Parking and Traffic Concerns at

Our Lady of Wisdom School on Japonica Road

Ward 14 - Scarborough Wexford

The Scarborough Community Council recommends the adoption of the following report (February 1, 1999) from the Director of Transportation Services, District 4:

Purpose:

To provide a status report on the recently installed parking regulations near Our Lady of Wisdom School and to comment on the effectiveness of the all-way stop control at the intersection of JaponicaRoad and White Abbey Park.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Not Applicable.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the existing parking regulations on Japonica Road and White Abbey Park be retained;

(2)the existing all-way stop control at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park be retained;

(3)a copy of this report be sent to the Toronto Catholic School Board and Our Lady of Wisdom School requesting ongoing support for the existing parking/traffic regulations at this school; and

(4)a copy of this report be sent to the Toronto Police Services Parking Enforcement Unit, and 41Division, requesting selective enforcement of the existing parking/stopping regulations at Our Lady of Wisdom School, and the all-way stop control at Japonica Road and White Abbey Park.

Council Reference/Background/History:

In response to a request from Ms. Mary Gomes, principal of Our Lady of Wisdom School on Japonica Road at White Abbey Park, Transportation Services staff conducted parking and traffic studies in the vicinity of the school in March, 1998. The issues of compromised pedestrian safety as parents dropped-off and picked-up their children in front of this school, and traffic concerns at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park, were examined and reported to Community Council on April 16, 1998.

At that meeting, Community Council approved parking restrictions on the west side of White Abbey Park to encourage school side parking. The opposite/east side of this road remained unsigned at the request of area residents who require this portion of the road for their own temporary parking needs. An all-way stop control was also approved at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park.

Community Council also requested the Toronto Catholic School Board and Our Lady of Wisdom School to examine a number of off-street alternatives to attempt to accommodate parents dropping-off and picking-up children on school property. Community Council's recommendations also included the school participating in the Parent Safety Program, and concentrated police parking enforcement in the area of the school.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Our Lady of Wisdom School is located north of Ellesmere Road and east of Pharmacy Avenue. Both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park are residential roads with appropriate signs in place to warn approaching motorists of the school area ahead. Currently, along the north/school side of JaponicaRoad, there is a 30 minute parking limit in effect between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. This same restriction controls the west/school side of White Abbey Park which was previously signed as "No Parking, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday". On the south/opposite side of Japonica Road there is a "No Stopping, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday" prohibition. On the east/opposite side of White Abbey Park there are no signed parking prohibitions.

Traffic Operations - On-Street Parking Observations:

The following table shows our parking observations during our re-study of this location on Monday, October 5, 1998:

KEY: ^ indicates a private vehicle - these vehicles have also been included as being parked on the north side of Japonica Road. Only school buses may park within the defined limits of a school bus loading zone.

Our October 5, 1998 study revealed an increase in the total school generated traffic from 116 vehicles in March 1998 to 165 vehicles. Most of this traffic parked on Japonica Road and in the east parking lot. Although the total school generated volume increased, due to a slight increase in school enrollment and daily traffic volume fluctuations, our investigators did observe a more orderly flow of traffic during our most recent study. This is in large part due to the actions by the school in creating a new staff lot on the west side of the school. Also, motorists are for the most part obeying the stopping prohibitions posted on the south side of Japonica Road.

The separation of school staff to the west lot and parents to the east lot has resulted in greater parking turnover in the east lot. Essentially, as staff are generally not utilizing the spaces in the east lot, there are more spaces available in this lot for parents to drop-off and pick-up their children. Therefore, motorists are not competing for only a few available spaces. During a telephone conversation on Tuesday, January 5, 1999, between the principal of Our Lady of Wisdom School and Transportation Services staff, she also agreed that the traffic operations at and near this school have improved since the last study. Principal Gomes also indicated that she will be seeking additional information about establishing a Parent Safety Program at this school.

Unfortunately, illegal parking within the school bus loading zone has increased from 6 vehicles in the previous study to 18 vehicles in October. This may be due, in part, to a reduction in the level of parking enforcement since our previous study. The Toronto Police Services Parking Enforcement Unit advises that they have received very few requests for enforcement in this area since the parking amendments have occurred.

Pedestrian Crossing Observations - Japonica Road and White Abbey Park:

Transportation Services staff also recorded the volume and location of pedestrian crossings near the school on both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. Our study revealed that the majority of pedestrians crossed at the intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park. Specifically, in our recent two study hours, of the 99 pedestrians recorded crossing both Japonica Road and White Abbey Park, 78 crossed at the intersection - an increase of 11 pedestrians using the intersection from the earlier study conducted in March 1998. No conflicts between pedestrians and motorists were observed during our study.

Traffic Operations at the Intersection of Japonica Road and White Abbey Park:

To determine the effectiveness of the recently installed all-way stop control at Japonica Road and White Abbey Park, a stop sign compliance study was conducted. The following table details the findings of these studies and unfortunately shows that some motorists are not complying with the existing signs.

The low number of violations recorded during our March 1998 investigation could be attributed to a high level of police presence just prior to the study.

To help improve the levels of stop sign compliance, selective police enforcement of these controls is recommended.

Collision History:

In addition to the studies outlined above, Transportation Services conducted a three-and-a-half year collision review of the area, from January 1, 1995 to June 30, 1998, that revealed one collision reported during this time period. This collision occurred on Japonica Road during non-school hours on Saturday, May 31, 1998 and involved only minor damage to a parked car.

Conclusions:

The actions by both the school and Scarborough Community Council do appear to have created more orderly traffic flow. We would continue to encourage school officials to direct their staff to park in the west lot in order to provide an area for student drop-off and pick-up in the east lot.

No additional traffic control measures or restrictions are recommended. However, staff recommend selective police enforcement of both the existing all-way stop control at the intersection of JaponicaRoad at White Abbey Park and the on-street parking/stopping regulations along both of these roads.

Contact Name:

Bruce Clayton

Supervisor, Traffic Investigations, Works and Emergency Services

Telephone: 396-7844

Fax: 396-5681

E-mail: clayton@city.scarborough.on.ca

Councillor Shaw declared her interest in the foregoing matter in that her daughter is a student at Our Lady of Wisdom School.