highfield Road and Hertle Avenue to reduce northbound left turn cornering
speeds.
Hertle Avenue and Highfield Road form a T-type intersection. Hertle Avenue operates two-way on a pavement width of
8.53 metres with a daily traffic volume of approximately 200 vehicles and a posted 40 kilometre per hour speed limit.
Parking is allowed on the east and south sides of the street for a maximum period of three hours and parking is allowed by
permit only from 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily. A "Stop" sign is posted for eastbound traffic on Hertle Avenue at Highfield
Road. Highfield Road between Dundas Street East and Richard Avenue is a residential street which operates one-way
northbound on a pavement width of 8.53 metres with a 40 kilometre per hour maximum speed limit and a daily volume of
approximately 500 vehicles. Parking is allowed on both sides of the street and permit parking is in effect on this section of
Highfield Road from 12:01 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Highfield Road is the through roadway and traffic flow is not regulated by a
"Stop" sign at the present time.
Having evaluated this intersection against the installation criteria for "Stop" signs adopted by the former City of Toronto
Council at its meeting of September 16 & 17, 1991, this intersection does not satisfy the technical guidelines for the
installation of all-way "Stop" sign control (which would result from the installation of a northbound "Stop" sign on
Highfield Road).
The aforementioned criteria have been applied by Works staff for the past seven years when evaluating "Stop" sign
requests. However, these criteria are unique to the former City of Toronto and are significantly less stringent than the
installation guidelines established by the Provincial Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and those used by other
municipalities when evaluating all-way "Stop" sign requests. Notwithstanding, neither the former City of Toronto's
installation criteria nor the MOT's installation guidelines endorse cornering speed or speed reduction in general as reasons
for installing "Stop" signs.
Several site visits by Works staff have not detected any specific problems related to operational safety at the intersection of
Highfield Road and Hertle Avenue. However, it is typical that sporadic incidents of high speed turns like those described
by area residents occur which might not have been detected during our review.
For your Council's information, staff have also evaluated Hertle Avenue with respect to speed humps against the
installation criteria for speed humps as approved by City Council in August of 1997 and have found that the installation of
speed humps is not warranted as the daily traffic volume is approximately 200 vehicles which falls well short of the
required 1,000 vehicle per day minimum.
Notwithstanding all of the above, should the Toronto Community Council wish to install a "stop" sign for northbound
traffic on Highfield Road at Hertle Avenue it will be necessary to recommend that City Council approve the following
amendments to Chapter 400 of the Municipal Code:
(1)That a "Stop" sign be installed for northbound traffic on Highfield Road at Hertle Avenue; and
(2)That the appropriate City Officials be requested to take whatever action is necessary to give effect to the forgoing,
including the introduction in Council of any Bills that are required.
Contact Name and Telephone Number:
David G. Dignard, Traffic Investigator, 392-7771
Director
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