May 17, 1999

To:East York Community Council

From:Andrew Koropeski, Director, Transportation Services District 1

Subject:Traffic Concerns on McRae Drive (Ward 1)

Purpose:

To report to the East York Community Council on traffic concerns on McRae Drive, between Airdrie Road and Laird Drive

Financial Implications:

The cost to install the necessary signs to enact the proposed parking regulations is estimated at $600.00. These funds are contained in the Transportation Services Division 1999 Current Budget

Recommendations:

That the existing "No Parking Anytime" restriction on the north side of McRae Drive, between Randolph Road and Laird Drive, be replaced with a "One Hour Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday" restriction;

That the existing "No Parking Anytime" restriction on the north side of McRae Drive, between Sutherland Drive and Randolph Road, be replaced with a "One Hour Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday" restriction, and;

That the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Comments:

The Works and Emergency Services Department received a request from an East York resident on July 30, 1998, for the implementation of all-way stop control or a pedestrian crossover at either McRae Drive and Randolph Road, McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive, or McRae Drive and Airdrie Road. A subsequent request was received from Councillor Prue on November 4, 1998, for all-way stop control at McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive

McRae Drive, between Airdrie Road and Laird Drive, is 7.8 metres (26.0 feet) wide. The boulevard on both sides of the street is paved and varies block-to-block from 3.3 metres wide to 4.8 metres wide. Angled parking is permitted on the paved boulevard on the south side. This area is regulated by a "One Hour Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except Sunday" restriction between Airdrie Road and Sutherland Drive, a "One Hour Parking, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., except Sunday" restriction between Sutherland Drive and 47 metres east of Randolph Road, and a "15 Minute Parking, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday inclusive" restriction between a point 47 metres east of Randolph Road and Laird Drive. There is presently a "No Parking Anytime" restriction on the paved boulevard area on the north side of the street from Laird Drive to Sutherland Drive. The existing conditions are illustrated in Appendix 'A'.

The intersection of McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive has been the subject of three requests for all-way stop control since 1996. In each case, all-way stop control has not been warranted based on traffic volumes and reported collision data. A main concern was the speed of vehicles on this portion of McRae Drive, thus the requests for all-way stop control. However, excessive vehicular speeds in this area can be attributed to the perceived excess width of the street created by the paved boulevards that were intended for parking when McRae Drive was reconstructed in 1991. The lack of side friction on the street, specifically the north side where the "No Parking Anytime" restriction exists, that is created by the presence of parked vehicles creates the impression of a wide street which causes drivers to be comfortable travelling at speeds greater than the signed 40 km/h speed limit.

There are a variety of physical measures that can be considered to reduce vehicle speeds on streets. Staff have studied several options in an effort to reduce vehicular speeds on McRae Drive and facilitate pedestrians crossing McRae Drive. The following options were studied:

1. All-way stop control;

2. Pedestrian Crossover, and;

3. Implementing Parking on the north side of McRae Drive.

1. All-way Stop Control

Transportation Services staff conducted traffic and pedestrian counts at the intersections of McRae Drive at Randolph Road, McRae Drive at Sutherland Drive, and McRae Drive at Airdrie Road on typical days to ascertain the feasibility of all-way stop control. The all-way stop warrants are illustrated in Appendices B, C and D respectively. These studies revealed that all-way stop control is not warranted at either Randolph Road or Airdrie Road.

At the intersection of McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive, the traffic volumes meet the required values for all-way stop control. However, when the intersection consists of a collector street and a local street, the traffic volume ratio between collector street and local street should not exceed 70 percent/30 percent due to the resultant queuing and time delays that would be experienced on the collector street. These delays, in turn, lead to a disregard for stop signs by motorists travelling on the collector street who do not perceive the need for the stop control. The split for traffic volumes on McRae Drive compared to Sutherland Drive is 85 percent/15 percent. Therefore, for the above reasons, all-way stop control is not suitable at this location.

Following a traffic investigation conducted in June 1998 to evaluate the feasibility of all-way stop control at McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive, staff determined that illegally parked vehicles on the south side of McRae Drive inhibited the sightlines for northbound motorists on Sutherland Drive. This issue was addressed through the installation of bumper blocks on the southeast area of the angled parking zone on McRae Drive to augment the existing painted hatch markings, thereby eliminating illegal parking in that area. Similarly, hatch markings will be painted in the southwest area of the angled parking zone on McRae Drive in the summer of 1999 to augment the existing "No Parking Anytime" corner restriction sign.

Staff studied the reported collisions at the intersections in this area for the five-year period from November 1, 1993 to November 30, 1998. At the intersection of McRae Drive and Randolph Road, 8 reported collisions occurred, 3 of which could be susceptible to correction by all-way stop control. At the intersection of McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive, 15 reported collisions occurred during this period, 11 of which could be susceptible to correction by all-way stop control. It should be noted that following the elimination of sight obstructions in June 1998, there have been no reported collisions at this intersection up to November 30, 1998.

2. Pedestrian Crossover

Transportation Services staff conducted a pedestrian crossover study on McRae Drive at Sutherland Drive on a typical day to ascertain if a pedestrian crossover was warranted in the area. Pedestrian volumes crossing McRae Drive were observed in the area from Airdrie Road to east of Randolph Road. The results of this study revealed that a pedestrian crossover is only 19 percent warranted. Furthermore, a review of reported collision records revealed no collisions involving a pedestrian on McRae Drive, between Airdrie Road and Laird Drive, for the five-year period from November 1, 1993 to November 30, 1998.

3. Implement Parking on the north side of McRae Drive

When McRae Drive was reconstructed in 1991, parking lay-by's were installed on both sides of McRae Drive from west of Airdrie Road to Laird Drive. An existing "No Parking Anytime" restriction on the north side of the street remained in place through this section of McRae Drive.

In 1996, we approached the condominium corporation at 352-356 McRae Drive to ascertain their opinion in allowing parking within the lay-by adjacent to their building. Ultimately, the condominium corporation did not want parking in the lay-by. East York Council subsequently decided to maintain the "No Parking Anytime" restriction (Item 10 of Report No. 17 of the Regulatory and Development Committee (1996)).

The lack of parking in this area leads to motorists perceiving a wide travelled portion of McRae Drive. This has been identified as a cause of increased speeds. Parked vehicles can reduce the perceived pavement width resulting in motorists slowing down. Staff recommend that parking be implemented on the north side of McRae Drive to reduce the perception of a wide McRae Drive and ultimately reduce vehicle speeds. Seven parallel parking spaces can be implemented on the north boulevard area between Laird Drive and Randolph Road, and four parallel parking spaces can be implemented on the north boulevard between Randolph Road and Sutherland Drive.

Conclusions:

Vehicular speeding on McRae Drive, between Airdrie Road and Laird Drive, has been a regular concern of area residents. In an effort to reduce speeding, requests for the implementation of all-way stop control at McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive have been received. Investigations conducted by Transportation Services staff have revealed that all-way stop control is not suitable at this location, or other intersections in the vicinity.

This Department has investigated alternate methods to address pedestrian safety in this area, including a pedestrian crossover and allowing parking on the paved boulevards. At this time the most reasonable solution is to allow parking on the paved boulevards on the north side of McRae Drive, similar to the parking in place on the south side of the street. To address past concerns about visibility for motorists exiting from driveways, we recommend implementing parallel parking spaces instead of angled parking. By implementing parking, the perceived excess width of McRae Drive in this area will be reduced, which is expected to reduce vehicle speeds

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Bryan Muir, Work Zone Coordinator

397-4588

bmuir@borough.eastyork.on.ca

Director

BM/

Attach.

APPENDIX 'B'

 All-way Stop Warrant - McRae Drive at Randolph Road

   

WARRANT	DESCRIPTION	MINIMUM REQUIREMENT (COLLECTOR STREET)	COMPLIANCE		ENTIRE %
			NUMERIC	%
MINIMUM TRAFFIC VOLUME	A. Vehicle volume for all approaches, per hour, for 4 hours, and	375	891	100.0	Minimum of A. and B.    66.0
	B. Combined vehicle and pedestrian volume from minor street, per hour, for the same 4 hours	150	100	66.0
ACCIDENT HAZARD	Total reported collisions of a type susceptible to correction by all-way stop control, within a 12 month period	5	2	40.0	40.0

APPENDIX 'C'

 All-way Stop Warrant - McRae Drive at Sutherland Drive

   

WARRANT	DESCRIPTION	MINIMUM REQUIREMENT (COLLECTOR STREET)	COMPLIANCE		ENTIRE %
			NUMERIC	%
MINIMUM TRAFFIC VOLUME	A. Vehicle volume for all approaches, per hour, for 4 hours, and	375	937	100.0	Minimum of A. and B.    100.0
	B. Combined vehicle and pedestrian volume from minor street, per hour, for the same 4 hours	150	155	100.0
ACCIDENT HAZARD	Total reported collisions of a type susceptible to correction by all-way stop control, within a 12 month period	5	2	40.0	40.0

APPENDIX 'D'

 All-way Stop Warrant - McRae Drive at Airdrie Road