December 15, 1998
To:The Urban Environment and Development Committee
From:General Manager, Transportation Services
Subject:Proposed Speed Limit Reduction on Sheppard Avenue East between Bayview
Avenue and Hawksbury Drive.
North York - Centre South; Councillors Joanne Flint, Milton Berger.
Seneca Heights; Councillors Joan King, David Shiner.
Purpose:
To reduce the speed limit on Sheppard Avenue East between Bayview Avenue and
Hawksbury Drive during construction of the Sheppard Subway - Bayview Station.
Funding Sources:
All costs associated with this work will be the responsibility of the Toronto Transit
Commission under the Rapid Transit Expansion Program.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)the speed limit be reduced to 40 km per hour on Sheppard Avenue East between Bayview
Avenue and Hawksbury Drive until completion of Bayview Station surface construction in the
fall of 2001; and
(2)the appropriate by-law(s) be amended accordingly.
Background:
Construction of the Bayview Station for the Sheppard Subway will be underway from early
1999 through to the fall of 2001. The cut-and-cover method is being used for the construction
of the station. To maintain traffic flow on Sheppard Avenue during the construction period
detour roads will be constructed which will provide four traffic lanes plus left-turn lanes
between Bayview Avenue and Hawksbury Drive.
Discussion:
Sheppard Avenue East between Bayview Avenue and Hawksbury Drive is a five-lane
east-west roadway. The posted speed limit is 60 km per hour. The adjacent land use is a
shopping centre on the north side, with a residential community and a YMCA facility on the
south side. There are driveways to the shopping centre, the YMCA, and access to the
residential community via Kenaston Gardens and Barberry Place.
Although the proposed detour roads will provide similar traffic carrying capacity to that
existing on Sheppard Avenue, the geometry of the detours will not meet the standards
required to maintain the posted speed limit of 60 km per hour. This deficiency, in addition to
presence of construction equipment within the work zone, barricades delineating the work
area, and truck movements accessing the work zone can restrict the visibility of workers,
pedestrians, and turning vehicles to motorists driving through the work area. Therefore, a
reduction in the speed limit for vehicles traveling on Sheppard Avenue East through the work
area is justified.
Conclusions:
The posted speed limit should be reduced from 60 km per hour to 40 km per hour on Sheppard
Avenue East between Bayview Avenue and Hawksbury Drive for the duration of construction
of the Sheppard Subway Bayview Station.
Contact Name and Telephone Number:
David Butler, Manager
Sheppard Subway Traffic Operations
(416) 392-5285
David C. Kaufman
General Manager, Transportation Services
Barry H. Gutteridge
Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services
