March 30, 1999

(Rexdale -Thistletown)

Purpose:

To inform Etobicoke Community Council on issues raised by the Principal, the Chair of the Holy Child Catholic School Council and the community, on matters related to traffic and parking at the Humberwood Centre.

Funding Sources:

There are no financial implications associated with this report.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that this report be received for information purposes.

Background:

The Etobicoke Community Council, at its meeting held February 17, 1999, requested that staff report on the parking (and traffic) concerns expressed in a series of communications from partners of the Humberwood Centre and the community (Attachment No. 1).

Comments:

At the request of Councillor Elizabeth Brown, staff members from the District Transportation Division attend a community meeting on the evening of Wednesday, February 10, 1999, convened by the Chair and Principal of Holy Child Catholic School at the Humberwood Centre.

The purpose of the meeting was to present and discuss traffic and parking problems being experience at the Humberwood Centre and to obtain input from the immediate community and City staff (Location Map Attachment No. 2. Site Plan Attachment No.3).

The problems being experienced at the Humberwood Centre relate specifically to the morning and afternoon peak traffic generation activities and the parking demand associated with the operation of the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District Board, and the Parks and Recreation Department.

The issues associated with the problems being experienced at the Humberwood Centre come down to the inadequacy of the existing parking facilities; and, the inadequacy and improper separation of the pick-up and drop-off areas for the school buses and private automobiles dropping-off and picking-up students.

Humberwood Boulevard is a two-lane collector road and provides for the safe movement of vehicles by a posted school zone speed of 40KPH; the appropriate No Standing and No Parking regulations; a comprehensive sidewalk system on both sides of the road, and the safe crossing of students/pedestrians at a properly established pedestrian crossover immediately in front of the Humberwood Centre. Vehicular access to the Humberwood Centre is directly from Humberwood Boulevard by means properly designed and constructed ingress and egress driveways (2). Although queues have occasionally been observed on Humberwood Boulevard at the entrance to the Humberwood Centre, these queues occur as a result of the internal site congestion and activities. On-site adjustments will alleviate any congestion that currently occurs on the road.

Conclusions:

The problems being experienced at the Humberwood Centre are occurring primarily in the morning and afternoon school opening and closing periods. The problems are on-site problems, that can only be addressed through an increase in the on-site parking supply; the elongation of both the school bus and automobile student pick-up and drop-off areas as well as the proper physical separation of these two activities; and, the proper education of the users through proper on-site signage and parent advisory notices from the schools.

At the conclusion of the community meeting, City staff offered to prepare a schematic drawing depicting how both the parking supply and the student pick-up and drop-off areas could be augmented at the Humberwood Centre, and the approximate costs associated with these proposed works. Additionally, City staff offered advise on the operational aspects of on-site pedestrian and traffic circulation.

At a subsequent meeting held on Monday, March 1, 1999, with the Principal and the Chair of Holy Child Catholic School Council and Councillor Elizabeth Brown, City staff presented a schematic plan (and cost estimates) that could be implemented to resolve some of the problems being experienced at the Centre.

Since this facility operates under the auspices of a management board, decisions as to whether or not the suggested schematic plan is adopted and implemented, rests with the Humber Management Board. There may be some financial implications related to the Parks and Recreation Capital/Operating Budget, since the City is a partner in the Humberwood Centre together with the School Boards.

This is for the information of Community Council.

Contract Name:

Dominic Gulli, Manager - Traffic Operations - District 2

(416)394-8409; Fax 394-8942.

John W. Thomas, P.Eng., MBA

Director, Transportation Services - District 2

Attachments/cc: Street File-Humberwood Blvd.