June 25, 1999

To:East York Community Council

From:Andrew Koropeski, Director, Transportation Services District 1

Subject:Traffic Operations

Donlands Avenue at O'Connor Drive

Amendments to Parking Regulations

Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive

(East York - Ward 1)

Purpose:

To respond to requests of the East York Community Council to report on traffic improvements and parking in the Donlands Avenue/O'Connor Drive area, and more specifically :

(1)a request of a member of the public (Mr. John Papadakis) to report on traffic operations on Donlands Avenue, in the vicinity of O'Connor Drive; and

(2)a request (from the Donlands Avenue merchants) to amend the parking meter operation on Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive.

Financial Implications:

The funds associated with the installation of appropriate signs and pavement markings for the designation of a northbound left-turn lane on Donlands Avenue at O'Connor Drive are contained in the Works and Emergency Services 1999 Current Budget. The estimated costs for this work is $5,000.00.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the northbound median lane on Donlands Avenue at O'Connor Drive be designated as a left- turn lane only from 30.5 metres south of O'Connor Drive to O'Connor Drive;

(2)the regulation which restricts parking to a maximum period of one hour on the west side of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue and O'Connor Drive, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, except Public Holidays, be rescinded;

(3)the regulation which provides metered parking on the west side of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue and O'Connor Drive, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, except Public Holidays, for a maximum period of one hour, at a rate of $0.25 for 30 minutes, be rescinded;

(4)parking be allowed for a maximum period of two hours on the west side of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue and O'Connor Drive, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, except Public Holidays;

(5)metered parking be allowed on the west side of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue and O'Connor Drive, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, except Public Holidays, for a maximum period of two hours, at a rate of $0.25 for 30 minutes;

(6)the regulation which restricts parking to a maximum period of one hour on the east side of Donlands Avenue, from a point 5.5 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road to a point 151.5 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, except Public Holidays, be rescinded;

(7)the regulation which provides metered parking on the east side of Donlands Avenue, from a point 5.5 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road to a point 151.5 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, except Public Holidays, for a maximum period of one hour, at a rate of $0.25 for 30 minutes, be rescinded;

(8)parking be allowed to a maximum period of two hours on the east side of Donlands Avenue, from a point 5.5 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road to a point 157 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, except Public Holidays;

(9)metred parking be allowed on the east side of Donlands Avenue, from a point 5.5 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road to a point 157 metres north of the northerly limit of Plains Road, between 9:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, except Public Holidays, for a maximum period of two hours, at a rate of $0.25 for 30 minutes;

(10)a copy of this report be forwarded to the Parking Authority of Toronto; and

(11)the appropriate City Officials be requested to take whatever action is necessary to give effect thereto, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that are required.

Background:

The East York Community Council at its meeting of July 8, 1998, had before it a communication (June 19, 1998) from Mr. John Papadakis with respect to traffic problems in the area of Donlands Avenue and O'Connor Drive (Clause No. 16(j) of Report No. 9). Mr. John Papadakis appeared before the East York Community Council in connection with the foregoing. The East York Community Council requested the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to report on traffic improvements in the area of Donlands Avenue and O'Connor Drive.

Also, the East York Community Council at its meeting of May 26 and 27, 1999, had before it a communication (May 19, 1999) from Councillor Jane Pitfield, with respect to a petition from the merchants of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive, requesting that changes be made to the times of the meters and the angle of parking on this section of Donlands Avenue (Clause No. 10(v) of Report No. 6). The East York Community Council requested the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to report on the parking meters, length of time on the meters and fees.

Comments:

Traffic Operations at O'Connor Drive and Donlands Avenue:

The south leg of Donlands Avenue, at its intersection with O'Connor Drive is a four-lane roadway. Approximately 12,500 northbound motorists use Donlands Avenue daily. A nearside northbound T.T.C. bus stop exists on the southeast corner of the intersection. Metered parking stalls operate on the west side and angle parking on the east side of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive. This section of Donlands Avenue has a predominantly commercial land use.

Eleven parallel metered parking spaces exist on the west side of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue and O'Connor Drive. On the east side of Donlands Avenue, between Plains Road and O'Connor Drive, 39 metered angle parking stalls are provided. The parking regulations on Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive are as follows:

The pavement width on the south leg of Donlands Avenue is 13.4 metres. The northbound approach is 6.7 metres wide. This width is sufficient for vehicles to travel in two lanes. However, observations indicate that if a large vehicle is parked on the east side of Donlands Avenue and its rear partially extends into the curb lane, the flow of northbound traffic is obstructed in that lane. Motorists must undertake a lane change to avoid this condition. This situation is further exacerbated by motorists attempting to drive in/reverse out of parking spaces and also by those motorists who align themselves to be in the proper approach lane for the traffic signals at O'Connor Drive. When this occurs the northbound approach is restricted to a single lane. The net result of these actions is increased delays, increased potential for collisions and an increase in driver frustration.

The following table identifies the existing volumes for northbound traffic movements at the Donlands Avenue and O'Connor Drive intersection:

Capacity analysis at the signalized intersection of Donlands Avenue and O'Connor Drive indicate that the intersection operates at or near capacity, especially during morning and afternoon peak periods. In order to mitigate the northbound delays caused in part by the parking on the east side on Donlands Avenue, it is possible to modify the pavement markings to increase the capacity of the northbound approach to O'Connor Drive. The provision of a northbound left-turn lane, a northbound through and a shared northbound through/right-turn lane can be accommodated within the existing pavement width. The existing centerline of the road would have to be shifted approximately 0.5 metres to the west from Woodville Avenue to O'Connor Drive to enable the provision of two northbound traffic lanes and the development of the northbound left-turn lane at O'Connor Drive.

With the proposed pavement markings changes, the delay to northbound through motorists will decrease since the existing median lane from which left turn and through movements occur is proposed to be separated into a dedicated left-turning and through lane.

No changes are proposed to the southbound lane configuration where an exclusive left turn lane and shared through/right turn lane exist. The proposed changes to the northbound lane configuration would align the northbound and southbound left-turn lanes. This configuration would reinforce to southbound motorists approaching O'Connor Drive that the median lane is a dedicated left-turn lane.

Metered Parking Spaces on Donlands Avenue:

Councillor Jane Pitfield submitted the results of a petition from the merchants of Donlands Avenue, in which they requested that changes be made to the time of the meters and the angle parking on Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive. Seventy-five per cent of the 31 businesses surveyed responded to the survey. The majority of the respondents prefer that the hours of the parking meter operation be increased from a maximum period of one hour to a maximum period of two hours. They also prefer that the fee to park on Thursday and Friday evenings, between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., be eliminated and that the angle parking stalls on the east side of Donlands Avenue remain as is.

The proposed changes to the times of the parking meter operation will not have any significant impact to traffic operations on Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive. The changes to the hours of operation and duration of the parking meters would be consistent with the changes made to the parking meters on Bayview Avenue in 1997. It is noted that the Toronto Parking Authority will be reporting on a comprehensive approach to parking meter hours of operation and that the recommended changes noted in this report can only be considered to be interim. Further changes to rates and/or hours of parking meter operation may result through that initiative to more closely conform to recommended operations in other similar areas of the City.

Conclusions:

The proposed lane designation and pavement markings changes on the northbound approach of Donlands Avenue, between Woodville Avenue and O'Connor Drive, would improve the flow of northbound traffic on Donlands Avenue by reducing unnecessary delays, and not result in any operational dis-benefit to the southbound discharge on Donlands Avenue. Further, these changes would result in more orderly traffic management and an improvement in the operational safety of the intersection. There will not be any reduction to the existing availability of parking on both sides of Donlands Avenue, between Torrens Avenue/Plains Road and O'Connor Drive, as a result of this proposal.

The impacts associated with the proposed changes to the parking regulations on this section of Donlands Avenue will not affect operational efficiency of Donlands Avenue, although these changes are interim in light of initiatives of the Toronto Parking Authority.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Vince Suppa, Coordinator - Traffic Investigations

District 1 - East Area

416-397-5436

Director

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