Amendments to the Parking and Stopping Regulations -
Balmuto Street between Charles Street West and
Bloor Street West (Downtown)
The Toronto Community Council recommends the adoption of the following report
(August31, 1998) from the Director, Infrastructure Planning and Transportation
Division, City Works Services:
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rescinded;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Saturday on the entire west side of Balmuto Street, be rescinded;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on the entire west side of Balmuto Street, be rescinded;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