March 11, 1999

To:Chairman and Members of the Scarborough Community Council

From:Gary H. Welsh, Director, Transportation Services, Works and Emergency Services,

District 4

Subject:Parking and Traffic Conditions on Nelson Street and Farmbrook Road at Cedarbrook Junior Public School, Scarborough City Centre

Purpose:

To provide a follow-up account of recently installed parking restrictions on Nelson Street and Farmbrook Road near Cedarbrook Junior Public School.

Funding Sources:

The $400 (approximate) funds associated with the installation of the stopping prohibition signs is available in the Transportation Services 1999 budget estimates, Account No. 100-TP10220.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the stopping regulations identified in Appendix 1 of this report be adopted;

(2) the appropriate by-law be amended accordingly;

(3) the existing on-street parking restrictions on Nelson Street remain unchanged;

(4) copies of this report be sent to the Toronto Board of Education, and Cedarbrook Junior Public School for their information; and

(5)a copy of this report be sent to the Toronto Police Service, Parking Enforcement Unit requesting selective enforcement of the existing parking regulations near Cedarbrook Junior Public School.

Council Reference/ Background/History:

As directed by the Scarborough Community Council in July 1998, Transportation Services staff restudied school related traffic/parking conditions in the fall of 1998 following the installation of new parking/stopping regulations at Cedarbrook Junior Public School.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Currently, along the north/school side of Nelson Street, a 30 minute parking limit applies between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. This same restriction exists along the west/school side of Farmbrook Road. On the south/opposite side of Nelson Street there is a "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" regulation.

The east/opposite side of Farmbrook Road has no posted parking regulations. When last reported on, staff recommended, "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" regulations for the east side of Farmbrook Road to maintain consistency with the signage on Nelson Street and to prevent parking on both sides of the street from restricting traffic movements in this sensitive school area. However, as some residents opposed this recommendation, it was not supported by Community Council and this side of the road has remained unsigned.

Studies conducted on Monday September 28, 1999, following the installation of these restrictions, have revealed that parking on the east side of Farmbrook Road has actually increased. The following table compares the results of the first on-street parking observations taken on Monday, April 7, 1997, to the restudy observations from Monday, September 28, 1998.

KEY: ^ indicates a private vehicle - these vehicles have also been included as being parked on the north side of Nelson Street. Only school buses may park within the defined limits of a school bus loading zone.

This table shows that in both the "before" and "after" studies, most parents/guardians prefer to park directly abutting the school grounds. This is significant because vehicle passengers are being attended to along side the school and are not crossing in front of potentially dangerous through traffic.

Prior to the first study, the "lunch" period was not identified as a time requiring examination and, therefore, there is no related data available. Nonetheless, there is a clear requirement for continuation of the signed parking regulations given the significant amount of on-street parking being generated during this time.

Also shown in this table is the pattern of some motorists choosing to park on the "opposite" side of Nelson Street and Farmbrook Road. When vehicles park on both sides of the street, roadway congestion restricts regular through traffic. To help improve the levels of sign compliance, selective police enforcement of these controls is recommended by copy of this report to the Toronto Police Service.

At the same time as the vehicle observations, pedestrian studies were also undertaken. The following table shows a comparison of these observations:

(Assisted Children are children crossing the road accompanied by a youth, an adult or the school safety patrollers.)

This table shows that the majority of pedestrian crossings associated with Cedarbrook Junior Public School are taking place at the highly visible pedestrian crossover (P.X.O.). This table also indicates the need for day-long parking restrictions because the greatest number of pedestrian movements occurred at lunch. Throughout the observations, no conflicts were recorded between pedestrians and motorists.

Collision History:

In addition to the studies outlined above, we conducted a three-year, five month collision review of this area (from January 1, 1995 to May 31, 1998) which revealed that three collisions have been reported during this time period.

Each of these collisions occurred during non-school hours and the common factor in each collision involved drivers failing to yield the right-of-way to other motorists, resulting in minor injuries and limited property damage. Although any collision is regrettable, based on the frequency and the nature of these collisions, they are not indicative of a safety problem.

Conclusion:

Based on the results of our investigations, we are recommending the continuation of the standard "school side parking/opposite side no stopping" regulations on Nelson Street as they currently exist. Although not originally supported by some residents, our study results reveal that these same standard regulations should be applied to Farmbrook Road. Specifically, "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" signs should be installed along the east/opposite side of Farmbrook Road.

These regulations are recommended because they do not allow even temporary parking. The intention of these signs will be to prevent passengers from boarding or alighting on the opposite side of the road and crossing in front of through traffic, and to maintain two lanes of travel. This recommendation provides for a safer situation in the vicinity of the school and an effective means of enforcement.

Contact Name:

Bruce Clayton

Supervisor, Traffic Engineering, Works and Emergency Services

Telephone: 396-7844

Fax: 396-5681

E-Mail: clayton@city.scarborough.on.ca

Gary H. Welsh

Director

Transportation Services

Works and Emergency Services

District 4

JAB:ca

Appendix 1

"No Stopping"

Prohibition to be Enacted

Column 1 Column 2Column 3Column 4

Highway SideFrom ToTimes or Days

Farmbrook EastNelson Street178 metres north of8:00 a.m. to

RoadNelson Street4:00 p.m.

Monday to Friday