November 15, 1999

To: East York Community Council

From: Andrew Koropeski, Director, Transportation Services, District 1

Subject: Request for "All-Way Stop" Control - McRae Drive at Sutherland Drive.

(East York)

Purpose:

To report to the East York Community Council on a request for the installation of "all-way stop" control at the intersection of McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications resulting from the adoptions of this report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Background:

The East York Community Council, at its meeting of May 26, 1999, in considering a report from the Director, Transportation Services, District 1, entitled, "Traffic Concerns on McRae Drive" recommended the rescission of the existing "No Parking" prohibitions on the north side of McRae Drive, between Randolph Road and Laird Drive, and on the south side of McRae Drive, between Sutherland Drive and Randolph Road, and replacement with a one-hour parking between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday, and requested the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to submit a report on the feasibility of installing "all-way stop" control at the intersection of McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive (Clause No. 5 of Report No. 6).

Subsequently East York Community Council at its meeting of October 12, 1999, reaffirmed its earlier request that a study be conducted on McRae Drive and such study to consider stop signs at McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive and other traffic calming measures acceptable to the community and paying particular attention to the needs of the Fire Services and the TTC (Clause No. 7 of Report No. 10).

Comments:

Sutherland Drive, at its intersection with McRae Drive, is "stop" controlled. Each roadway has a speed limit of 40 km/h.

The following traffic volumes were recorded on McRae Drive and Sutherland Drive during the peak eight hours of a typical weekday:

Based on this data, the minimum vehicular traffic volume warrant is satisfied for "all-way stop" control.

In order for "all-way stop" control to work effectively, it is preferable to have a volume ratio of less than 70 percent:30 percent (major/minor street). However, the ratio of McRae Drive traffic to Sutherland Drive traffic is 85 percent:15 percent. This ratio makes "all-way stop" control inappropriate at this intersection. The installation of "all-way stop" control at this location would increase delays and queues on McRae Drive and result in the potential for motorists to seek alternative routes to circumvent these delays (especially during peak periods) via local streets such as Airdrie Road and Randolph Road.

Speed studies were also conducted on McRae Drive, in the vicinity of Sutherland Drive. The 85^th percentile speed (the speed at which 85 percent of motorists are driving at or below) is 52 km/h for the eastbound approach on McRae Drive to Sutherland Drive and 48 km/h for the westbound approach, respectively. Although greater than the 40 km/h speed limit, motorists are travelling at speeds which are typical of roadways having the operating characteristics of McRae Drive.

A comparison of traffic volumes conducted in October 1998 and November 1999 indicates that traffic volumes have not increased on McRae Drive. Both traffic counts indicate that McRae Drive carries approximately 4900 vehicles during the busiest eight hours of a typical weekday.

Measures to reduce traffic volumes and speeds on McRae Drive are limited in the short term. A traffic calming scheme was proposed on McRae Drive in 1994 but was rejected by the majority of affected residents. The installation of speed humps, as suggested by some, is not feasible, given that McRae Drive is used by TTC buses. In the long term, staff are currently conducting a traffic study to determine the need and feasibility of extending Redway Road to Bayview Avenue. This link provides an opportunity to reduce traffic volumes through the Leaside area, especially on the more heavily travelled roads such as McRae Drive, Millwood Road and Southvale Drive.

Conclusions:

Due to the ratio of traffic volume on McRae Drive (85 percent) relative to Sutherland Drive (15 percent) exceeds the preferred standard, the disbenefits associated with the installation of "all-way stop" control at this intersection would outweigh the benefits.

Contact:

Vince Suppa

Transportation Planner

416-392-1559

416-392-0816 (FAX)

vsuppa@toronto.ca (E-mail)

Andrew Koropeski

Director

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