Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue Project

Public consultation will be conducted online, by phone and by mail only. This is based on the expert advice of our Medical Officer of Health to practice physical distancing, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of Toronto residents and our staff. The comment deadline is April 29, 2021.

Consultation Materials

• Information Panels
• Feedback Form (closes: April 29, 2021)

Virtual Public Meetings

• If this is your first time participating in City Virtual Meeting, learn how to use the Webex Events platform.
• If you require accommodation or assistive services, please contact Carol Tsang at 416-392-8361 or Carol.Tsang@toronto.ca to identify what can be provided.

Virtual Public Meeting #1 (Focused Meeting: Woodfield Road, between Queen Street East to Eastern Avenue)

• Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2021
• Time: 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
• Join by computer, smartphone or tablet:
  • Register for instructions on how to join.
• Join by phone (audio only):
  • Review the Information Panels ahead of the meeting or have them available during the meeting.
  • Five minutes before the meeting starts, call 416-915-6530 and enter Access Code 133 314 5383.

Virtual Public Meeting #2 (Full Length of Route)

• Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
• Time: 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
• Join by computer, smartphone or tablet:
  • Register for instructions on how to join.
• Join by phone (audio only):
  • Review the Information Panels ahead of the meeting or have them available during the meeting.
  • Five minutes before the meeting starts, call 416-915-6530 and enter Access Code 133 185 4525.

Supporting Safety Projects

• Official Plan Goals
  • Make Toronto a “walking city” and bring all Toronto residents within 1 km of a designated cycling route.
• Road to Health: Healthy Toronto by Design
  • Increased physical activity is associated with reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
• Vision Zero Road Safety Plan
  • Fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are preventable, and we must strive to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries to zero by prioritizing the safety of our most vulnerable road users
• TransformTO: Climate Action Strategy
  • Targets 75 per cent of trips under 5 km are walked or cycled by 2050.
• Complete Streets Guidelines
  • Streets are for people, placemaking and prosperity. Complete Streets consider all modes, prioritize safety and balance the needs to move people and goods while recognizing streets as places.
• Reduce reliance on motor vehicles
  • Providing alternatives to driving allows for roadways to be used more efficiently and for users who have no choice (e.g. emergency, deliveries)
• Encouraging people of all ages and abilities to ride
  • The majority of people rate themselves as “interested by concerned” about cycling and will do so if bikeways feel safe.

Quiet Streets

From May to October 2020, Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue were designated as Quiet Streets. The ActiveTO Quiet Streets program created shared spaces to allow residents to maintain physical distancing while getting around on neighbourhood streets. Temporary signage and other measures were used to encourage slow, local vehicle access only so the street could be a shared space that welcomed people who walk, run or bike.

At this time, City staff are proposing that instead of reintroducing the seasonal Quiets Streets program in 2021 or beyond, energy be refocused on programs that provide year-round improvements to local streets, such as this project.

ActiveTO Quiet Streets Survey

The ActiveTO Quiet Streets Survey was conducted in the summer of 2020. There were over 700 unique responses on Woodfield Road-Monarch Park (Woodfield Avenue: 219 respondents; Monarch Park Avenue: 536 respondents).

According to those surveyed, Woodfield-Monarch Park was one of the highest-ranked routes for reducing vehicular speeds, improving physical distancing, and making people feel safer sharing the street. The feedback was very positive.

The most common feedback was concerns about non-local traffic.

Cycling Network Plan

Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue was identified in the Council-adopted Cycling Network Plan as a north-south route, planned for installation in the near term (2019–21).

This would include proposed contra-flow bike lanes on one-way sections of Woodfield Road and installation of traffic calming elements like painted bulb-outs, wayfinding and traffic signal upgrades at key locations.

Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Ave has been identified as a “Grow” project in the Cycling Network Plan Update. This project would grow the cycling network into new parts of the city.

• Build on the feedback and experience of the 2020 Quiet Streets Program to improve conditions for people walking and cycling and lower vehicular speed.
• Allow people cycling to travel two-way along the Woodfield-Monarch Park corridor so they can easily connect between popular cycling routes on Danforth Avenue, Dundas Street East and Lake Shore Boulevard. This will improve comfort for people cycling and promote the use of bicycles for short neighbourhood trips.
• Maintain local access for people driving and minimize impact to on-street parking.
• Fulfill City-adopted plans and policies, including Vision Zero, the Cycling Network Plan and TransformTO.

Neighbourhood Context

Land Uses

• Single-family homes
• Schools
• Industrial, south of Eastern Avenue (Canada Post)

Road Characteristics

• Local Road from Sammon Avenue to Lake Shore Boulevard (except between Fairford Avenue to Walpole Avenue, which is a Collector Road)
• One to two lanes with variable one-way and two-ways

Transit

• Intersects Danforth Avenue (subway, bus: 300 Bloor-Danforth)
• Gerrard Street (streetcars: 306 Carlton Blue Night, 506 Carlton)
• Queen Street East (streetcar 301 Queen Blue Night, 501 Queen, 503 Kingston Road)

Safety

• In the last decade, one pedestrian seriously injured at Woodfield Road and Fairford Avenue.

Selecting a Bikeway for Woodfield-Monarch Park

The City of Toronto’s draft design guidelines set 75 cars in the peak hour as the maximum for a shared lane.

Based on the speed and volume of traffic, a shared lane for people cycling and driving is appropriate. The preferred bikeway type for Woodfield Road-Monarch Park Avenue is Neighbourhood Greenway.

The peak volumes and 8-hour volumes do not exceed the thresholds of vehicle volumes, so additional traffic diversion is not recommended.

Traffic Calming

Traffic calming is a term associated with physical features like discourage through traffic, lower speed and improve comfort levels for all road users. Traffic calming can include one-way street flips, curb extensions, speed humps and other elements.

Contra-Flow Bike Lanes

Contra-flow bicycle lanes are bicycle lanes designed to allow people cycling to ride in the opposite direction of motor vehicle traffic. They convert a one-way traffic street into a two-way street for people cycling: one direction for motor vehicles and bikes and the other for bikes only.

Bike Lanes

Designated bicycle lanes are a dedicated part of the roadway for the exclusive use of people cycling. Other road users may not lawfully drive, stand, stop or park in a designated bicycle lane.

Shared Lanes

On low volume, residential streets shared lanes for people cycling and driving can be effective and can include signs, wayfinding pavement markings and other traffic calming to create comfortable cycling routes.

Existing

Existing

• Existing trail connects Monarch Park Avenue to Woodfield Road under rail corridor.
• Trail access at Monarch Park Avenue at an all-way stop.

Proposed

• Improvements to wayfinding will be considered.

Existing

• Roadway width: 7.4m
• Traffic direction: Two-way
• Peak hour vehicle volume: < 75
• On-street parking:
  • East side: North of Walpole Avenue
  • West side: Walpole Avenue to Fairford Avenue
  • Permit parking: 12 midnight to 7 a.m.
  • Posted speed: 30 km/h

Proposed

• No changes to parking or travel lanes.
• Wayfinding shared lane markings and signs are proposed.

Existing

• Traffic direction: One-way southbound
• On-street parking:
  • West side: Fairford Avenue to Gerrard Street East and Dundas Street East to Queen Street East
  • Alternating sides: Gerrard Street East to Dundas Street East
• Permit parking:
  • 10 p.m. to 10 a.m.: Fairford Avenue to Gerrard Street
  • 12 midnight to 7 a.m.: Gerrard Street  to Queen Street East
  • Peak hour vehicle volume: < 70
  • Posted speed: 30 km/h
    • 85% speed: 34 km/h

Proposed

• Add northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side.
• Wayfinding markings are proposed in the southbound direction.
• Parking on the west side at all times (no impact to parking spaces).
• Permit parking hours remain unchanged.
• No stopping permitted in contra-flow bike lane.

Existing

• Traffic direction: One-way southbound
• On-street parking: East side
• Off-street parking:
  • Driveways off of Woodfield Road on west side
  • Driveways off of rear laneway on east side
• Permit parking:
  • 12 midnight to 7 a.m.
  • 21 spaces available / Nine (9) permits issued
• Peak hr vehicle volume: < 60
• Posted speed: 30 km/h

Proposed

Alternative 1: Contra-Flow Bike Lane

• Add northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side between parking and vehicle lane.
• Mixed-use lane (sharrows) in the southbound direction.
• Parking remains on the east side.

Alternative 2: Switch Parking to West Side

• Add northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side.
• Mixed-use lane (sharrows) in the southbound direction.
• Parking switched to west side – loss of two to four spaces
• Permit parking hours remain unchanged.
• No stopping permitted in contra-flow bike lane.

Alternative 3: Switch to One-Way Northbound

• Switch one-way direction to northbound.
• Add southbound contra-flow bike lane on the west side.
• Mixed-use lane (sharrows) in the northbound direction.
• Parking remains on the east side.
• No stopping permitted in contra-flow bike lane.

Existing

• Traffic direction: Two-way
• On-street parking: None
• Off-street parking:
  • Boulevard parking on east side
  • Canada Post loading bays and access on west side

Proposed

• Add minimum-width bike lanes in each direction.
• Maintain 3.3 m lanes in each direction.
• New path to connect to Lake Shore Trail at south end of Woodfield Road.

Existing

• Existing desire line/beaten trail at foot of Woodfield Road.
• Asphalt connection already made between sidewalk and trail.

Proposed

• About 15 m-section of path and curb cut would be needed.
• Similar connection at Knox Avenue, on the west side of Canada Post building.

• Where possible, Transportation Services is proposing to install traffic calming elements like painted curb extensions at intersections.
• All proposed crossings are pending feasibility and traffic impact evaluations.

Woodfield Road and Gerrard Street East

• Existing: Pedestrian crossover
• Proposed: Convert to traffic signal

Woodfield Road and Dundas Street East

• Existing: Traffic signal
• Proposed: Add northbound bike signal heads

Woodfield Road and Queen Street East

• Existing: Pedestrian crossover
• Proposed: Convert to traffic signal

Woodfield Road and Eastern Avenue

• Existing: No protected crossing, pedestrian crossover at Connaught Avenue (95 m spacing)
• Proposed: Relocate crossing/new signal

If You Drive or Park on the Street

• No changes to parking or travel lanes on Monarch Park Avenue or two-way sections of Woodfield Road.
• For one-way sections of Woodfield Road, parking currently alternates between sides of the street in some sections. If approved, parking would be permanently on one side, without reducing total parking spaces.
• No stopping is permitted in bike lanes.
• No other traffic impacts to the way the streets operate when you drive.
• All turning movements, laneway and driveway access would remain.

If You Cycle

• You would be able to travel both north and south on Woodfield Road, making it easier and more comfortable to connect to existing east-west bikeways.
• Pedestrian crossovers at Gerrard Street East and Queen Street East converted to traffic signals, with a new traffic signal at Eastern Avenue. These would provide protected crossings at these intersections for people cycling and walking.
• Bicycle lanes proposed in both directions south of Eastern Avenue, with a new short trail section connecting to the existing multi-use path on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard.

If you Live or Work in the Neighbourhood

• City services such as fire, emergency medical services, solid waste pick-up and snow clearing will continue as usual. There will be no impact to existing sidewalks, traffic flow or speed limits.