November 18, 1999

To: North York Community Council

From: Director, Transportation Programming and Policy,

Works and Emergency Services

Subject: Road Classification - Review of Proposed Classifications

(All Wards in North York Community Council Area)

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to respond to requests for the review of proposed road classifications for roads within the North York Community Council area.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

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

Recommendation:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Background:

The North York Community Council, at its October 13, 1999 meeting, in considering the proposed road classification system, deferred consideration of the matter and also requested the Works Committee to defer consideration of this matter to allow the North York Community Council an opportunity to forward its comments and/or recommendations regarding this issue to the Works Committee. In addition, it requested a comprehensive report from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to the North York Community Council commenting on the requests put forward in the following motions:

(a) By Councillor Shiner, Seneca Heights:

"that local, collector and minor arterial roads in Ward 12 be designated at the lowest speed limit as allowed per their category;

that major arterials in Ward 12 be designated at the lowest speed limit as allowed per their category;

that the following roads be classified as Local:

Blithfield Road;

Citation Drive ;

Bayview Mews;

Hawksbury Drive from Elkhorn to Sheppard Avenue;

Burbank Drive;

Ruddington Drive;

Tollerton Avenue;

Heathview Avenue;

that the following road be classified as a Collector:

McNicoll Avenue for Gordon Baker Road to Bayview Avenue"

(b) By Councillor Flint, North York Centre South:

"the following roads be reclassified as outlined:

from Collector to Local:

Broadway Avenue;

Lord Seaton Road, from The Links Road to Masters Road;

Masters Road;

Montressor Road, between Masters Road and Toba Drive;

Fifeshire Road, between Knollwood Street and Toba Drive;

Vyner Road;

Forest Heights Boulevard;

Harrison Road, north of Berkindale Drive;

Park Lane Circle;

Lawrence Avenue East, west of Park Lane Circle;

from Arterial to Local:

Lawrence Avenue East, from Banbury Road west to new Lawrence Avenue East (two houses);

from Arterial to Collector:

Lawrence Avenue East, from Blaine Drive to The Bridle Path;

from Local to Collector:

Mill Street;

Wm. Carson Crescent;

Mildenhall Road, between Lawrence Avenue East and Blythwood Road;

Upper Canada Drive;

Montressor Drive, between Upper Canada Drive and Toba Drive;

Fifeshire Road, between Toba Drive and Bayview Avenue;

Fifeshire Road, between Knollwood Street to Bayview Avenue;

Banff Road, between Broadway Avenue and Eglinton Avenue;

Gerald Road, between Berkindale Drive and Truman Road;

Old Leslie Street, from Leslie Street to Sheppard Avenue East;

Bannatyne Drive, from Vyner Road to Silvergrove Road;

Woodsworth Road;

The Links, from Lord Seaton; and

Tournament Drive"

(c) By Councillor Minnan-Wong, Don Parkway:

"the following roads be reclassified as outlined:

from Collector to Local:

Cassandra Boulevard;

Fenside Drive;

Lyndock Crescent;

Roywood Drive;

Three Valleys Drive;

from Minor to Collector:

Sloane Avenue"

Comments:

The review of the proposed new road classification system for the City of Toronto has raised a number of policy issues, particularly with respect to the relationship between this matter and the development of an overall strategic transportation plan. This issue will be dealt with in our report to the Works Committee and in an accompanying report by the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services specifically with respect to issues raised by Community Councils.

A number of changes to the road classification criteria and decision-making mechanism (Committee routing) are being proposed by staff based on feedback from Community Councils, the Toronto Pedestrian Committee and deputants at the various Community Council meetings. These changes will be discussed in our upcoming report to the Works Committee.

Of particular significance is the treatment of legal speed limits for major arterial roads, which were previously described (in Table 1: Road Classification Criteria in the June 29, 1999 staff report) as ranging from 50 km/h to 80 km/h. Recognising concerns that this might suggest that speed limits would be raised on major arterial roads that currently have speed limits of 50 km/h or 60 km/h, this range has been modified to "50 km/h to 60 km/h". There are only a handful of major arterial roads with speed limits of 70 km/h or 80 km/h, and these streets will be identified within the report and noted as exceptions to the range.

Another change arising from the various consultations undertaken with this project has been to modify the description of major arterials with respect to the characteristic "traffic movement versus property access". Instead of "traffic movement primary consideration; rigid property access control", the revised Table 1 will now read: "traffic movement primary consideration; subject to property access control".

Speed Limits in Ward 12:

Speed limit ranges were identified in the road classification report to assist in classifying roads and to guide in the setting of speed limits on individual streets. In some circumstances, speed limits on some streets will fall outside these ranges. It is not intended that the road classification system be used to make blanket changes to speed limits (or other traffic regulations). Rather, individual streets (or areas) should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Consequently, it is not recommended that speed limits in Ward 12 be "designated at the lowest speed limit as allowed per their category" through this process, but that the matter be referred to the Director of Transportation Services, District 3.

Until the road classification system has been adopted by City Council, requests for reviewing speed limits on individual streets which were formally under the jurisdiction of the area municipalities (not Metro) will continue to be considered by the appropriate Community Council. Speed limits on former Metro roads (generally these will become major arterials) would be considered by the Works Committee. Community Councils would, under the staff proposal, consider proposals for speed limit changes on all but major arterial roads and expressways.

Reclassification Requests for Individual Streets:

Each of the streets identified by the North York Community Council and a number of other streets for which reviews were requested have been reviewed and the results are summarised in Table 1 (Attachment No. 1). Recommended changes to classifications arising from this review will be identified within the staff report to the Works Committee, tentatively scheduled for early in the new year.

Contact:

Andrew Macbeth, P.Eng.

Manager, Operational Planning and Policy

Tel: 397-5778

Fax: 392-4426

E-mail: amacbeth@toronto.ca

T. W. Mulligan

Director, Transportation Programming and Policy

Transportation Services Division

AGM/fc

List of Attachments:

Attachment No. 1

November 18, 1999

Table 1: Review of Proposed Road Classifications - North York

* Change to proposed classification recommended

CITY CLERK

Clause embodied in Report No. 10 of the North York Community Council, to be considered by the Council of the City of Toronto at its meeting to be held on November 23, 24 and 25, 1999.

30

Other Items Considered by the Community Council

(j) Proposed Road Classification System.

The North York Community Council reports having deferred consideration of the following reports to its next meeting scheduled for December 2, 1999:

The North York Community Council also reports having had before it a communication (November 8, 1999) from Ms. Helen Hansen, North York Cycling and Pedestrian Committee, submitting the Committee's comments with regard to pedestrian fatalities in Toronto.

(October 8, 1999) from the Director, Transportation Programming and Policy, providing further information as requested by the North York Community Council and recommending that the report be received as information; and

(July 14, 1999) from the City Clerk, advising that the Works Committee at its meeting held on July 14, 1999, referred the report (June 29, 1999) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services respecting a Proposed Road Classification System to all Community Councils for consideration and requested that comments be submitted to the Works Committee for consideration at its November 3, 1999 meeting.