Parking and Traffic Concerns at

Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School

Ward 14 - Scarborough Wexford

The Scarborough Community Council recommends the adoption of the following report (March 16, 1998) from the Director, Road and Traffic Services, Scarborough, subject to adding thereto the following recommendations:

"(7) that the Toronto Catholic School Board be requested to meet with the Toronto Fire Department to discuss whether there is enough room on the west side of the school for staff parking in order to convert the present parking lot on the east side of the school to a pick-up zone for students arriving and departing by car;

(8) that the Police Service be invited to monitor the situation on a daily basis over the first four weeks and, thereafter, from time to time until the end of the school year; and

(9) that a community information meeting be held prior to the passing of the Bill, and in the event concerns are raised, that staff report such concerns to City Council, and further, that the Toronto Catholic School Board be requested to report on any possible on-site solutions directly to City Council."

Purpose:

To address the need to install parking/stopping restrictions on White Abbey Park near Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School and an all-way stop control at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park.

Funding Sources:

The funds associated with the installation of the parking restriction signs are contained in the Road and Traffic Services 1998 Budget, Account No. 20000-70200-72260.

The funds associated with the installation of the stop signs are contained in the Road and Traffic Services 1998 Budget, Account No. 20000-70200-72240.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the current parking regulations identified in Appendix 1 of this report be rescinded;

(2) the parking and stopping regulations identified in Appendix 2 of this report be adopted;

(3) the stop control identified in Appendix 3 of this report be rescinded;

(4) the stop control identified in Appendix 4 of this report be adopted;

(5) the appropriate by-laws be amended accordingly; and

(6) a copy of this report be sent to the Toronto Catholic School Board requesting the Board to consider off street option(s) to accommodate the parents picking-up and dropping-off their children, these options include but not limited to expanding the parking lot, additional short term parking spaces, an additional driveway, and the installation of a turning loop.

Background:

At the request of the principal of Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School, Road and Traffic Services conducted parking and traffic studies by the school on both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. The issue of compromised pedestrian safety as parents dropped-off and picked-up their children in front of this school, was subsequently examined. Furthermore, at the request of Chris and Mary Stewart of 37 White Abbey Park, we also examined their parking concerns as well as concerns with motorists not stopping for the stop signs at Japonica Road and White Abbey Park.

Discussion:

Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School is located north of Ellesmere Road and east of Pharmacy Avenue. Both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park are residential roads with appropriate signs in place to warn approaching motorists of the school area ahead. Currently, along the north/school side of Japonica Road, there is a 30 minute parking limit that applies between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. On the south/opposite side of Japonica Road there is a "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction. These restrictions were installed in 1994.

Along the west/school side of White Abbey Park there is a "No Parking, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday - Friday" restriction. Along the opposite/east side of this road however, there are no posted parking restrictions.

Traffic Operations - On-Street Parking Observations:

The following table shows the results of the our parking observations:

KEY: ^ indicates a private vehicle - these vehicles have also been included as being parked on the north side of Japonica Road. Only school buses may park within the defined limits of a school bus loading zone.

This table shows that most parents/guardians prefer to park directly abutting the school grounds, despite the existing "No Parking, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction on White Abbey Park. Also, as shown by this table, some motorists did choose to park on the 'opposite' side of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. This practice of parking on both sides of the street can congest the roadway and severely restrict regular through traffic. Fortunately, at this location this was not as significant as many other school locations. This may be in part due to the fact that the police were present during part of the study as well as the week preceding this study.

This table also shows that some motorists choose to use the school parking lot to pick-up/drop off their children. The traffic associated with the school's parking lot, because it lies within the property limits of the school, must be managed by the school board. This also applies to the installation of any off-street looping facilities.

We should emphasize that the safety of the children both walking and being driven to school is paramount. We also have to realize that in today's society parents will continue to drive their children to school. As such, with our recommendations we are attempting to make the area as safe as possible under the current situation. We should strongly emphasize that in our experience, when no legal parking alternatives are given, motorists tend to simply ignore the signs and park wherever curb space is available. It is for this reason that we do not support restricting stopping on both sides of Japonica Road or White Abbey Park.

Pedestrian Crossing Observations - Japonica Road and White Abbey Park

Road and Traffic Services staff also recorded the volume and location of pedestrian crossings by the school on both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. Our study revealed a number of pedestrians crossing the road, the majority of which crossed at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. Specifically, in our two study hours, of the 100 pedestrians crossing both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park, 67 crossed at the intersection.

Traffic Operations at the Intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park

Concern has also been expressed by Mr. Stewart about motorists failing to stop for the existing northbound and eastbound stop signs at Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. During our Monday, March 2, 1998 study we recorded the number of motorists disobeying the stop signs by travelling through at speeds in excess of 5 km/h and the number of U-turns/3 point turns. Again, the results were somewhat skewed due to the police presence; however, a previous study in 1994 did reveal a higher level of "high" speed (> 5 km/h) disobedience. The results are as follows:

These results clearly indicate that the police presence in the area has curtailed the incidents of stop sign violations. We do acknowledge that there are other motorists who did not bring their vehicles to a complete stop, or in other words performed a slow rolling stop; however, our table is intended to point out the flagrant violations.

Currently, the stop signs are for motorists northbound and eastbound at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. This unusual situation does create some confusion amongst motorists and pedestrians. Although we would normally suggest that the northbound stop sign be removed and a westbound stop sign be added to define the right-of-way at this intersection, once a stop sign has been in place for numerous years, travel patterns are established. To remove the northbound sign may confuse motorists, which would be especially dangerous with children crossing.

What we are therefore recommending is that an all-way stop be placed at this intersection in an effort to eliminate some of the confusion. Crosswalk lines will supplement this all-way stop.

Collision History

In addition to the studies outlined above, Road and Traffic Services conducted a three-year collision review of the area (from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1996) that revealed that two collisions have been reported during this time period, both of which occurred in 1994. One of these occurred at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park involving a westbound and a southbound motorist and the other collision occurred near the intersection of Crossland Road and Japonica Road. Neither collision occurred during school admission or dismissal times.

Conclusions:

Road and Traffic Services recommends "school side parking/opposite side no stopping" on White Abbey Park to complement this signing already in place on Japonica Road and improve the safety for school children both crossing the road and alighting from stopped vehicles. Specifically we are recommending:

1. Installing "30 Minute Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" signs along the school/west side of White Abbey Park along the side of Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School. The intent of these restrictions will be to permit private vehicle passengers direct access the school without having to cross in front of through traffic. These permissive parking restrictions will replace the existing "No Parking, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction. If the "permitted parking" change is approved, there will be sufficient room for approximately 16 private vehicles to park temporarily on White Abbey Park.

2. Installing a "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" restriction along the opposite/east side of White Abbey Park directly across from Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School. The purpose of this restriction will be to discourage passengers from boarding or alighting on this side of the road and subsequently from crossing in front of through traffic. These revised parking restriction times attempt to reflect typical hours of school operation and are intended to consider the occasional on-street parking needs of area residents during "non-school" hours. This "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday" restriction will also help to maintain two lanes of traffic movement by these schools.

These revised parking restriction times attempt to complement the existing parking restrictions on Japonica Road in front of the school, as well as approximately 70 other school areas that have adopted the similar "school side parking/opposite side no stopping" restrictions. By approving these sign changes, a consistency of school area signing is becoming established.

Considering the increase in the school's population with the addition of French Immersion, we are also requesting that the Toronto Catholic School Board consider off street options to accommodate the parents picking-up and dropping-off their children. These options include but are not limited to expanding the parking lot, additional short term parking spaces, an additional driveway, and the installation of a turning loop. These actions will help to mitigate the congestion on the road and will complement the on-street signing being proposed.

Furthermore, we recommend that the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park be converted to an all-way stop to eliminate any confusion that may be created with the current stop sign configuration.

Contact Name:

Gary H. Welsh

Director, Road and Traffic Services, Works and Environment, Scarborough District

Telephone: 396-5061

Fax: 396-5681

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

The following persons appeared before the Scarborough Community Council in connection with the foregoing matter:

- Ms. Mary Gomes, Principal, Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School, who tabled a petition containing 161signatures in support of the staff recommendations;

- Ms. Nina Adamo, Chairperson, School Advisory Council;

- Ms. Mary Stewart, who tabled a 16 signature petition from area residents in opposition to the staff recommendations;

- Mr. Christopher Stewart;

- Ms. Sheenagh Murphy; and

- Ms. Marie Ferreira.

(A copy of the two petitions was distributed to all Members of Scarborough Community Council and the original thereof is on file in the Office of the City Clerk)

Appendix 1

"No Parking"

Prohibition to be Rescinded

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4

Highway Side From To Times or Days

White Abbey West Japonica 122 metres north of 7:00 a.m. to

Park Road Japonica Road 6:00 p.m.

Monday to

Friday

Appendix 2

"No Stopping"

Prohibition to be Enacted

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4

Highway Side From To Times or Days

White Abbey East Japonica North Limit of 8:00 a.m. to

Park Road White Abbey Park 4:00 p.m.

Monday to

Friday

"Parking for Restricted Periods"

Prohibition to be Enacted

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5

Maximum

Times Period

Highway Side From To or Days Permitted

White West Japonica North Limit 8:00 a.m. to 30 minutes

Abbey Park Road of White 4:00 p.m.

Abbey Road Monday to Friday

Appendix 3

"Compulsory Stops"

Regulation to Be Rescinded

Column 1 Column 2

Intersection Stop Street

Japonica Road and Japonica Road

White Abbey Park (Eastbound)

White Abbey Park and White Abbey Park

Japonica Road (Northbound)

Appendix 4

"Compulsory Stops"

Regulation to Be Enacted

Column 1 Column 2

Intersection Stop Street

Japonica Road and Japonica Road

White Abbey Park

White Abbey Park and White Abbey Park

Japonica Road