The City of Toronto is inviting residents to learn more and provide feedback on the next steps for the Quiet Streets Program on Woodfield Road and Monarch Park Avenue, from Sammon Avenue to Lake Shore Boulevard.
This project proposes to:
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| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 29, 2021 | Public feedback deadline |
| May 2021 | Consultation Summary Report posted |
| May 25, 2021 | Report to Infrastructure and Environment Committee |
| June 8 and 9, 2021 | Report to City Council |
| Summer 2021 | Installation (if approved by Council) |
On June 8 and 9, 2021, watch the City Council meeting below. See the meeting agenda or the live status of Item IE.22.11 – Cycling Network Plan – 2021 Cycling Infrastructure Installation – Second Quarter Update and Missing Link Sidewalk Program – 2021 Local Road Sidewalk Installation through the meeting monitor.
The staff report was considered and adopted by the Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC) of City Council (IE22.11) on May 25, 2021.
Rewatch:
The City hosted two Virtual Public Meetings on April 14 and 15, 2021, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The meetings were attended by 21 and 39 participants respectively.
View the Information Panels presented during the meetings.
Project notification was communicated through 9,900 unaddressed flyer notices, 53 addressed letters to residents between Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue, and 26 emails sent to known stakeholder groups. Questions and comments were received from 60 participants over two (2) virtual public meetings on April 14 and 15, 2021; 267 respondents to an online feedback form; 37 individuals by email and 5 people by phone.
From the feedback form, 79 per cent of respondents support or accept the overall project, including a majority of residents who live on the streets. For the options on Woodfield Road, between Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue, Alternative 2 (Switch Parking to West Side) received the most support. The community is generally supportive of the proposed cycling infrastructure and crossing upgrades. Concerns raised include the possibility of an increase in non-local traffic, perceived dangers to pedestrians from people cycling, and possible exacerbation of existing on-street parking and loading challenges.
An online petition in opposition to the project was also received, although the associated names or addresses of signatories had not been provided at the time this report was finalized. The petition raises concerns about Woodfield Road between Queen Street East and Eastern Avenue and the loss of four parking spaces and unregulated loading along the street. The proposal retains as much parking as possible along the street and results in the loss of four parking spaces. Loading in the contra-flow bike lane would not be allowed, but delivery operators would be able to utilize side streets and the remaining parking on Woodfield Road.
Read the full Consultation Summary Report.
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.
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.
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.
| Survey Question | Woodfield Road (percentage of survey respondents) |
Monarch Park Avenue (percentage of survey respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Understood the intent of the program | 95% | 95% |
| Walking/jogging is main mode of travel | 85% | 88% |
| No exclusive access to outdoor space | 13% | 9% |
| Do not live/work on the Quiet Street | 59% | 76% |
| Perception of program influencing physical distancing | 75% (agreed or strongly agreed) | 81% (agreed or strongly agreed) |
| Perception of program providing safer shared street space | 79% (agreed or strongly agreed) | 78% (agreed or strongly agreed) |
On April 7, 2021, City Council adopted the report, Active TO – Lessons Learned from 2020 and Next Steps for 2021.
Councillor Fletcher moved the motion, which requested the General Manager, Transportation Services, to implement, in consultation with the local Councillor, Quiet Streets on Monarch Park Avenue and Woodfield Road on a temporary basis until such time as cycling infrastructure is installed on those streets.
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.
| Average Counts | Woodfield-Monarch Park Existing Volumes | Neighbourhood Greenway Volume Thresholds |
|---|---|---|
| Peak Hour Motor Vehicles | 30–75 vehicles | 75 vehicles |
| Cycling (over 8-hours) |
70–120 cycling trips (20–30% of total traffic) | Would like to increase volume to 40–50% of total traffic |
| Vehicles (over 8-hours) |
200–400 vehicles | Less than 750 vehicles |
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 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.
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.
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.
