June 19, 1998

Ms. Novina Wong
Clerk
City of Toronto
Station 1071, 7th Floor
Metro Hall
55 John Street
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Ms. Wong:

At its meeting on Wednesday, June 17, 1998, the Commission considered the attached report entitled, "510 Spadina: Progress Towards Resolution Of Safety Problem."

The Commission received for information, noting that:

• the safety problem of the unparalleled high collision rate between automobiles and streetcars on the 510 SPADINA streetcar line continues without let-up, reinforcing the argument that the safety problem on this streetcar line is inherent in the current design of the roadway, and is not a "learning curve" issue;

• the Provincial Cabinet has approved a Declaration Order pertaining to the Environmental Assessment for the 510 SPADINA streetcar line, which means that City of Toronto Council now has complete authority to make changes to the design of the streetcar line, and to Spadina Avenue itself, in order to improve the safety to travel for everyone on Spadina Avenue;

• staff are planning a series of public meetings in the Spadina community to present the safety issue and possible solutions;

• ridership on the 510 SPADINA streetcar line has increased since the last counts taken on this service, and the increase is at a higher rate than either the system-wide ridership increase over the same period or the increases in ridership observed on other streetcar lines crossing Spadina Avenue.

The Commission also approved the following:

1. That staff report on the implications associated with the introduction of horse drawn carriages on Spadina Avenue; and

2. That staff submit the attached report along with the temporary approval regarding horse drawn carriages to the public meetings that will be held with respect to this issue.

The foregoing is forwarded to City of Toronto Council, City of Toronto Transportation and Planning Departments, the Ministry of Environment, Councillor Olivia Chow and Councillor Kyle Rae for information.

Sincerely,

Vincent Rodo

General Secretary

1-64

Attachment

Copy: Honourable N. Sterling, Minister of Environment

D. Floyd, Function Lead, City of Toronto Transportation Department

P. Bedford, Executive Director & Chief Planner, City of Toronto

Councillor O. Chow, City of Toronto

Councillor K. Rae, City of Toronto

TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION

REPORT NO.

MEETING DATE: June 17, 1998

SUBJECT: 510 SPADINA: PROGRESS TOWARDS RESOLUTION OF SAFETY PROBLEM

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that the Commission:

1. Receive this report for information, noting that:

• the safety problem of the unparalleled high collision rate between automobiles and streetcars on the 510 Spadina streetcar line continues without let-up, reinforcing the argument that the safety problem on this streetcar line is inherent in the current design of the roadway, and is not a "learning curve" issue;
• the Provincial Cabinet has approved a Declaration Order pertaining to the Environmental Assessment for the 510 Spadina streetcar line, which means that City of Toronto Council now has complete authority to make changes to the design of the streetcar line, and to Spadina Avenue itself, in order to improve the safety of travel for everyone on Spadina Avenue;
• staff are planning a series of public meetings in the Spadina community to present the safety issue and possible solutions;
• ridership on the 510 Spadina streetcar line has increased since the last counts taken on this service, and the increase is at a higher rate than either the system-wide ridership increase over the same period or the increases in ridership observed on other streetcar lines crossing Spadina Avenue; and

2. Forward this report to Councillor Olivia Chow, Councillor Kyle Rae, the City of Toronto, the Toronto Transportation and Planning Departments, and the Ministry of Environment.

BACKGROUND

To date, TTC staff have presented five reports to the Commission documenting the operation, ridership, and safety concerns pertaining to the new 510 Spadina streetcar line. The previous reports have focused largely on the safety problem of automobile-streetcar collisions on Spadina Avenue, and on staff's efforts to resolve this safety problem. This report is an update on the streetcar line, and on staff's progress.

DISCUSSION

The Collision Problem

The trend of accidents on the 510 Spadina streetcar line, previously reported to be four times higher than any other streetcar line in the City, continues without let-up. Exhibit 1, attached, illustrates that the unparalleled high rate of automobile-streetcar collisions has continued, and has remained at this high level following each update report which the Commission has reviewed. Given the persistence of this collision rate, as the streetcar line nears its first anniversary, the problem cannot be explained as a "learning curve" problem, but rather as the result of the confusing and unworkable current design of Spadina Avenue.

Solving the Collision Problem

On April 29, 1998, the Provincial Cabinet approved a Declaration Order pertaining to the Environmental Assessment for the 510 Spadina streetcar line. The original Environmental Assessment report for this streetcar line made provision for motorists to make left- and U-turns across the streetcar right-of-way, at unsignalized locations, during off-peak traffic conditions. The Declaration Order removes any commitment to allow such moves to occur. A copy of the signed Order-in-Council is attached to this report as Appendix A. The Declaration Order means that any conditions or restrictions pertaining to the design of the streetcar line have been lifted, and changes to the design which would prevent motorists from entering onto the streetcar track are now entirely within the jurisdiction of City of Toronto Council.

TTC staff are working with City of Toronto Transportation and Planning Departments staff to identify a solution which will be both effective, from a traffic and operations perspective, and acceptable to the community. City Planning staff have expressed concerns about the aesthetic effect on the street of any curb or median which might be installed adjacent to the streetcar tracks. Staff are giving special attention to this design issue.

Attached to this report, as Exhibit 2, is a Gantt chart which illustrates the work plan which staff are following towards the resolution of the collision problem. This has been reviewed by City staff have who have noted that, under The Municipal Act, it is a requirement that a construction by-law be passed before any physical changes can be made to a city roadway. Although this requirement could potentially interfere with the planned timing of changes to Spadina Avenue, City staff are of the opinion that they may be able to expedite this by-law by undertaking the necessary public notification early in the process.

At this time, staff are proceeding with the necessary activities to accomplish the work plan as illustrated in Exhibit 2.

Ridership on 510 Spadina

Ridership on Spadina Avenue has continued to increase since the 510 Spadina streetcar began operation in July 1997. The latest detailed weekday count of customers on the new route was taken in late February 1998, and shows that 38,000 customer-trips were made on the route. This is higher than both the average of 33,600 customer-trips that was recorded on counts taken in the fall and early winter of 1997/1998, and the 32,400 customer-trips that were made when the first detailed

The 12-to-15 percent increase in Monday-Friday ridership on Spadina Avenue and Queens Quay since the new streetcar line began operating is greater than the percentage increase in overall TTC system ridership over the same period, and exceeds ridership increases on nearby TTC routes. From mid-1997 to late May 1998, annual TTC system ridership increased by less than two percent. From early 1997 to early 1998, the peak-point ridership on the other streetcar routes crossing Spadina Avenue (506 Carlton, 505 Dundas, 501 Queen, 504 King) increased by an average of eight percent, while peak-point ridership on the nearby parallel Spadina Subway increased by three percent.

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11-105-80

June 1, 1998

Attachments: Exhibits 1 and 2

Appendix A

FILENAME: COMREP/SPADPRG.CR

STAFF SUMMARY SHEET