January 18, 1999

To: Etobicoke Community Council

From: John W. Thomas, P. Eng., MBA

Works and Emergency Services

Subject: Traffic Concerns - Chartwell Road

(Lakeshore-Queensway)

Purpose:

To address the concerns of area residents with respect to the volume and speed of traffic on Chartwell Road between The Queensway and Norseman Street.

Financial Implications:

There are no financial implications associated with this report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) all-way stop controls not be erected at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive;

(2) all-way stop controls not be erected at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road;

(3) a pedestrian crossover not be erected at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive;

(4) that the legal speed limit on the section of Chartwell Road, between the Queensway and Yorkview Drive remain 50 km/h; and,

(5) the Toronto Police Service be requested to enforce the 40km/h speed limit on Chartwell Road between Norseman Street and Badger Drive.

Background:

Numerous requests have been received (Attachments No. 1-No. 5) for additional traffic control devices to be installed on Chartwell Road between The Queensway and Norseman Street. These requests include the installation of a pedestrian crossover and all-way stop controls at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive and the installation of an all-way stop control at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road. These requests, from area residents and councillors, convey their concerns with respect to the volume and speed of traffic on this section of roadway. This matter was referred to staff of the District Transportation Services Division for investigation. Maps of the area are Attachments No. 6 and No. 7.

Comments:

To assess traffic conditions on Chartwell Road, the following information was obtained:

(1) manual approach counts conducted at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive;

(2) radar speed studies conducted on Chartwell Road, north of the intersection of Badger Drive;

(3) twenty-four hour automatic traffic counts conducted on Chartwell Road south of Norseman Street,

(4) pedestrian crossing study on Chartwell Road near Badger Drive,

(5) observations of parking activity near the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive

(6) manual approach counts conducted at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road,

(7) radar speed studies conducted on Chartwell Road, near the intersection of Edgecroft Road,

(8) a review of the three-year collision history of Chartwell Road at the intersections of Badger Drive and Edgecroft Road; and,

(9) an origin/destination study conducted on Chartwell Road at Noresman Street and The Queensway.

The following warrants need to be met in order to justify the installation of all-way stop controls on roads and streets considered to be local or secondary collector streets:

(a) total vehicle volume on all intersection approaches must exceed 350 for the highest hour recorded; and,

(b) a volume split should not exceed 75/25 for a three-way control.

(1) Manual Approach Counts - Chartwell Road and Badger Drive

The results of the manual approach counts conducted at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive on Wednesday, September 29, 1999, are summarized in the following table.

The peak hour (8-9 a.m.) intersection volume of 227 vehicles fails to satisfy the minimum 350 volume warrant for the installation of all-way stop controls and the balance of flow (80/20) well exceeds the maximum allowable volume split warrant of 75/25 for a three-way control. In order for all-way stop controls to be warranted, both the volume and volume split warrants must be met, which is not the case at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive.

No pedestrian/vehicular conflicts were observed at/near the intersection.

(2) Radar Speed Studies - Chartwell Road near Badger Drive

The results of the radar speed studies conducted on Chartwell Road north of Badger Drive between the hours of 7-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m., indicate an 85^th percentile speed of 54 km/h. Given that the legal speed limit on Chartwell Road is 40 km/h in the school zone between Norseman Street and Yorkview Drive, police enforcement is justified.

A review of the signage in the school zone revealed that all regulatory (including 40 km/h speed limit) and warning (School Area) signs exist and are visible.

(3) Automatic Traffic Count

The above data will be referred to in the following pedestrian crossing study.

(4) Pedestrian Crossing Study

A pedestrian crossover evaluation is based on volume and delay warrants established by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario for the installation of pedestrian crossovers.

The volume warrant utilizes vehicle volumes and pedestrian crossing volumes as criteria for the evaluation. The studies revealed 129 pedestrians crossing Chartwell Road, in the vicinity of Badger Drive. Pedestrian crossovers are typically not warranted on roadways with a twelve-hour volume under 2000 vehicles. Therefore, based on the existing twelve-hour vehicular volume of 1902, the recorded vehicular and pedestrian volumes fail to satisfy the volume warrant.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, to fully satisfy the delay warrant a minimum of 95 pedestrians would need to be delayed greater that 10 seconds. The studies revealed that one pedestrian was delayed greater that 10 seconds.

The results of the studies reveal that pedestrian volume and crossing delay in the vicinity of the subject location are well below the minimum requirements for the consideration of the installation of this traffic control device.

(5) Observations of parking activity near the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive

A no parking prohibition from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday exists on both sides of Chartwell Road, north of Badger Drive. In the morning, the Norseman School driveway is well utilized for student drop off, therefore few vehicles were observed parking on Chartwell Road. In the afternoon near school dismissal time, all parking spaces in the school lot are utilized and the driveway reaches capacity given that the majority of drivers arrive just prior to dismissal time and have to wait until the students arrive. Therefore, there is a spill-over of parking onto Chartwell Road, north of Badger Drive.

The observation studies conducted on Tuesday, November 14, 1999 between 2:55- 3:20 p.m. revealed that the highest number of vehicles parked on Chartwell Road was nine (eight on the west side/school side and one on the east side). The first vehicle observed parking on Chartwell Road north of Badger Drive occurred at 2:55 p.m., the peak (in terms of parked vehicles) occurred at 3:10p.m; and, by 3:20 p.m. no vehicles were parked on this section of roadway. No vehicles were observed parking on Chartwell Drive south of Badger Drive.

With respect to the concern of pedestrians walking out from between parked vehicles, one student was observed completing this manoeuvre when crossing midblock from the west to the east side of Chartwell Road. The pedestrian crossed without difficulty at this point to gain direct access to a vehicle waiting on the east side of the road. With the exception of the aforementioned pedestrian, all pedestrian crossings on Chartwell Drive in the area of the school were completed at Norseman Street or Badger Drive.

With respect to Ms. Maude's suggestion of widening Chartwell Road to the west by providing a lay-by to better accommodate parked vehicles on this side, staff reviewed this request from a traffic operations point of view. Currently, Chartwell Road in the area of the school is 7.5 metres wide with an additional 1.5 metres of paved shoulder on the west side between the south driveway to the school and Badger Drive. Vehicles on the west side of Chartwell Drive, north of the south driveway to the school, were observed parked on the travelled portion of the roadway. The parked vehicles did not interrupt the traffic flow on Chartwell Road in either direction. The vehicles (two in total) parked on the east side of Chartwell Road were at least 70 metres north of Badger Drive, therefore, sight lines were not an issue for vehicles exiting Badger Drive. Based on the aforementioned the widening of Chartwell Road is not justified, however, this matter will be reviewed again in any future reconstruction or rehabilitation projects on this roadway.

(6) Manual Approach Counts - Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road

The peak hour (8-9 a.m.) intersection volume of 214 vehicles fails to satisfy the minimum 350 volume warrant for the installation of all-way stop controls and the balance of flow (71/29) exceeds the maximum allowable volume split warrant of 65/35 for a four-way control. In order for all-way stop controls to be warranted, both the volume and volume split warrants must be met, which is not the case at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive.

No pedestrian/vehicular conflicts were observed at/near the intersection.

(7) Radar Speed Studies - Chartwell Road near Edgecroft Road

To address Franz Wichmann's and Lisa Young's request to lower the legal speed limit from 50 km/h to 40 km/h, radar speed studies were conducted on Chartwell Road near Edgecroft Road between the hours of 7-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. The results of the radar speed studies indicate an 85^th percentile speed of 53 km/h. This speed is within acceptable limits.

The use of 40 km/h speed limits is primarily reserved for use in school zones. In school zones it is imperative that vehicle operating speeds are reduced in conjunction with the use of advance warning signs, to warn motorists that they are approaching an area of increased pedestrian and vehicular activity characteristic to school areas. This policy preserved the integrity of this application, ensuring a higher level of driver compliance.

(8) Collision Review

A review of the collision history at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive for the last three years reveals two reportable collisions within the intersection. One collision involved a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle on Badger Drive while crossing this roadway at Chartwell Road. The driver of the vehicle was subsequently found at fault for not stopping prior to entering the crosswalk. The other collision involved a vehicle turning right from Badger Drive to Chartwell Road and colliding with a southbound vehicle in the northbound lane. The driver of the southbound vehicle was charged with careless driving.

The collision history at the intersection of Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road for the past three years reveals four reportable collisions have occurred at the intersection. All collisions involved vehicles failing to stop or yield the right-of-way to through traffic on Chartwell Road.

(9) Origin/Destination Study

To address the concerns regarding the volume of traffic using Chartwell Road as a shortcut between The Queensway and Norseman Street , an origin/destination (license plate trace) study was undertaken on Wednesday, November 24, 1999 to determine to what degree this roadway was being used as a shortcut route.

The study revealed that between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., five percent (22) of the total (410) vehicles recorded entering/exiting Chartwell Road at Norseman Street was through traffic; and, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., eight percent (30) of the total (377) vehicles recorded was through traffic. It is evident from the study that the amount of transient (shortcut) traffic on Chartwell Road is minimal. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the actual amount of transient traffic may be lower than recorded given that the study could not determine whether or not the drivers of the "through" vehicles stopped in the area of Norseman Elementary School to drop off/pick up children.

Conclusions:

The traffic volumes and splits at the intersections of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive and Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road do not warrant the installation of all-way stop controls. The results of the pedestrian crossover study revealed the vehicle volumes and delays to the pedestrians crossing Chartwell Road are well below the minimum requirement to justify the installation of this device.

Parked vehicles on Chartwell Drive in the area of Norseman School do not impede the flow of traffic on this section of roadway. Also, these vehicles do not restrict the sight lines of vehicles exiting Badger Drive. Pedestrians walking out from between parked vehicles was not an issue.

The results of the speed studies indicate that a significant amount of the total vehicular traffic on Chartwell Road is exceeding the 40km/h speed limit in the area of Norseman Elementary School; and, that police enforcement is justified.

The collisions that have occurred at the intersections of Chartwell Road and Badger Drive; and, Chartwell Road and Edgecroft Road; are the results of driver error.

The origin/destination study revealed that transient traffic on Chartwell Drive is minimal.

Contact:

Mark Hargot, Supervisor, Traffic Engineering - District 2

(416)394-8453;Fax 394-8942

e-mail: mahargot@toronto.ca

John W. Thomas, P. Eng., MBA

Director, Transportation Services-District 2

MH/c

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List of Attachments:

Attachments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.