STAFF REPORT

November 18, 1999

To: Etobicoke Community Council

From: John W. Thomas, P. Eng., MBA, Director, Transportation Services - District 2

Subject: Designation of 40 km/h Speed Limit Areas in District 2

(Lakeshore-Queensway, Kingsway-Humber)

Purpose:

To propose criteria necessary to qualify and consider certain roads for the designation of the 40 km/h speed limit; to designate roads in the area south of Bloor Street West, east of Royal York Road, north of The Queensway and west of the Humber River with a 40 km/h speed designation; and, to designate roads located east of Royal York Road, south of Edenbridge Drive and west of Edgehill Road with a 40 km/h speed designation.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

The funds associated with the installation of regulatory signs as a result of the implementation of this report are contained within the Transportation Services Division 1999 Operating Budget.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) Etobicoke Community Council adopt the criteria and procedures outlined in this report for the implementation of 40 km/h speed limit on residential local roads;

(2) Etobicoke Community Council approve the designation of the Prince Edward Drive south of Bloor Street West area and the Edgevalley/Edgehill area, as the initial two areas to designate 40 km/h speed limit areas; and

(3) the appropriate City officials be requested to take whatever action is necessary to give effect to the foregoing, including the introduction in Council of any bills that may be required.

Background:

Each year a number of requests are made for the lowering of the speed limit on local residential roads from the statutory 50 km/h to 40 km/h. Generally, it has been the past practice in the former City of Etobicoke, to limit the implementation of 40 km/h speed zones to roads with school frontages. There are a number of exceptions that have been implemented by Council.

Prior to amalgamation, the implementation of 40 km/h speed zones was treated differently in the former municipalities. While staff from across the City will be working towards harmonizing guidelines for their implementation, staff continues to receive requests for 40 km/h speed zones. Given the work and priorities facing staff, it is appropriate that guidelines be established for the implementation of 40 km/h speed zones in the Etobicoke Community Council area at this time. This is consistent with the recent action of the North York Community Council, which approved the implementation of a 40 km/h speed limit for the York Mills Valley area.

The Transportation Services Division has two requests for 40 km/h speed limits that, in our opinion, warrant consideration of 40 km/h speed limits. Ms. Mary L. Campbell, President, The Kingsway Park Ratepayers Inc., has inquired why all the roadways north of Bloor Street West, in the Kingsway area, have a speed limit of 40 km/h, while the majority of the roads south of Bloor Street have a speed limit of 50 km/h. Ms. Campbell is requesting that the same consideration be given to the area south of Bloor Street. The second area where it may be appropriate to consider 40 km/h speed limits is the Edgehill Road/Edgevalley Drive area as shown on Attachment No. 1.

The 40 km/h area that Ms. Campbell refers to is bordered by Bloor Street West, Dundas Street West, the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, Montgomery Road, and the Humber River. A map of this area is Attachment No. 2. The 50 km/h area referred to is the area bounded by Bloor Street West, The Queensway, the Mimico Creek, and the Humber River as shown in Attachment No. 3.

The former Borough of Etobicoke Council, in February 1974, adopted the then Roads and Traffic Committee's recommendation to designate all streets bound by Bloor Street West, Royal York Road, Montgomery Road and Lynngrove Avenue, as a 25 MPH (40 km/h) speed zone, in a pilot project. A second 25 MPH (40 km/h) pilot project was introduced in The Kingsway area; the area bound by Bloor Street West, Royal York Road, Dundas Street West and the Humber River, in November 1975.

In 1977, staff had recommended that the trials be discontinued based on speed studies on selected roadways, however, Council did not accept the recommendation.

Comments:

The Highway Traffic Act, Part IX, Section 128 (1)(b), states, in part, that the legal speed limit on a highway within a city, town, village, police village or built up area is 50 km/h, unless prescribed differently by municipal by-law.

The use of 40 km/h zones in the former City of Etobicoke, in the past, were primarily reserved for use in school zones. In school zones, it is imperative that vehicle operating speeds are reduced in conjunction with the use of advance warning signs, to warn motorists that they are approaching an area of increased pedestrian and vehicle activity characteristic to school areas.

As indicated previously, the former municipalities had different guidelines for the implementation of 40 km/h speed zones. In some, the 40 km/h speed limit was generally reserved for school zones. The former City of Scarborough had criteria based on traffic engineering factors such as traffic volume, sight distance, roadway width, roadway geometry, lack of sidewalks, etc. Others, notably the former City of Toronto, implemented 40 km/h speed limits across the municipality.

Work is ongoing to harmonize the application of 40 km/h speed limits; however, it is not expected to come forward in the near future. North York Community Council recently adopted a 40 km/h speed limit for the York Mills Valley community. The policy of the former City of North York was similar to Etobicoke. Roads adjacent to schools and parks were designated at 40 km/h. The York Mills Valley community has a road pattern that is curvilinear and the roads have no curbs or sidewalks and in some locations the pavement is narrower than 8.5 metres (28 feet). The operating speed in the area was below 50 km/h.

This report proposes that Etobicoke Community Council adopt guidelines for the use of a 40 km/h speed regulation on certain residential roads that meet a given set of criteria. There are many factors that are taken into consideration when setting the speed limit on a roadway including, roadway geometry, the nature of adjacent development, the presence of sidewalks etc., all of which influence driver behaviour. All of the criteria are based on sound traffic engineering principles. If roads satisfy all or the majority of these criteria, a 40 km/h speed limit is warranted. In general, the operating speeds on these roadways will be less than 50 km/h.

Each request would be investigated and reported to Council based on the following criteria which would be used by staff when considering the implementation of a 40 km/h speed limit:

(1) local roads in accordance with the road classification plan;

(2) roads that do not have sidewalks and have a pavement width less than 8.5 metres (28 feet);

(3) roads that are curvilinear in nature and that have substantial horizontal curves and or vertical differences where reduced speed warning signs are warranted; and

(4) roads where sight distance is restricted.

It is suggested that at least two of the above criteria should be satisfied before a 40 km/h speed limit is considered. In addition, there may be isolated situations where a local road is isolated within an area where a 40 km/h speed limit is appropriate. This road may also be considered appropriate for the application of a 40 km/h speed limit.

Etobicoke Community Council adoption of this report will allow staff to proceed to review requests from the public and from Members of Council, for consideration of the 40 km/h speed regulation on certain streets, and to prepare reports and necessary by-laws for implementation of the 40 km/h speed designation. Staff will continue to review the application of these criteria and recommend modifications as appropriate.

Staff have driven the roadways in the two requested areas and are of the opinion that the implementation of a 40 km/h speed limit in the two areas is appropriate base on sound traffic engineering principles and is in accordance with the guidelines set out above. There are roads, such as Prince Edward Drive, south of Bloor Street West, for which a 40 km/h speed limit would not satisfy the guidelines, but have had a 40 km/h speed limit set by Council.

Conclusions:

Based on all of the foregoing, District Transportation staff has concluded that, based on sound traffic engineering principles, Etobicoke Community Council should adopt the criteria set out in this report as guidelines to be used by staff in assessing requests for 40 km/h speed limits. Adoption of this report would allow District Transportation staff to proceed to designate the two areas in the District, described in this report, for the 40 km/h designation and to consider future requests from the public and Members of Council.

Contact:

Dominic Gulli, Manager, Traffic Operations - District 2

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

e-mail: dgulli@toronto.ca