May 11, 1999

To:Chairman and Members of Scarborough Community Council

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

District 4

Subject:Traffic Calming on Fairfax Crescent

Scarborough Bluffs

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to inform Scarborough Community Council of the desire among residents on Fairfax Crescent to introduce speed humps and to remove the existing temporary road narrowings (i.e., pinch points). In the absence of a Council endorsed harmonized traffic calming policy for the City of Toronto, staff are seeking approval for an interim process involving a poll/petition as the mechanism for establishing majority resident support in advance of physical implementation.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Funding for the potential installation of traffic calming devices on Fairfax Crescent is allocated through the 1999 Capital Budget. Based on the experiences of the former City of Toronto, the cost of installing each speed hump is in the order of $1,500.

Recommendations:

Notwithstanding the community meeting and notification undertaken by Councillor Altobello, and given that a harmonized traffic calming policy has not yet been developed for the City of Toronto, in order for speed humps to be installed on Fairfax Crescent, staff recommend the following process:

(1)A poll or petition be conducted for the purpose of assessing consensus for the proposal;

(2)The poll or petition should include households on the affected street, or on streets directly accessing the affected street;

(3)The poll or petition must demonstrate that at least 60% of responding households are in favour of the proposal in order for the installation to proceed; and

(4)In the event the foregoing requirements are met, staff report back to Scarborough Community Council, where Committee/Council may authorize or decline the speed hump installation.

Council Reference/Background/History:

Fairfax Crescent is a two-lane road running westerly from Warden Avenue, north of St. Clair Avenue East. It has a signalized intersection with Warden Avenue opposite from the Warden Woods Power Centre. The land use is mixed industrial/institutional immediately west from Warden Avenue; however, west of W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute at 40 Fairfax Crescent, the land use is exclusively single family residential. In fact west of this juncture, the alignment of Fairfax Crescent entails two sharp curves and intersection with other local residential streets including Evandale Road and Clairlea Crescent/Camilla Crescent. Access towards Pharmacy Avenue is ultimately achieved via these streets. The subject of this report deals only with that section of Fairfax Crescent in the vicinity of W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute and westerly encompassing the residential area.

The introduction of traffic calming on Fairfax Crescent began in early 1997 when residents of Fairfax Crescent became increasingly concerned about road safety in the vicinity of the two sharp curves west of the high school. Historical accident records indicated that motorists were leaving the travelled portion of the roadway and striking boulevard trees or private property in front of residents' homes. In consultation with Councillor Altobello, staff implemented temporary road narrowings (i.e., pinch points) at three locations during the summer months, generally in advance of the sharp curves in each direction. These measures were intended to improve safety by slowing motorists before they entered the curved section. These installations utilized precast curb stones secured to the pavement with pins and were augmented with the requisite traffic warning signage. Residents were advised at the time that the installation was temporary in order to gauge the success of these traffic calming measures in slowing traffic. They would ultimately have the opportunity to comment on their satisfaction with the pinch points before they were either removed or made permanent. A permanent installation would involve reconstruction of the curb edge to reflect the trial layout and landscaping in the widened boulevard.

A mail-back survey was sent by Councillor Altobello in March 1998 to residents in the greater community surrounding Fairfax Crescent (i.e., households on Fairfax, Camilla, Clairlea and Camrose Crescents, and Evandale and Hollydene Roads). The questionnaire asked residents to indicate:

(i)how often they drive on Fairfax Crescent,

(ii)whether they feel this section of Fairfax Crescent is now safer,

(iii)whether they support leaving the devices in place, and

(iv)whether they would support the permanent installation. General comments were also invited. The tabulated results showed that only about 25 percent of the 200 households canvassed responded to the survey, with the highest response rates found on Fairfax Crescent and streets nearby the installation. Their responses indicated that about 55-60 percent felt the devices improved safety; however, by the same margin they did not support leaving the installation in place, nor the permanent curb reconstruction. General comments voiced concern over the unsightly appearance of the precast curb stones and hazard marker signs comprising the trial installation, as well as inconvenience for residents backing out of their driveways in the immediate vicinity of pinch points.

A follow-up community meeting was organized by Councillor Altobello in November 1998 to review the survey results, and to seek further direction from the community on removal of the temporary pinch point installation. Staff provided a brief summary of the traffic calming experiences on Fairfax Crescent for the 22 people in attendance at this meeting. While it was indicated that speed surveys taken before and after the temporary pinch points installation revealed a drop of about 5 km/h in the average and 85th percentile speeds during morning and afternoon peak periods, the opinions among those attending the meeting generally supported the survey findings -- slightly more preferred not to continue with the pinch points in either a temporary or permanent form. The meeting further evolved into a discussion over alternate means of reducing traffic speeds, including among other options: closing the road at the location of the curves, developing an intersection at the location of the curves, introducing a 3-way stop at Fairfax Crescent and Evandale Road, and speed humps. At the will of those attending the meeting, the residents voiced their preference through a show of hands for staff and Councillor Altobello to proceed to remove the temporary pinch points only on the condition that speed humps be installed (at appropriate locations) in their place.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

A letter was again sent by Councillor Altobello to households making up the greater residential community around Fairfax Crescent advising residents of the outcome of the November 1998 community meeting. The letter also asked for any further input, questions or concerns. A general description of speed hump characteristics (i.e., height of 75-100 millimetres and length of 4-5 metres) versus speed bumps typically found in laneways, private roads or parking lots was given, as was a map showing the most likely locations for 3 speed humps, given technical considerations.

Unfortunately, only one response was received from a resident on Fairfax Crescent, being against the proposed installation of speed humps, especially one located in front of their own residence.

Although speed humps are prevalent in other areas of the City, most notably in the former City of Toronto, given the previous experiences in the former City of Scarborough with speed humps on Fallingbrook Road, staff continue to have some concerns with respect to the placement of speed humps. Raised elements on the travelled portion of the roadway may impact road operations such as snow clearing and street cleaning, and may also influence waste/recycling collection vehicles. Emergency services (i.e., fire and ambulance) have continually expressed their concerns with respect to responding to situations where traffic calming elements force vehicles to pass excessively slowly. Residents themselves may again express concern over additional noise and vibration at the location of humps, perhaps causing their ultimate removal. Staff are concerned that despite the efforts to involve and notify all residents of the affected area, a poll or petition has not been carried out which definitively identifies majority support for speed humps. Installation of physical measures affecting local travel have often proven to be very controversial and divisive within a community.

Conclusions:

Traffic calming on Fairfax Crescent was initiated in 1997 through the temporary installation of pinch points for purposes of slowing motorists in advance of two sharp curves immediately to the west of W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute. Subsequently, the residents on Fairfax Crescent and surrounding local streets had the opportunity to evaluate the merits of these trial devices before deciding either on their removal or permanent installation. Despite speed surveys indicating that the devices reduced peak period speeds by an average of about 5km/h, those residents who responded to Councillor Altobello's mail-back questionnaire and those who attended a community meeting indicated by a slight margin their preference for discontinuing the trial pinch point installation. Furthermore, those attending the community meeting suggested that the pinch points be replaced by speed humps.

Due to staff concerns over operational impacts, emergency services concerns, the absence of a poll or petition clearly defining majority support for speed humps and the potential for physical traffic calming devices to be divisive within a community, the installation of speed humps at this point in time may be premature. A harmonized policy on traffic calming for the City of Toronto has not yet been developed nor endorsed by Council. Nevertheless, as a next step, definite consensus through a poll or petition indicating at least 60 percent support for the speed hump installation would give staff and Committee/Council greater confidence of the affected residents' preference.

Contact Name:

Peter Noehammer

Manager, Traffic Planning/Right-of-Way Management

Transportation Services, District 4

Telephone: 396-5670

Fax: 396-5681

E-mail: noehammer@city.scarborough.on.ca

Gary H. Welsh

Director

Transportation Services

Works and Emergency Services

District 4

PN:ef