Proposed Installation of Traffic Control Signals -

Kingston Road and St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven

Cemetery (Ward 13 - Scarborough Bluffs)

The Works Committee recommends the adoption of the recommendations of the Scarborough Community Council embodied in the following communication (June 1, 1999) from the City Clerk:

Recommendation:

The Scarborough Community Council recommends that the Works Committee approve the recommendations contained in the report (March 3, 1999) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, subject to adding a Recommendation No. (4), as follows:

"(4)coincident with the installation of the northbound left turn prohibition at the westerly driveway of the St. Theresa Shrine Elementary School, a left turn arrow priority feature be installed for eastbound Kingston Road traffic wishing to make left turns or U-turns at Brimley Road."

Background:

The Scarborough Community Council, at its meeting on May 26, 1999, had before it a communication (April 8, 1999) from the City Clerk, advising that the Urban Environment and Development Committee, at its meeting held on March 31, 1999, referred a report (March 3, 1999) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, respecting the proposed installation of traffic control signals at Kingston Road and the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways, to the Scarborough Community Council for consideration and report back to the Urban Environment and Development Committee.

(Communication dated April 8, 1999, addressed to the

Scarborough Community Council from the City Clerk)

Recommendation:

The Urban Environment and Development Committee referred the report (March 3, 1999) from the General Manager, Transportation Services to Scarborough Community Council for consideration and report back to the Urban Environment and Development Committee.

Background:

At its meeting on March 31, 1999, the Urban Environment and Development Committee had before it a report (March 3, 1999) from the General Manager, Transportation Services seeking approval for the installation of traffic control signals at the intersection of Kingston Road and the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways, and recommending that:

(1)traffic control signals be approved on Kingston Road at the St. Augustine Seminary/ Resthaven Cemetery driveways;

(2)coincident with the traffic control signal installation, northbound left turns be prohibited at all times from the westerly driveway of the St. Theresa Shrine Elementary School at No.2665 Kingston Road; and

(3)the appropriate by-law(s) be amended accordingly.

The Committee also had before it a report (March 31, 1999) from Councillor Gerry Altobello requesting that the foregoing report be referred to the Scarborough Community Council.

The Committee's action is as noted.

(Report dated March 3, 1999, addressed to the

Urban Environment and Development Committee from the

General Manager, Transportation Services)

Purpose:

To obtain approval for the installation of traffic control signals at the intersection of Kingston Road and the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways.

Funding Sources:

The funds associated with new traffic signal installations are contained in the Transportation Services Division's Capital Program under Project No. C-TR031. Total funding in this program is $1.6 million for 1999. The estimated cost of the installation of traffic control signals at the intersection of Kingston Road and the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways is $88,400.00.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)traffic control signals be approved on Kingston Road at the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways;

(2)coincident with the traffic control signal installation, northbound left turns be prohibited at all times from the westerly driveway of the St. Theresa Shrine Elementary School at No.2665 Kingston Road; and

(3)the appropriate by-law(s) be amended accordingly.

Background:

This location was investigated in response to a request from the St. Theresa Shrine Elementary School at No. 2665 Kingston Road to examine traffic operations in the vicinity of the school.

Discussion:

Kingston Road in this vicinity is a major six-lane arterial roadway with a concrete centre median, a posted speed limit of 60 km/h and a two-way 24-hour traffic volume of approximately 42,000vehicles. The St. Augustine Seminary driveway is on the south side of Kingston Road, approximately 400 metres west of Brimley Road, and is aligned with the Resthaven Cemetery driveway on the north side, to form an intersection allowing full movement access to both sites. St.Theresa Shrine Elementary School, Monsignor Fraser College, Scarborough Foreign Mission Society, Cardinal Newman Secondary School and St. Augustine Seminary are located south of Kingston Road between the St. Augustine Seminary driveway and Brimley Road.

(1)Pedestrian Crossover Warrant Study:

A pedestrian crossover (PXO) warrant study revealed that 339 pedestrians, mostly students of Cardinal Newman Secondary School, crossed Kingston Road at this location in an eight-hour study period. Of these 339 pedestrians, 326 were delayed more than ten seconds before they could complete their crossing. Based on this information, both pedestrian volume and pedestrian delay warrants are 100 percent satisfied.

We have evaluated the operational characteristics of a proposed PXO according to the guidelines that were developed for the "Audit of Operational and Physical Suitability at Pedestrian Crossovers in Toronto". The results are as follows:

This location does not meet six of the criteria listed above, specifically the operating speed, number of lanes, high volume of arterial traffic, presence of driveways, high volume of turning vehicles and loading zone locations. In addition, we conducted a review of the Toronto Police Service collision records for the five-year period ending December 31, 1997. During this period, there were no collisions involving pedestrians.

Given the foregoing prevailing conditions, a pedestrian crossover cannot be expected to perform in a satisfactory fashion at this location. Accordingly, traffic control signals would provide the best form of crossing control and are recommended for this location.

(2)Turning Movement Study:

Access to St. Theresa Shrine Elementary School is provided by two driveways located 32 metres and 105 metres east of the St. Augustine Seminary driveway and are designed to provide right-in and right-out turning movements. Due to the safety concerns raised by the school regarding turning movements made at the westerly driveway, a turning movement count was conducted during the morning and afternoon peak hours. See Appendix A.

(a)Westbound to Eastbound "U" Turns:

The count revealed that, during the peak two hours, a total of 46 motorists entered the westerly driveway by making a westbound to eastbound "U" turn at the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery median break, followed by a sharp right turn. Due to the high volume of eastbound traffic on Kingston Road, this maneuver poses a safety hazard at the present time.

The following three options were considered to address this problem:

(i)implementing a "U" turn prohibition;

(ii)widening the median break to allow westbound left turns directly into the school driveway; and

(iii)installing a protected westbound left-turn signal.

Option (i) would reduce the hazard, however, westbound motorists who are destined for the school would be inconvenienced because they would be required to turn around at Chine Drive and travel eastbound back to the school. Therefore, a high level of disobedience could be predicted. Option(ii) would allow left turns into the school driveway but would result in a signalized intersection with five legs. Given that the school driveway is 32 metres offset from the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways, this option would result in numerous vehicle conflicts and hazards. Option (iii) would allow all westbound turns on Kingston Road to be made free from conflict with any other vehicle or pedestrian movements. Therefore, in order to provide optimal safety at the proposed traffic control signals, option (iii), installing a protected left-turn signal is the best alternative.

(b)Northbound to Westbound Left Turns:

The count also revealed that, during the peak two hours, a total of 20 motorists exited the westerly driveway by making a northbound to westbound left turn. Motorists making this movement travelled westbound in the eastbound lanes on Kingston Road until they reached the median break, then they entered the westbound lanes. This maneuver poses a safety hazard.

The following options were considered to address this problem:

(i)widening the median break to allow northbound left turns to be made directly from the westerly school driveway;

(ii)creating a new median break to allow northbound left turns to be made from the easterly school driveway; and

(iii)implementing a left-turn prohibition at the school driveway.

Option (i) was not considered further due to the concerns associated with operating a signalized intersection with five legs as discussed in section (2)(a) of this report. Option (ii) would allow motorists the ability to turn left from the school, however, this maneuver also requires motorists to cross three eastbound lanes at an uncontrolled location. The potential for left-turn conflicts and collisions would increase at the new median break. Therefore, in order to provide optimal safety and reinforce the "right-in" design at the westerly school driveway, option (iii), implementing a northbound left-turn prohibition is the best alternative and is recommended.

Motorists leaving the school who wish to travel westbound on Kingston Road are encouraged to travel eastbound to Brimley Road, northbound to St. Clair Avenue East, eastbound back to Kingston Road and then continue westbound. Although this route may seem inconvenient, the safety benefits outweigh the inconvenience.

Both Ward Councillors' offices have indicated their support for the recommendations outlined in this report.

Conclusions:

The installation of a PXO is warranted on Kingston Road at the St. Augustine Seminary/Resthaven Cemetery driveways. However, because this location fails to meet the "environmental standards" for the installation of a PXO, traffic control signals will provide for a safer crossing environment and should be installed at this location.

Contact Name and Telephone Number:

Peter K. Hillier

Manager, Traffic Operations, District 4, (416) 396-7148