Purpose:

To investigate the need for an all-way stop control at the intersection of Highcastle Road and Oakmeadow Boulevard, north intersection.

Funding Sources:

The $500.00 (approximate) funds associated with the installation of the all-way stop signs are available in the Road and Traffic Services 1998 Budget, Account No. 20000-70200-72240.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the all-way stop control identified in Appendix 1 of this report be adopted; and

(2) the appropriate by-law be amended accordingly.

Background:

At the request of former City of Scarborough Councillor David Soknacki, on behalf of an area resident, Road and Traffic Services investigated concerns of speeding on Highcastle Road and the need for an all-way stop control at the north intersection of Highcastle Road and Oakmeadow Boulevard.

Discussion:

Highcastle Road and Oakmeadow Boulevard are residential collector roads located north of Ellesmere Road and west of Neilson Road. A 40 kilometre per hour speed limit is posted on both of these roads. St. Edmund Campion School is located on Highcastle Road and a pedestrian crossover assists pedestrians crossing Highcastle Road at the south intersection of Oakmeadow Boulevard. Turn restrictions were installed in October 1996 to prevent motorists from cutting through the community, eastbound during the a.m. and westbound during the p.m. peak weekday periods.

Speed Studies:

Automatic 24-hour speed studies conducted on Highcastle Road at two locations over a six-day period revealed a reduction in the volume of traffic and excessive speeders on this road compared to our 1995 study. A sample of this count, in comparison with a previous study, is as follows:

We must highlight that these recorded 24-hour vehicle volumes verify that Highcastle Road is functioning well within the traffic parameters of a residential collector road, 1500 to 3500 vehicles per day. These volumes have also decreased by approximately 700 vehicles per week day following the installation of the aforementioned turn restrictions. Therefore, the motorists now travelling at excessive speeds on this road would likely be area residents.

In addition, these speed studies confirm that Highcastle Road is similar to many other residential collector roads. Specifically, a small percentage of motorists elect to drive at an excessive speed in total disregard for public safety.

Police Speed Enforcement Results:

The Toronto Police Service has indicated that between August 19, 1997 and September 16, 1997, over approximately two hours, five tickets were issued on Highcastle Road. The officers have indicated that this is not a location that they would regularly visit without specific direction to do so. We have requested that the speed enforcement continue on Highcastle Road, however, only limited enforcement can realistically be expected considering our study results.

All-Way Stop Control:

The justification for the installation of an all-way stop control is based on a technical warrant established by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), and adopted as the City Policy by the former Scarborough Council.

A traffic study conducted on Tuesday, September 16, 1997 at the north intersection of Highcastle Road and Oakmeadow Boulevard produced the following results which illustrate that the Warrant's vehicle volume requirements are not completely satisfied:

This intersection is controlled by stop signs on Oakmeadow Boulevard and, on account of this, Oakmeadow Boulevard is assumed to be the minor road. However, our latest traffic studies revealed that the heaviest approach vehicular movement is on Oakmeadow Boulevard. As a result of this unique situation, during both study periods, investigation staff observed incidents of confusion due to the treatment of this intersection as an all-way stop control by some motorists on Highcastle Road.

One solution would be to reverse the stop signs and stop traffic on Highcastle Road. However, as the community has become accustomed to the current stop sign positions, we doubt that this measure would be supported.

Therefore, although the vehicle volume requirements are not completely achieved, to eliminate any confusion among motorists, the introduction of an all-way stop control at this intersection is recommended.

Collision History:

A review of the collision history on Highcastle Road reveals no problems relating to motorists speeding on this road. A brief summary is as follows:

Although any type of collision is regrettable, we must highlight that five reported collisions over three years are not considered an excessive number of collisions based on the function of Highcastle Road as a residential collector road.

Conclusions:

In summary, our traffic studies reveal that an all-way stop would improve traffic movements at the north intersection of Highcastle Road and Oakmeadow Boulevard. In addition, our speed study also reveals that some excessive speeding is occurring on Highcastle Road. Therefore, we have requested continued selective police enforcement of the 40 kilometre per hour speed limit.

Contact Name:

Gary H. Welsh, P. Eng.,

Director,

Road and Traffic Services,

Works & Environment Department, Scarborough

Telephone: 396-5061,

Fax No. 396-5681,

E-mail: welsh@city.scarborough.on.ca

Appendix 1

ACompulsory Stops@

Regulation to Be Enacted

Column 1 Column 2

Intersection Stop Street

Highcastle Road Highcastle Road

and Oakmeadow Boulevard (North Intersection)