August 16, 1999

To:Works Committee

From:Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services

Subject:Proposed Traffic Control Signals

O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent

O'Connor Drive and Four Oaks Gate

Ward No. 1 - East York

Purpose:

To report to the Works Committee on the recommendations adopted by East York Community Council with respect to the proposed installation of traffic control signals at O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent and O'Connor Drive and Four Oaks Gate.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

The funds associated with new traffic control signals are contained in the Works and Emergency Services Capital Program under Project No. C-TR031. In 1999, $1.6 million has been allocated for new traffic control signal installations.

These funds have been fully committed already through the approval of 21 new signal installations. Therefore unless additional funding is identified in 1999, new signal approvals for the balance of 1999 will be placed on a priority list for installation in 2000 and await approval of the appropriate budget item in the 2000 Capital Budget.

The estimated cost to install traffic control signals at the intersection of O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent is $53,000.00. The estimated cost to undertake the proposed curb realignment at this intersection is $40,000.00. This installation is subject to competing priorities.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the Works Committee endorse Recommendation Nos. 2, 3 ,6, and 7 of East York Community Council as recommended at its meeting held April 29, 1999 under Minute No. 5.13.

(2)Recommendation No. 1 of East York Community Council be revised to state:

"adoption of the report (April 20, 1999) from the Director, Transportation Services, District 1, subject to amending Recommendation No. (1) to prohibit southbound right turns between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, at the north and south leg of the intersection of St. Columba Place and Glenwood Crescent and; to prohibit southbound right turns between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, at the intersection of Rexleigh Drive and Glenwood Crescent and; to prohibit northbound left turns between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, at the intersection of Rexleigh Drive and Glenwood Crescent concurrent with the installation of traffic control signals at O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent;" and

(3)the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

East York Community Council, at its meeting of April 29, 1999, under Minute No. 5.13, recommended to the Urban Environment and Development Committee :

(1)adoption of the April 20, 1999 report from the Director, Transportation Services, District 1, subject to amending recommendation No. 1 to provide that turn restrictions be instituted at St. Clair Avenue and St. Columba Place, and St. Clair Avenue and Rexleigh Drive, at the same time as the installation of traffic control signals at the O'Connor Drive/Glenwood Crescent intersection, to ensure that there is no infill of traffic in the morning;

(2)for the 90 days following the installation of the traffic control signals at the O'Connor Drive/Glenwood Crescent intersection, the Toronto Police Services be requested to give top priority to the enforcement of the turn restrictions in both directions in the morning and afternoon;

(3)that the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services be requested to conduct further studies on additional means of improving Glenwood Crescent, in particular, the feasibility of turning Glenwood Crescent, south of O'Connor Drive into a one-way street;

(4)that northbound left turn restrictions be implemented at Rexleigh Drive and Glenwood Crescent during the morning peak period;

(5)that, should City Council not implement a left turn restriction on St.Clair Avenue at St. Columba Place, that there be a right hand turn restriction implemented on St. Columba Place and Glenwood Crescent;

(6)that right turns on a red light be prohibited at Glenwood Crescent and O'Connor Drive;

(7)that consideration be given to implementing one-way eastbound operation on Glenwood Crescent, east of St. Columba Place; and

(8)that the Community Safety Zone currently in effect on O'Connor Drive, between Pape Avenue and Woodbine Avenue be extended to St. Clair Avenue.

The East York Community Council also reaffirmed its previous recommendation with respect to the intersection of O'Connor Drive and Four Oaks Gate; viz:

"That traffic control signals be installed at the intersection of O'Connor Drive and Four Oaks Gate."

East York Community Council also recommended that the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services report on:

(i)the feasibility of introducing an extended cycle length at the proposed traffic control signal at O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent to discourage people from using the intersection;

(ii)further comment on "squaring-off" the corner of Glenwood Crescent and O'Connor Drive;

(iii)the feasibility of installing speed bumps on Glenwood Crescent;

(iv)the feasibility of moving the location of the cross-walk at Glenwood Crescent and O'Connor Drive; and

(v)adjusting the prohibition times of the proposed turn restrictions to 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Comments:

Staff provide the following comments on the above-noted recommendations:

Proposed Turn Restrictions at St. Clair Avenue and St. Columba Place and St. Clair Avenue and Rexleigh Drive

East York Community Council recommended that westbound left turns be prohibited at St. Clair Avenue and St. Columba Place and St. Clair Avenue at Rexleigh Drive, and that northbound left turns be prohibited at Rexleigh Drive and Glenwood Crescent during the morning peak period. These turn restrictions, in addition to the existing southbound left turn prohibition at O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent would severely limit access to the Glenwood Crescent environs for motorists approaching the neighbourhood from the northeast.

Staff propose, as an alternative, that the turn prohibitions at St. Clair Avenue and St. Columba Place and Rexleigh Drive be replaced with southbound right-turn restrictions during the morning peak period at St. Columba Place and Glenwood Crescent and Rexleigh Drive and Glenwood Crescent. This would provide westbound motorists on St. Clair Avenue with the opportunity to access the neighbourhood yet still limit infiltration by non-resident motorists.

Motorists destined for Glenwood Crescent, west of St. Columba Place would be required to turn left at St. Columba Place and Glenwood Crescent, and use Stag Hill Drive to access Glenwood Crescent. This circuitous route is less inconvenient for residents of Glenwood Crescent who reside west of St. Columba Place than the turn prohibitions recommended by East York Community Council. The Ward Councillors have been advised of the concerns associated with the turn restrictions proposed by East York Community Council and concur that the alternate turn restrictions are an appropriate alternative.

Recommendation Nos. 4 and 5 as adopted by East York Community Council at its meeting of April 29, 1999 under Minute No. 5.13 are no longer required given the alternative recommended turn restrictions.

Plans showing the existing turn restrictions, those proposed by East York Community Council and the alternative recommended turn restrictions are attached to this report.

Community Safety Zone on O'Connor Drive

Recommendation No. 8 as adopted by East York Community Council at its April 29, 1999 meeting under Minute No. 5.13 recommended that the Community Safety Zone currently in effect on O'Connor Drive between Pape Avenue and Woodbine Avenue be extended to St. Clair Avenue. Staff are currently evaluating the effectiveness of the Community Safety Zone trial program throughout the City. It would be prudent to wait until this evaluation is complete prior to extending existing Community Safety Zones or introducing new locations.

Reconstruction of Glenwood Crescent at O'Connor Drive

Prior to the internal traffic management plan adopted by East York Council in 1991, Glenwood Crescent was used as a by-pass to the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and O'Connor Drive. Historical traffic counts indicated that approximately 700 motorists used Glenwood Crescent during the afternoon peak period prior to the introduction of the afternoon peak period turn restrictions at Glenwood Crescent and St. Columba Place and Rexleigh Drive. The most recent traffic count, conducted April 22, 1999, indicates that Glenwood Crescent now carries approximately 200 vehicles during the afternoon peak period.

Given the previous high traffic volumes using Glenwood Crescent prior to the implementation of the internal turn restrictions, the curb radii of the northwest and southeast corners of the intersection were enlarged to allow motorists to access Glenwood Crescent with a minimal reduction in speed. This, in turn, reduced the potential for rear-end accidents on O'Connor Drive.

The internal turn restrictions have significantly reduced traffic volumes on Glenwood Crescent. Therefore, the curb radii could be reduced to a more typical urban intersection design. This will further indicate to motorists that Glenwood Crescent should not be used as an alternate route through this area.

Relocating the Pedestrian Crossover

Staff were asked to consider relocating the existing pedestrian crossover at this intersection as an alternative to installing traffic control signals. A pedestrian crossover is no longer suitable as a device to facilitate pedestrians crossing O'Connor Drive in the Glenwood Crescent environs given, primarily, the high volume and rate of speed of vehicles on O'Connor Drive. Traffic control signals are the most suitable alternative.

Impacts of introducing extended cycle lengths or introducing different cycle lengths for pedestrians and vehicles

There are several options available to modify the traffic control signal operation to discourage neighbourhood traffic infiltration. Longer cycle lengths, providing a longer phase for pedestrians than for sidestreet vehicles or providing a sidestreet vehicle phase every other cycle are measures which could be introduced to delay sidestreet motorists and potentially discourage infiltration.

At this time, to discourage infiltration, yet provide reasonable crossing times for pedestrians, a shorter phase for Glenwood Crescent vehicles than pedestrians could be introduced with the installation of the traffic control signals. With this operation, the Glenwood Crescent phase would provide the minimum pedestrian crossing time during cycles when the pedestrian pushbutton was activated and a minimum vehicle green time when no pedestrian actuation was received, regardless of the sidestreet vehicle demand. This operation would also allow for the traffic control signal to operate at the same cycle lengths as adjacent signals which will maintain signal coordination along O'Connor Drive. Other, more restrictive changes could be implemented, dependant upon the results of the proposed after study.

Staff are committed to studying the effects of the installation of traffic control signals at O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent 3 months after their installation. The remaining recommendations by East York Community Council will be reviewed as part of this study. These include:

• the feasibility and necessity of introducing one-way traffic operations on sections of Glenwood Crescent;

• the feasibility of extending the Community Safety Zone on O'Connor Drive from Woodbine Avenue to St. Clair Avenue;

• the feasibility of and necessity of introducing signal timing modifications at the traffic control signals at O'Connor Drive and Glenwood Crescent;

• the feasibility of installing speed bumps on Glenwood Crescent; and

• the necessity of extending the morning peak period turn prohibition times from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Proposed Traffic Control Signals at O'Connor Drive and Four Oaks Gate

A pedestrian crossover is located between Northridge Avenue and Four Oaks Gate on O'Connor Drive. East York Community Council has recommended that the pedestrian crossover be replaced with traffic control signals at Four Oaks Gate. The Transportation Division does not recommend the replacement of the pedestrian crossover with traffic control signals at Four Oaks Gate.

O'Connor Drive in this vicinity is a four-lane arterial roadway with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h and a two-way 24 hour volume of approximately 39,800 vehicles. Northridge Avenue is a local road and forms a "T" intersection on the south side of O'Connor Drive. A northbound stop sign on Northridge Avenue controls traffic at this intersection. Four Oaks Gate is also a local road and forms another "T" intersection on the north side of O'Connor Drive west of Northridge Avenue. Similarly, a southbound stop sign on Four Oaks Gate controls traffic at this intersection. The distance between Northridge Avenue and Four Oaks Gate on O'Connor Drive is approximately 35 metres. A pedestrian crossover (PXO) is located on the west leg of the O'Connor Drive/Northridge Avenue intersection. Adjacent traffic control signals are located approximately 450 metres to the west of Four Oaks Gate at Don Mills Road and 360 metres to the east of Northridge Avenue at Coxwell Avenue.

An eight-hour traffic control signal warrant study was conducted at both intersections and revealed that traffic control signals are not warranted at either location. The warrant study results are detailed below:

For the traffic control signal warrants to be satisfied, one of the "Minimum Vehicular Volume" or "Delay to Cross Traffic" warrants must be 100 per cent satisfied or any two of the three warrants must be at least 80 per cent. satisfied. The "Collision Hazard" warrant is based on the number of collisions that occurred at the intersection in a three-year period which were potentially preventable by the installation of traffic control signals. At Northridge Avenue, collision statistics provided by the Toronto Police Service indicate three collisions occurred over a three-year period from January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1996 which were potentially preventable by the installation of traffic control signals. All three of these collisions involved pedestrians who were hit by vehicles while crossing at the PXO. In all three cases the pedestrians sustained minor injuries. Similarly, at Four Oaks Gate, one collision occurred over the same three-year period which was potentially preventable by the installation of traffic control signals. The collision involved two vehicles: one was proceeding westbound and the other was making a southbound left turn. Based on the above information, the technical warrants for the installation of traffic control signals are not met.

During the most recent study, only 39 pedestrians were observed crossing O'Connor Drive at the PXO over an eight hour period. Of the 39 pedestrians, there were 27 adults, 6 assisted children, 3 unassisted children and 3 senior citizens. In addition, the operational characteristics of the existing PXO were evaluated according to the guidelines that were developed for the "Audit of Operational and Physical Suitability at Pedestrian Crossovers in Metropolitan Toronto". The results are as follows:

A review of the PXO environmental criteria which were not satisfied revealed that they are either conditions that are presently being addressed or ones that have minimal impact on public safety in this case. For instance, the current speed profile of vehicles on O'Connor Drive is a concern and the Police are conducting speed enforcement. Traffic volume on O'Connor Drive is also a concern and will be monitored for any significant increases. Although there are several private driveways fronting on O'Connor Drive near the PXO, the volume from these driveways has a minimal impact on safety. Based on the low pedestrian volume and a review of the PXO environmental criteria, the location continues to be suitable for a PXO.

In order to address past safety concerns in the area, O'Connor Drive, between Woodbine Avenue and Pape Avenue is a test site to determine the effectiveness of Community Safety Zones (CSZs). The basic purpose of CSZs is to provide for double the minimum fines upon conviction of various HTA offences. We will be reporting back on the effectiveness of the CSZs at a future Committee meeting.

Conclusions:

Staff have reviewed the proposed turn restrictions recommended by East York Community Council and, recognizing the significant impact that they would have on the community, have developed alternative turn restrictions in consultation with the Ward Councillors. The recommended turn restrictions continue to restrict traffic onto Glenwood Crescent, however allow residents from other parts of the neighbourhood to enter their community during the morning peak period. The Ward Councillors have been advised of the alternate turn restrictions proposed by staff and concur that they represent a more appropriate alternative.

The existing pedestrian crossover at O'Connor Drive and Four Oaks Gate continues to be the most appropriate crossing device at this location. Traffic control signals are not warranted at this time.

Contact Name:

Peter Bartos, P. Eng.

Manager, Traffic Operations, District 1 - East

Tel. 397-4486

fax. 397-4582

  David C. Kaufman

General Manager, Transportation Services

  Barry H. Gutteridge

Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

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