August 31, 1998

To:Toronto Community Council

From:Andrew Koropeski, Director, Infrastructure Planning & Transportation, City Works Services

Subject:Balmuto Street between Charles Street West and Bloor Street West - Amendments to the parking and stopping regulations (Downtown)

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to implement a parking and stopping arrangement on this street which will address the short-term parking and delivery needs of various stakeholders on the street, reduce traffic congestion at intersecting streets and enhance traffic movement during peak operational periods.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Not Applicable

Recommendations:

1)That the parking prohibition at anytime on the entire east side of Balmuto Street, be rescinded;

2) That the 1 hour maximum parking regulation, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday on the entire west side of Balmuto Street, be rescinded;

3) That the provision for parking meters, operating from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday at a rate of $0.25 for 15 minutes/$1.00 per hour, for a maximum period of 1 hour on the entire west side of Balmuto Street, be rescinded;

4) That the following regulations be implemented on the east side of Balmuto Street from Charles Street West to Bloor Street West:

a) Stopping be prohibited from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday;

b) Standing be prohibited from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday;

c) Parking be prohibited from 6:30 p.m. of one day to 8:00 a.m. of the following day, Monday to Friday, from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, Saturday and at anytime on Sunday;

5) That stopping be prohibited at anytime on the west side of Balmuto Street:

a) from Bloor Street West to a point 35.0 metres south;

b) from a point 112.0 metres south of Bloor Street West to Charles Street West;

6) That stopping be prohibited from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, on the west side of Balmuto Street from a point 35.0 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 77.0 metres further south;

7)That an on-street parking area for disabled persons, suitable of accommodating 3 vehicles be designated on the west side of Balmuto Street from a point 35.0 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 21.0 metres further south;

8) That 2 parking meters for use by commercial vehicles only be installed on the west side of Balmuto Street from a point 56.0 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 28.0 metres further south, operating from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday at a rate of $1.00 per half-hour;

9) That 4 parking meters be installed on the west side of Balmuto Street from a point 84.0 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 28.0 metres further south, operating from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday, for a maximum period of 30 minutes at a rate of $0.25 for 15 minutes; and

10)That the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to implement the foregoing, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that might be required.

Comments:

Over the past year, Works staff, in consultation with Councillor Kyle Rae, representatives of the Parking Enforcement Unit and neighbourhood business associations, have reviewed traffic conditions on Balmuto Street with a view towards resolving a number of operational issues, including traffic congestion at the intersections of Bloor/Balmuto and Charles/Balmuto, illegal parking, on-street delivery activity and parking for disabled persons.

Balmuto Street has a pavement width of about 11.0 metres and extends from Charles Street West to Bloor Street West, a distance of 163 metres. Parking is prohibited at anytime on the entire east side of the street but is allowed (controlled by 18 parking meters) with certain temporal parking restrictions on the entire west side of the street.

Several site inspections have revealed that the metered parking spaces on the west side of Balmuto Street are generally occupied throughout the day, several for durations in excess of the one hour parking restriction and/or by vehicles displaying disabled persons parking permits. Illegal parking was also noted on the west side within the corner parking prohibitions and in front of a ramp leading from an underground parking garage. Despite the parking prohibition on the east side of the street, a considerable amount of short-term illegal parking occurs throughout the day, particularly close to Bloor Street West. This combined with delivery vehicles stopping on the east side and illegal parking on the west side as noted above, constricts traffic flow and causes congestion near the intersecting streets, particularly during the afternoon rush period.

In our discussions with the various stakeholders, it has generally been agreed that to enhance traffic operation on Balmuto Street more stringent stopping/standing regulations need to be implemented at specific times of day and on specific sections of the street. However, in combination with more stringent regulations, provisions should be maintained on the street for short-term parking, curbside deliveries and parking by disabled persons. With these goals in mind, staff have developed a parking plan for Balmuto Street which has been endorsed by Councillor Rae's office and the neighbourhood business improvement associations. The highlights and impacts of the plan are as follows.

East Side:

a) Standing would be prohibited from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday. The higher set fine associated with this infraction might be a deterrent to would-be parkers during business hours of the day when the current illegal parking problems are most prevalent and have the greatest adverse impact on traffic operation. Motorists would still be permitted to stop and drop off or pick up passengers but vehicles would not be permitted to legally stop while making a delivery;

b) Stopping would be prohibited from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, to deter illegal parking/standing/stopping during the afternoon rush period. Typically, traffic volume on Balmuto Street and traffic congestion at Bloor Street West and at Charles Street West reach their respective peaks during this period of the day; and

c) Parking would be prohibited at all other times. This retains the regulation currently in place in the evening, overnight and on Sundays when traffic conditions would no longer justify more stringent regulations.

West Side:

a)Stopping would be prohibited at anytime from Bloor Street West to a point 35 metres south and from Charles Street East to a point 51 metres north (112 metres south of Bloor Street West). In combination with the stopping/standing/parking prohibitions on the east side, this should act as a greater deterrent to illegal parking near the intersecting streets, reduce traffic congestion and enhance traffic operation throughout the day;

b)Stopping would be prohibited from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday to Friday from a point 35 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 77 metres further south to augment the similar regulation on the east side of the street and enhance traffic operation during the afternoon rush period;

c)3 Disabled Persons Parking Spaces for use at times other than the afternoon rush period by persons issued with disabled parking permits would be delineated from a point 35 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 21 metres further south. Based on the number of vehicles that staff have seen parked on this street with disabled parking permits (average of about 3 vehicles during the daytime), this would ensure that a reasonable number of parking spaces are provided for disabled persons in what appears to be a popular parking area;

d)2 Metered Parking/Loading Spaces for use at times other than the afternoon rush period by commercial vehicles only would be identified from a point 56 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 28 metres further south. Although under the provisions of the Highway Traffic Act, a vehicle may legally stop to make a delivery or pick-up in an area prohibited to parking provided that the vehicle is actually engaged in this purpose if the vehicle is left unattended while the driver completes the delivery, it becomes "parked" and is subject to enforcement. A metered parking/loading area for commercial vehicles is a relatively new initiative which delineates an exclusive location on the street where delivery operations should be conducted and enables the driver to leave the vehicle unattended provided that a fee is deposited in the meter and the meter is activated. In this particular instance, 2 spaces, each 14 metres in length, would be provided on Balmuto Street to facilitate curbside deliveries. The meters would operate from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday to off set the impact that the stopping/standing prohibitions on the east side of Balmuto Street would have on delivery operations; and

e)4 Parking Meters for use by the general public for a maximum period of 30 minutes from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday (the operational periods of the meters) and for 3 hours at other times (with the exception of the afternoon rush period) would be identified from a point 84 metres south of Bloor Street West to a point 28 metres further south. These parking spaces would discourage meter "feeding", which has been observed, address the short term parking needs of persons patronizing some nearby businesses and might encourage motorists requiring longer duration parking to use nearby off-street parking facilities.

Based on our assessment, these changes to the parking regulation should improve traffic operation on Balmuto Street. However, there would be a reduction of 14 metered parking spaces on this street which might be perceived as an inconvenience by some people in the neighbourhood. Notwithstanding, the benefits to traffic operation and safety out weigh the need for on street parking in this instance.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Ron Hamilton, Transportation Operations Coordinator, 392-1806

Director

RJH/

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