April 29, 1999
To:Toronto Community Council
From:A. Koropeski, Director, Transportation Services District 1
Subject:Operation of the 1999 Molson Indy Race at Exhibition Place (Trinity-Niagara)
Purpose:
Review the proposed Operations Plan and endorse certain traffic operational elements to
enable the running of the 1999 Molson Indy race at Exhibition Place from July 16 to 18, 1999.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
No funds are required in connection with this report.
Recommendations:
(1)That authority be granted to totally occupy or close Lake Shore Boulevard West between
Strachan Avenue and Ontario Drive from 9:00 p.m. Thursday, July 15, 1999, to 11:59 p.m.
Sunday, July18,1999, except for emergency vehicles and Transportation Department vehicles.
(Access and egress will be maintained to Ontario Place and local Lake Shore Boulevard West
traffic by an alternate route via Remembrance Drive, a parallel road on the south edge of Lake
Shore Boulevard West);
(2)That stopping be prohibited from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from July 16, 1999 to July 18,
1999 inclusive, on both sides of Fleet Street from Bathurst Street to Strachan Avenue, and on
both sides of Strachan Avenue from Lake Shore Boulevard West to King Street West; and
(3)That the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action
to give effect thereto, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that may be required.
Background:
City Council, at its meeting of April 16, 1998, ratified an agreement between the City of
Toronto, the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place, Molson Brewers of Canada Ltd., and
Molstar Inc., and Molson Breweries (a partnership) to permit the annual Molson Indy Race at
Exhibition Place for 1998, 1999 and 2000 (Clause No. 7 of Report No. 4 of the Urban
Planning and Development Committee). In conjunction with this matter, the Molson Indy
organization has submitted documentation under date of January 27, 1999, which addresses
the staging of the 1999 race, in accordance with the terms of the Agreement.
Discussion:
This year's event is scheduled for July 16, 17 and 18, 1999, with a peak attendance estimated
at 75,000. The documentation which has been submitted addresses the obligations of Molstar
Sports and Entertainment related to such aspects as a transportation plan, noise attenuation,
community liaison, emergency services and clean-up, among other things. The community
consultation process which was established through a Community Liaison Committee
comprised of area residents and associations has been continued as in previous years.
In accordance with the existing Agreement, the Molson Indy organization is required to
submit documentation on or before February 1st each year to address in detail their obligations
related to staging of the race. The elements specifically set out in the Agreement include:
1) Attendance;
2) Traffic/Transit/Parking;
3) Noise;
4) Community Liaison;
5) Operating Plan and Safety;
6) Law Enforcement;
7)Set-up/Clean-up;
8) Emergency Planning, and;
9) Costs/Insurance/Liability.
Staff have held discussions related to the transportation plan and will continue to liaise with
representatives of Molstar Sports and Entertainment, the Toronto Transit Commission, GO
Transit, Exhibition Place, the Emergency Services, as required, to ensure all of the
transportation elements of this event are carried out in a comprehensive manner. The plan will
again be "transit oriented", with augmented TTC and GO Transit services and stringent
controls on illegal parking in abutting neighbourhoods. In terms of community liaison, a
meeting held after the 1998 race revealed no significant problems with last year's operation.
The above noted regulatory changes to prohibit stopping on certain City streets during the
event are routinely applied in conjunction with this event. Nevertheless, the changes reflect an
extension of the proposed regulations to 8:00 p.m. instead of 7:00 p.m., and an extension in
the area to which the prohibition applies on Strachan Avenue from Ordnance Street to King
Street West, in an effort to minimize post-race congestion and ensure a safe operating area.
Agreement Provisions pertaining to Road Closures:
During the first week of July 1999, work crews under contract to the event sponsor,
supervised by Transportation Department staff, will install the bulk of the barrier wall system
needed for the Molson Indy race. No work will take place during the peak commuter periods
or during Ontario Place and Exhibition Place peak periods. The installation procedure only
requires limited lane restrictions for short periods of time. Once installed, there will be little
adverse impact on Lake Shore Boulevard West traffic operations. The sections of barrier wall
which tend to restrict normal traffic operation will not be installed until the major road
closures commence on July 15, 1999. At 9:00 p.m., Thursday, July 15, 1999, subject to traffic
conditions, Lake Shore Boulevard West, between Strachan Avenue and Ontario Drive will be
closed to allow completion of the barrier system installation and use of the roadway for the
event. Based on previous years' experience, it is proposed to re-open this portion of Lake
Shore Boulevard West as soon as practicable after the final race, but no later than midnight,
Sunday, July18,1999.
Access to the closed portions of Lake Shore Boulevard West will be restricted to persons
accessing Ontario Place, local traffic, emergency vehicles, Transportation Department
vehicles and public transit vehicles. Police Officers, assisted by Transportation Department
staff and equipment, will control use of all restricted areas.
All costs attributable to this event will be borne by the event sponsor.
Conclusions:
The Molson Indy race is scheduled for Exhibition Place during July 16 to 18, 1999, inclusive,
using the same format as in previous years. Reports by staff of the municipal agencies, the
Toronto Police Force and others, indicate that previous races held annually since 1986, have
been managed in a highly professional manner and have resulted in few public complaints.
The 1999 race plans have been carefully reviewed and once again, staff are satisfied that the
race can be accommodated with minimum public disruption. The main focus of the plan is to
encourage race patrons to rely on public transit for travel to and from race events.
The City Solicitor has been consulted in preparing this report.
Contact Names and Telephone Numbers:
Ron Rout, Road Allowance Control Section
Transportation Division
Phone No. 392-5365
Nigel Tahair, Traffic Planning
Transportation Division
Phone No. 392-7711
Director
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