Watermain Replacement on Martin Grove Road & Proposed Road Safety Improvements on Rathburn Road and Martin Grove Road

Road Safety Improvements

The City is consulting the public about proposed road safety improvements on Martin Grove Road and on Rathburn Road:

1. Adding physical separation to the buffered bike lanes on Rathburn Road from Martin Grove Road to approximately 100 metres east of The East Mall in 2021
2. Installing new separated bike lanes on Martin Grove Road from Rathburn Road to approximately 100 meters north of Burnhamthorpe Road in 2022.

In addition to the proposed projects, the City is planning to reconstruct the intersection of Martin Grove Road and Rathburn Road with a new design, following the completion of the watermain work in 2022.

These planned and proposed improvements would:

• enhance safety for all road users by reducing vehicle speeds and increasing the visibility and predictability of people driving, cycling and walking
• encourage cycling by improving and connecting bikeways.

1. Proposed Safety Improvements on Rathburn Rd: Adding physical separation in the buffer

In 2020, painted buffers were added to the existing bike lanes on Rathburn Road from Martin Grove Road to approximately 100 metres east of The East Mall as part of road resurfacing work.

The City is proposing to add physical separation to the existing buffered bike lanes on this section of Rathburn Road in 2021.

Physical separation is being proposed to improve the safety and comfort of people cycling, to reduce speeding, and to encourage more people to cycle. Design guidelines and international best practice recommend physical separation between people cycling and people driving when traffic exceeds 6,000 vehicles/day. When physical separation is present, drivers are more cautious, vehicle speeds are lower, and people cycling feel safer. On this section of Rathburn Road, the volume of traffic is between 9,000 and 12,000 vehicles/day.

Design Options for Physical Separation on Rathburn Road

Two design options for physical separation on Rathburn Road are being proposed. With both options, the city is proposing to reduce the speed limit from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr from The East Mall to Edenwood Drive.

Option A:

Pre-cast concrete curbs with flexible posts (bollards)

Option B:

Pre-cast low profile barriers with reflectors and hazard bollards

 

With both options:

• The pre-cast curbs or pre-cast barriers would be spaced to ensure that drivers can safely enter and exit driveways.
• Snow would be plowed from the bike lane separately from the road, and snow would be piled and stored in the buffer as well as at the curb
• Solid waste would continue to be collected from the curb.

View the proposed locations pre-cast concrete curbs (Option A) and proposed locations of pre-cast low profile barriers (Option B). If you need assistance with these files, please contact us.

2. Proposed Road Safety Improvements on Martin Grove Road: New separated bike lanes

The City is proposing to install separated bike lanes on both sides of Martin Grove Road from Rathburn Road to approximately 100 metres north of Burnhamthorpe Road in 2022.

The Council-approved Cycling Network Plan outlines the City’s planned investments in cycling infrastructure from 2019 to 2021 and beyond. The plan identifies new cycling infrastructure on Martin Grove Road south of Rathburn Road. The separated bike lanes that are currently being proposed would establish one section of a future proposed bikeway connecting the existing bike lanes on Rathburn Road and the West Deane Trail with the future Kipling Transit Hub at Dundas St. West.

Design Options: Martin Grove Road

Two design options are being considered for Martin Grove Road from Rathburn Road to 100 metres north of Burnhamthorpe Road.

• Option A: Cycle tracks: A painted buffer with pre-cast concrete curbs and flexible posts (bollards) would separate people cycling from motor vehicles.
• Option B: Buffered bike lanes: A painted buffer would separate people cycling from motor vehicles.

With both options, the existing ‘No parking’ regulation on this segment of Martin Grove Road would become ‘No stopping’.

Snow Clearing and Waste Collection

Both design options ensure that City services, including snow clearing and waste collection, will be maintained.

• With Option A (cycle tracks), snow would be plowed from the bike lane separately from the road. Snow would be stored in the painted buffer and at the curb.
• With Option B (buffered bike lanes), the bike lane and the road would be plowed together and snow would be stored at the curb.
• With both options, solid waste would continue to be collected from the curb.

Design Considerations

A number of key factors have been considered in the development of the design options, including:

• Available space in the roadway
• Motor vehicle speeds
• Lane widths
• Location of driveways
• Volume of traffic: Toronto’s draft On-Street Bikeway Design Guidelines and international best practice recommend physical separation between people cycling and people driving when traffic exceeds 6,000 vehicles/day. On this section of Martin Grove Road, the number of vehicles is 6,000-7,000/day.
• Delivery of City services

The design options for the segment of Martin Grove from Rathburn Road to Donalbert Road (Segment 1) are being considered separately from the segment from Donalbert Road to 100 metres north of Burhamthorpe Road (Segment 2) because of differences in the width of the road.

• In Segment 1, the curb-to-curb road width is approximately 14 metres at Rathburn Road and tapers to approximately 10 metres at Donalbert Road.
• In Segment 2, the curb-to-curb width is approximately 10 metres.

Segment 1 Design Options: Rathburn Road to Donalbert Road

Option A: Cycle track (preferred)

With this option, the painted centre median and concrete traffic islands would be removed.

Option B: Buffered bike lane

With this option, the painted centre median and three of the four concrete traffic islands would remain.

For Segment 1, Option A (cycle track) is the design preferred by City staff. It is anticipated to have greater traffic calming effects than Option B and would provide greater safety for people cycling.

View the proposed pavement marking plan and proposed location of pre-cast concrete curbs with bollards for Segment 1:

• Option A (Cycle Track)
• Option B (Buffered Bike Lanes)

Segment 2 Design Options: Donalbert Road to approximately 100 metres north of Burnhamthorpe Road

Option A: Cycle Track

Option B: Buffered Bike Lane (preferred)

For Segment 2, Option B (buffered bike lane) is the design preferred by City staff because the proposed buffer would not be wide enough to easily accommodate snow storage. The curb-to-curb width of the road in Segment 2 would limit the width of the buffer to 0.5 metres.

View the proposed pavement marking plan and proposed location of pre-cast concrete curbs with bollards for Segment 2:

• Option A (Cycle Track)
• Option B (Buffered Bike Lanes)

3. Planned Safety Improvement: Redesign and Reconstruction of the Rathburn Rd and Martin Grove Rd intersection

In 2017, a Transportation Safety Local Improvement Project (TSLIP) was programmed for the intersection of Martin Grove Road and Rathburn Road in response to a high number of motor vehicle collisions and resident concerns about speeding. In 2018, interim measures were put in place to improve road safety until more permanent improvements could be implemented. A portion of the southwest corner was painted out and flexible posts (bollards) were installed to adjust the radius of the corner, and a painted median and concrete traffic islands were installed on Martin Grove Road from Rathburn Road to Donalbert Road to narrow vehicle lanes and reduce speeding.

A new design for the intersection has been created that will maintain and enhance the traffic calming effects achieved by the temporary measures and increase the safety of road users, particularly the most vulnerable.

The planned changes include measures from the City’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, which aims to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.

The new design will involve

• Corner radii reductions: All corners will be extended so that they more closely represent a 90 degree angle in order to a) shorten pedestrian crossing distances, b) improve the visibility of people walking and cycling, and c) deter drivers from making right turns at high speeds.
• Building out the curb at the southwest corner to replace the interim painted area and bollards
• Relocating traffic signal poles to reflect the new curb locations
• Combining through and right turn lanes at the northbound approach
• Aligning north-south through lanes and left turn lanes.

Reconstruction of the intersection is anticipated to begin in Spring 2022.

Next Steps

December 2020: City staff will review public feedback on the proposed road safety improvements and design options, and will make changes to the designs, if necessary.

March 2021: The final recommended improvements will be presented to the Infrastructure & Environment Committee of City Council (IEC) for consideration.

Spring 2021: Installation of physical separation on Rathburn Road (pending IEC approval)

Summer 2021: Anticipated start of watermain replacement on Martin Grove Road

Spring 2022: Anticipated start of reconstruction work at Martin Grove and Rathburn Road, and installation of separated bike lanes on Martin Grove Road (pending IEC approval).

Why the City Builds Bike Lanes

Cycling is one of the fastest growing transportation modes in Toronto. The City is working to make travel by bike safer and more inviting for everyone. Making it easier for people to choose to cycle helps ease congestion on streets and on transit, creates a cleaner environment, and promotes a healthier public. The City supports cycling by building and maintaining bike lanes and multi-use trails, installing bike parking facilities, distributing bike network maps, and carrying out other campaigns and projects to promote cycling confidence and safe road use behaviour.

Planning for bike lanes is part of an integrated transportation planning approach called “Complete Streets”. The City’s Council-approved Cycling Network Plan identifies planned investments in cycling infrastructure from 2019 to 2021 and beyond. Martin Grove Road is identified in the plan for ‘near term’ implementation of new cycling infrastructure south of Rathburn Road.

In addition, City policies, such as the Transform TO Climate Action Strategy prioritize walking and cycling for shorter-distance trips. For people to choose cycling instead of driving, they need to feel safe while cycling, and the trip must be more convenient by bike.

Parking, Stopping & Loading

Parking and stopping are not permitted in a bike lane or a cycle track. On Martin Grove Road, the existing ‘No Parking’ regulation would be changed to ‘No Stopping’ on both sides of the road for the full length of the proposed cycle track and buffered bike lane, from Rathburn Road to 100 metres north of Burnhampthorpe Road.

Drivers who need to stop temporarily to make a delivery, load or unload items or passengers, should use side streets in the area. Emergency vehicles and Wheel Trans vehicles are permitted to stop in a bike lane.