November 26, 1999

Councillor Tom Jakobek, Chair

Budget Advisory Committee

Dear Councillor Jakobek:

RE: OAKWOOD AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION

REGAL ROAD TO ST. CLAIR AVENUE WEST

I received information from the Urban Design Group, Urban Planning and Development Services (copy attached), who came to talk to me about overwhelming cuts to their budget. There were three projects that had been planned for the year 2000 in Ward 21 and one of them, although at a lesser amount, may remain; that is the Dundas Street West project.

The project that I am writing to you about today is an area, which has been the source of much controversy over the last few years. When Allen Road stopped at Eglinton Avenue West, Oakwood Avenue became the route for a tremendous amount of downtown traffic. When the Toronto Transit Commission decided to stop their electric buses, Oakwood Avenue had to take on the extra exhaust from other forms of buses that replaced them. Because of the decline on the hill in the road, Oakwood Avenue has become a speedway for motorists.

As you know, at the corner of Oakwood Avenue and St. Clair Avenue West, is home to Oakwood Collegiate. Oakwood Avenue also has McMurrich Public School and Winona Public School two blocks to the east of it and Regal Road Public School is just west of it.

Also, according to the Toronto Transit Commission, Oakwood Avenue, between St. Clair Avenue West and Regal Road, has one of the highest volume of public transit riders in the entire City.

You may have seen on the Toronto Community Council agenda, over the last couple of years, the issue of tremendous numbers of vehicles travelling on Oakwood Avenue and the desire from all the residents of Oakwood Avenue to either slow it down, re-route it or find some other way of dealing with traffic in that area.

As well, what compounds the problem is that Davenport Road has become an outlet for people coming off Black Creek Drive. They all seem to converge at Oakwood Avenue/Dovercourt Road/Ossington Avenue and Davenport Road; these three intersections, being only meters apart from each other.

Therefore, after many years of discussion, the residents met with Works Services, who are planning to do reconstruction work in the year 2000, to get some slight upgrades on the sidewalk, to try to make life a bit more tolerable on Oakwood Avenue. The Urban Design Group had originally planned $60,000.00 or more to assist with this. If the $50,000.00 is not possible, we would like $15,000.00 to put some identifying inlays at some intersections and a bus shelter at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Rosemount Avenue. This would certainly assist in reconfirming some commitment to those residents who had to deal with all of this throughout the last few years.

I would ask that you please, please, give favourable consideration to this.

Sincerely yours,

Betty Disero

Toronto City Council

Ward 21 - Davenport

Attach.

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