Purpose:

To report on the results of traffic studies conducted during the temporary installation of turn restrictions onto Donegall Drive.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Not applicable.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

Council Reference/Background/History:

The Council of the Borough of East York, at its meeting on July 7, 1997, under Resolution No. 3.311, considered Item 3, Report No. 16 of the Regulatory and Development Committee regarding traffic and parking concerns on Donegall Drive.

Under this Resolution, the Council requested the Commissioner of Development Services to install a ANo Right Turn@ restriction from westbound Millwood Road onto northbound Donegall Drive, and a ANo Right Turn@ restriction from eastbound Fleming Crescent onto southbound Donegall Drive, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Council also requested the Commissioner of Development Services to report after monitoring the impacts of the ANo Right Turn@ restrictions at the aforementioned intersections after having been in operation for six weeks.

This time frame could not be attained since the regulatory By-law to implement the turn restrictions was adopted at the subsequent meeting of Borough Council on August 11, 1997. Traffic counts were conducted by staff in early September to ensure that >typical day= traffic volumes would be compared for a before and after study, instead of summer traffic counts that may be lower because of vacationing residents. When the traffic counts for the >before= study were completed, staff proceeded to install the signs for the turn restrictions in mid-September. Traffic counts for the >after= study were conducted in November 1997, to allow motorists to familiarize themselves with the new restrictions. This time frame did not allow staff the necessary time to compile the results and report to a meeting of Borough Council.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Donegall Drive is a 7.3 metre (24 feet) wide local residential street. Parking is permitted only on the east side of the street in accordance with the three-hour parking provision of By-law No. 92-93. In the past, some residents of Donegall Drive have been concerned about the perceived high volume of traffic travelling on this street. In an effort to curtail the volume of traffic using Donegall Drive, while not simply relocating the perceived problem to neighbouring streets, Council approved temporary turn restrictions to be installed and for staff to monitor the impact of the turn restrictions on adjacent streets.

Following the implementation of these turn restrictions, this Department received letters from residents of Fleming Crescent and MacNaughton Road concerned about the perceived increase in traffic volume on these streets because motorists were no longer permitted to travel on Donegall Drive. These residents, along with those on Donegall Drive who were concerned about the perceived high volume of traffic on Donegall Drive, have been notified that this report is being presented to the East York Community Council.

Development Services staff conducted traffic counts at specific intersections in the area bounded by Bayview Avenue, Parkhurst Boulevard, Hanna Road and Millwood Road prior to the turn restrictions being installed and again after the turn restrictions were installed, in order to quantify their effect on adjacent streets. The results of this analysis, during the a.m. and p.m. peak periods, is discussed below.

A. Millwood Road Traffic:

The primary concern expressed by some residents of Donegall Drive is in regard to a perceived high volume of traffic avoiding the intersection of Bayview Avenue and Millwood Road and making a westbound right turn at Donegall Drive.

Traffic counts were conducted at the intersections of Millwood Road with Bayview Avenue, Donegall Drive, MacNaughton Road and Bessborough Drive to ascertain the volumes of traffic travelling on these streets before and after the implementation of the turn restrictions. Prior to the westbound right-turn restriction at Donegall Drive, right-turning traffic volumes were relatively equal with 140 vehicles turning onto Bayview Avenue and 160 vehicles turning onto Donegall Drive. 14 vehicles were observed turning onto MacNaughtan Road and 10 vehicles were observed turning onto Bessborough Drive. Following the turn restriction installation, a greater volume of traffic proceeded to Bayview Avenue (214 vehicles), and a relatively equal amount used Donegall Drive (42 vehicles), MacNaughtan Road (52 vehicles) and Bessborough Drive (25 vehicles).

These results indicate that more motorists are using Bayview Avenue, and the remaining traffic is spread out more evenly among the local streets of Donegall Drive, MacNaughtan Road and Bessborough Drive. Approximately half of the traffic turning onto Donegall Drive (23 vehicles) was doing so when the restriction was in effect. This distribution of traffic volumes is illustrated in Appendix >A=.

B. Fleming Crescent Traffic:

The residents of Fleming Crescent experienced a more significant increase in traffic volumes than those on the aforementioned streets intersecting Millwood Road as a result of the introduction of the ANo Right Turn@ restriction for eastbound traffic on Fleming Crescent at Donegall Drive. Before the turn restriction, traffic volumes were evenly distributed with 89 vehicles (49 per cent) proceeding east on Fleming Crescent and 80 vehicles (44 per cent) turning right onto Donegall Drive during the a.m. peak period. Following the installation of the turn restrictions, volumes on Fleming Crescent increased to 143 vehicles (66 per cent) proceeding east and volumes on Donegall Drive were reduced to 50 vehicles (23 per cent). Eastbound left-turning volumes remained relatively unchanged after the turn restriction was implemented. The traffic volume distribution at this intersection is illustrated in Appendix >A=.

II P.M. Peak Period:

A. Millwood Road Traffic:

The westbound to northbound traffic movement is lower during the p.m. peak period than the a.m. peak period. Prior to the turn restriction from Millwood Road westbound to Donegall Drive northbound, 110 vehicles turned onto Bayview Avenue, 97 vehicles turned onto Donegall Drive, 28 vehicles turned onto MacNaughtan Road, and 12 vehicles turned onto Bessborough Drive. Following the installation of the peak periods westbound to northbound turn restriction at Donegall Drive, a majority of westbound traffic (214 vehicles) turned right at Bayview Avenue and traffic volumes were evenly distributed among the local streets where 36 vehicles turned onto Donegall Drive, 38 vehicles turned onto MacNaughtan Road and 15 vehicles turned onto Bessborough Drive. The traffic turning northbound onto Donegall Drive was doing so when the restriction was in effect. The traffic volume distribution is illustrated in Appendix >B=.

B. Fleming Crescent Traffic:

Traffic volumes on Fleming Crescent at Donegall Drive increased as a result of the eastbound turn restriction, similar to the a.m. peak period. Before the restrictions were introduced, traffic volumes were relatively equal where 139 vehicles (41 per cent) proceeded east on Fleming Crescent and 154 vehicles (45 per cent) turned right onto Donegall Drive southbound. After the turn restriction was installed, traffic proceeding east on Fleming Crescent increased to 251 vehicles (65 per cent) proceeding east and right turning traffic decreased to 76 vehicles (20 per cent). Eastbound left-turning traffic volumes were unchanged. The traffic volume distribution is illustrated in Appendix >B=.

The implementation of a ANo Right Turn, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday@ restriction for westbound traffic on Millwood Road at Donegall Drive has resulted in increased traffic volumes utilizing Bayview Avenue to turn northbound and a more equal traffic distribution on Donegall Drive, MacNaughtan Road and Bessborough Drive, during both the a.m. and p.m. peak periods. Traffic volumes have increased on MacNaughtan Road and on Bessborough Drive as a result of the turn restriction at Donegall Drive, however traffic on these streets is still relatively low . Our study revealed that the turn restrictions have redirected more traffic to Bayview Avenue than to MacNaughtan Road or Bessborough Drive. Therefore, it is recommended that this restriction remain in place.

Two of the concerns received were from residents of MacNaughtan Road regarding the increase in traffic on this street. As stated above, traffic volumes have been distributed more equally among the residential streets that intersect Millwood Road east of Bayview Avenue. On MacNaughtan Road, traffic volumes increased during the a.m. peak period from 14 vehicles to 52 vehicles, and from 28 vehicles to 38 vehicles during the p.m. peak period. There has been an increase in traffic on this street, but the actual volumes are still relatively low. This Department, however, would not object to installing a similar peak period turn restriction as on Donegall Drive if residents of MacNaughtan Road requested it.

Some motorists may avoid the intersection of Millwood Road and Bayview Avenue because of a queue of vehicles at the intersection, and use adjacent residential streets. Therefore, consideration should be given to widening the westbound approach of Millwood Road at Bayview Avenue, which is currently a single lane for left, through and right turning traffic, to incorporate a dedicated right turn lane. Staff will continue to monitor traffic patterns in this area and will report back on funding recommendations to widen Millwood Road at Bayview Avenue following a feasibility study.

Prior to the implementation of the ANo Right Turn, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday@ restriction for eastbound traffic on Fleming Crescent at Donegall Drive, traffic volume distributions were relatively equal on Fleming Crescent and on Donegall Drive. Since the restriction has been in place, traffic volumes have increased on Fleming Crescent. The study results indicate that motorists are now using Fleming Crescent east of Donegall Drive, instead of Donegall Drive, eliminating the equal traffic distribution that existed before the restriction was implemented. Therefore it is recommended that this restriction be removed.

Conclusions:

Traffic studies conducted by this Department reveal that the ANo Right Turn, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday@ restriction for westbound motorists on Millwood Road at Donegall Drive has substantially increased the westbound right-turning volume on Millwood Road at Bayview Avenue, and has only marginally increased traffic on MacNaughtan Road and Bessborough Drive while significantly reducing traffic on Donegall Drive. It is recommended that this restriction remain in place since the majority of traffic has been redirected to Bayview Avenue, an arterial road. Consideration should also be given to implementing a dedicated right-turn lane for westbound motorists on Millwood Road at Bayview Avenue, which could direct more traffic to turn right at Bayview Avenue. A similar turn restriction could be considered to reduce traffic travelling from Millwood Road onto MacNaughtan Road, although our study indicates that the increase in traffic utilizing MacNaughtan Road is not indicative of a traffic infiltration concern.

The ANo Right Turn, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday@ restriction for eastbound motorists on Fleming Crescent at Donegall Drive has eliminated the equal traffic distribution on Fleming Crescent and on Donegall Drive, and has significantly increased traffic volumes on Fleming Crescent. Since this restriction has only relocated the perceived traffic volume concern to another street, it is recommended that it be removed so that traffic volumes on each street will be balanced.

Contact Name:

Peter Bartos, P.Eng.

Transportation Engineer- East York Office

778-2225

The East York Community Council submits the following communication (February 16, 1998) from Mr. James Buchanan, East York:

Please accept this submission for the meeting scheduled on Wednesday, February 18 regarding the traffic changes in the Donegall and Millwood area of East York. I am currently out of town and unable to attend personally.

We currently live on MacNaughton Road where Field Avenue ends. As such, our house is situated on a heavily travelled route for children heading east to Bessborough School. Our nanny and various neighbours have noticed the significant (271%) increase in vehicle traffic on our street during the morning period. (See attached graph using East York traffic study data). The increase in afternoon traffic is less significant (see attached graph) but still of concern to ourselves and others in the area with school age children.

While we agree with the intention of the right turn restrictions on Donegall, we believe that any solution that drives vehicles onto streets, such as MacNaughton and Bessborough, which are closer to an elementary school is unacceptable.

In the report prepared by Richard Tomaszewicz on February 4, 1998 the conclusion was reached that a right turn restriction from Millwood to MacNaughton could be considered.

On behalf of concerned parents of young children attending Bessborough School, we highly recommend the immediate implementation of this right turn restriction from Millwood to MacNaughton Road for both morning and afternoon periods.

Thank you for ensuring our views are shared with the Council members.

I=m retired, so I=ve had some time to think about the traffic issues we are discussing, and I take a lot of walks around the neighbourhood, so I see how the traffic patterns work.

First, I want to commend the Commissioner and Staff for a good job in analyzing the problem, and proposing solutions.

Second, I want to assure the Council and the residents on Fleming that no one I know on Donegall wants to dump our traffic onto Fleming. Donegall and Fleming have the same traffic problem; too much infiltrating east-west traffic. We must solve this problem to-gether, not separately.

To give you just one dimension of this problem, please note the number of cars on Donegall during the a.m. and p.m. rush hour, before the signs went up. It was 491 cars per day, or 2,455 per week or 127,660 per year. And, that=s only counting cars which turned right onto Donegall and that=s only during rush hours.

I think we can all agree that the thinking of the Commissioner and Staff in solving the problem at the south end of Donegall at Millwood was very sound. They wanted to get the infiltrating traffic off Donegall and back onto Bayview where it belonged. They succeeded in doing this and they are recommending no changes except for an additional sign for MacNaughton if requested. Their words are clear about the desired result, and how it was achieved.

At the north end, at Fleming, we can see that their thinking was different. Here, they simply said the new signs at Fleming have created an unfair situation, and that taking down the signs would restore fairness. That=s true, but it doesn=t do anything to solve the basic traffic infiltration problem the way they did it at the south end. It just divides the heavy traffic burden between the two streets.

If you follow their current proposal for the north end, Fleming gets back its 228 eastbound cars per day and Donegall gets back its 234 southbound cars per day. That=s 462 cars per day on our two streets, or 2,310 per week, and 120,120 per year.

However, if you apply the thinking they used at the south-end to the north-end, you can remove these 62 cars completely, giving Fleming a much better position than it had before the signs went up, and preserving the protection Donegall received when the signs went up. This would be a Awin@ for everyone.

How do you get it? You just do what was done on Donegall. They closed the south end during rush hours. There are only two ways to close a street: close the entrance or close the exit. We see this all over our neighbourhoods. Some streets you can=t enter during rush hours, and some streets you can=t exit during rush hours.

All we need to do for Fleming is put a Ano right turn during rush hours@ sign at the end of it where it meets Parkhurst. You could prohibit rush-hour entry at Donegall, but this might be ore inconvenient for Fleming residents.

We are talking about one additional sign to preserve what Donegall has achieved, and to give Fleming the same kind of protection. Almost all of the infiltrating traffic we are discussing wants to go east; either down Donegall to Millwood, or east on Fleming to go further east on Parkhurst.

Before the new signs went up, Fleming had 228 east-bound cars per day during rush hours. That=s 1,140 per week, or 59,280 per year. If you recommend one addition sign at Parkhurst, those figures dropt to 0, or virtually 0.

Our position is simple:

We are: 24 ft. Wide, residential streets, not main roads. Please help us!

The East York Community Council also submits the following communication (February 1998) from Ms. Shelley Crawford, East York:

After having read the results of traffic studies conducted during the installation of turn restrictions into Donegall Dr. it is not our intention to impose the excess flow onto another residential street, namely Fleming Cres. We are in agreeance that the turn restriction should be removed. As to the increased traffic now using MacNaughtan Rd. As a result of the turn restriction onto Donegall Dr. we would like to see a similar sign installed at Millwood to help them out. At the same time the pursuance street widening on Millwood at Bayview would most definitely help to ease the congestion of traffic volume within this area. It was interesting to note that tally of vehicles using Donegall as a bypass to Bayview before the turn restrictions; 160 took Donegall, 140 took Bayview. Even with the restrictions up we still had people willing to violate them to bypass the Millwood/Bayview intersection. So perhaps the widening there would really help.

As to the other end of Donegall Dr. at Fleming Crescent we still have a problem. Before the restrictions, Fleming incurred 139 vehicles; Donegall 154. After turn restrictions were installed Fleming increased to 251, Donegall had 76 violaters. Would it be feasible to impose a no turn restriction at Bayview onto Fleming? Or is there another idea? At 327 cars total having used that section of the area within that time period, it=s till too many.

Two weeks ago, I noticed an officer ticketing violators both northbound and southbound on Donegall. At the time I saw him he had 4 cars stopped southbound and 3 going north. Perhaps, monies collected from this could be used to pay for signs and the widening of the Millwood intersection, I don=t know.

(A copy of Appendix AA@, a map showing the traffic volume distribution in the a.m. peak period; and AB@, a map showing the traffic volume distribution in the p.m. peak period, referred to in the foregoing report is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)