January 4, 2000

To: Toronto Community Council

From: Director, Transportation Services District 1

Subject: The Esplanade, from Lower Jarvis Street to Yonge Street and the intersection of The Esplanade and Market Street - Implementation of a maximum forty kilometre per hour speed limit, installation of a median island and provision of a designated left-turn lane.

Downtown

Purpose:

The combined proposals are intended to provide enhanced pedestrian safety and to add a measure of traffic calming on the eastbound and westbound approaches to the intersection of The Esplanade and Market Street, while maintaining the safe and efficient flow of traffic.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

The implementation cost of this proposal is approximately $5000.00, funds for which will have to be made available in the Transportation Services 2000 Budget requests.

Recommendations:

(1) That the maximum speed limit on The Esplanade, from Lower Jarvis Street to Yonge Street, be reduced from 50 kilometres per hour to 40 kilometres per;

(2) That approval be given to narrow the pavement on the eastbound approach of The Esplanade, west of Market Street as described as follows:

"The narrowing of the pavement from a width of 9.75 metres to a width ranging from 7.75 metres to 9.75 metres on The Esplanade, between a point 5.0 metres west of Market Street and a point 24.0 metres further west, by the installation of a median island generally as indicated on the attached print of Drawing No. 421F-5496 dated October 1999";

(3) That an exclusive left-turn lane for westbound traffic be designated on The Esplanade, from Market Street to a point 39.0 metres east of Market Street, as indicated on attached print of Drawing No. 421F-5496 dated October 1999; and

(4) That the appropriate City Officials be requested to take whatever action is necessary to give effect to the foregoing, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that are required.

Comments:

At the request of Downtown Councillor Kyle Rae, staff of Transportation Services have investigated the feasibility of providing enhanced pedestrian safety and adding a measure of traffic calming on the subject portion of The Esplanade.

The Esplanade and Market Street form a 4-way intersection, with Market Street operating one-way southbound, north of The Esplanade and two-way to the south. The Esplanade currently is a through street and operates two-way with a maximum speed limit of fifty kilometres per hour.

TTC bus service operates on The Esplanade.

A review of the collision records at this intersection for the three year period from August 31, 1996 to August 31, 1999, has revealed that 7 collisions occurred, of which none involved pedestrians.

Having evaluated this intersection against the technical criteria governing the installation of "Stop" signs and/or a pedestrian crossover which encompasses such factors as right-of-way conflicts, vehicular and pedestrian usage of the intersection, physical and geometric configuration, surrounding area traffic control, safety experience and warrants established by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation for the installation of traffic control devices, this intersection does not satisfy the operational elements for the installation of all-way "Stop" sign control nor a pedestrian crossover.

Additionally, I note the following:

(a) The intersection of Market Street and The Esplanade is located only 58.0 metres west of the traffic control signals at Jarvis Street and The Esplanade. In accordance with the traffic control signal warrants, established by the Ministry of Transportation, the minimum recommended spacing between adjacent traffic control devices is 215 metres. This is the minimum distance at which drivers can detect a control device or a hazard in a cluttered environment, recognize it, and perform the required action safely. The subject intersection is too close to the adjacent traffic control signals to ensure operational safety and compliance with the "Stop" signs or pedestrian crossover, particularly by eastbound motorists who might be preoccupied with the traffic control signals they are approaching; and

(b) Given the current volume of traffic on The Esplanade (about 6,000 vehicles daily) and the proximity of Market Street to the traffic control signals at Jarvis Street, the queuing of vehicles can be expected in the block between Market Street and Jarvis Street. At times, queued vehicles might encroach into each intersection which could present a safety hazard.

With this in mind, staff looked at an option which might enhance crossing safety, specifically, installing a median island on The Esplanade, immediately west of Market Street, to provide a pedestrian refuge area at the intersection.

The median island would provide a measure of safety which might increase the number of pedestrians crossing at this location. However, aside from the general provision that motorists yield to pedestrians in the roadway, there would be no legal requirement for motorists to stop. Pedestrians would still have to wait for a gap in on-coming traffic and cross at their discretion to get from the curb to the island and then from the island to the opposite curb.

The installation of a median island on the west leg of the intersection should be matched by designating an exclusive left-turn lane for westbound traffic on the east leg of the intersection (as shown on Drawing No. 421F-5496, attached). This should enhance west-left turning movements with the added benefit of a pedestrian refuge area at the mid-point of the roadway. As The Esplanade has a relatively wide two lane cross-section varying between 10.0 metres to the west and 11.0 metres to the east of Market Street, and a moderately high traffic volume in the order of 6,000 vehicles daily for a collector street, these combined measures would enhance pedestrian safety and add a measure of traffic calming on the eastbound and westbound approaches to Market Street by slightly reducing the widths of the traffic lanes.

The pavement realignment on The Esplanade at Market Street described above, constitutes an alteration to a public highway pursuant to the provisions of the Municipal Act. This will require a public advertising campaign as well as the hearing of deputations from the public at a future meeting of Toronto Community Council. This aspect of the project is pre-approved in accordance with Schedule A of the Class Environment Assessment for Municipal Roads Projects.

Although traffic volume and incidence of speeding on the subject section of The Esplanade is consistent with many collector streets in the City, I suggest the implementation of a forty kilometres per hour maximum speed limit on this street, between Lower Jarvis Street and Yonge

Street, is an appropriate means of addressing residents'concerns respecting safety, and would

create conformity with the forty kilometre maximum speed regulation that exists on the rest of The Esplanade, from Lower Jarvis Street to Berkeley Street.

Contact:

Curt Russell, Traffic Investigator

Telephone: 392-7771 Fax: 392-0816 E-mail: crussell@toronto.ca

__________________

Director.

CR/cr

Attachment No. 42IF-5496

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