Request for Poll to be Conducted Respecting
the Feasibility of Installing Speed Humps on
Oakvale Avenue (East Toronto)
The Toronto Community Council recommends that:
(1)approval be given to alter sections of the roadway on Oakvale Avenue, for traffic calming purposes, by the
installation of speed humps, with implementation subject to favourable results of the polling of residents pursuant
to the policy related to speed hump installation as adopted by the Council of the former City of Toronto;
(2)the speed limit be reduced from 40 kilometres per hour to 30 kilometres per hour coincident with the
implementation of speed humps; and
(3)the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to implement the
foregoing, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that might be required.
The Toronto Community Council submits the following communication (April 12, 1999) from Councillor Bussin:
To the Members of the Committee, please find attached copy of a report from Works and Emergency Services dated March
25, 1999 on the feasibility of installing speed humps on Oakvale Avenue.
As a result of ongoing and unresolved neighbourhood concerns regarding excessive speeding and serious safety concerns of
the residents on Oakvale Avenue, I am requesting a poll be conducted of Oakvale Avenue residents to resolve this issue.
Thank you, for your attention to this important issue for many residents on this street.
(Report dated March 25, 1999 from the
Director of Transportation Services, District 1, Works and Emergency Services,
addressed to Councillor Bussin)
This is in reply to your e-mail of October 14, 1998, in response to a letter (September 8, 1998) from Transportation
Services in reply to your earlier letter of June 3, 1998, regarding the above.
As noted in our previous letter, Oakvale Avenue from Greenwood Avenue to the west end is a residential street which
operates two-way with a pavement width of 8.53 metres and a 40 km/h maximum speed limit. Parking is prohibited at
anytime on the north side and allowed on the south side of the street.
Under the terms of the current Speed Hump Policy adopted by the previous City Council on August 21, 1997, there are five
primary criteria that must be met in order for a speed hump installation to be considered on a street. This criteria was
developed following analyses of speed hump policies in other parts of Canada and internationally and was deemed to be the
minimum standard required for speed humps to be an effective traffic calming measure. It has been followed and met in all
previous speed hump installations in Toronto.
One of the criteria requires that the street under consideration have a minimum volume of 1,000 vehicles per day. If all of
the primary criteria are met and it is determined that speed humps are justified, the policy stipulates that when installation is
being considered, a poll of adult residents on the street must be conducted, and that a minimum of 60% of valid responses
supporting the proposal is required in order to implement the plan. As the polling process is somewhat time consuming and
requires the dedication of departmental staff and budgetary resources to complete, we first must report to the Toronto
Community Council requesting authority to conduct the poll, outline the rationale for implementing the plan, indicate the
level of public consultation that has transpired to date and suggest a future meeting date of the TCC at which deputations
may be heard for or against the plan.
As noted in our earlier letter, Oakvale Avenue carries about 450 vehicles daily. The highest number of vehicle recorded in
any single hour of the day was 71. Generally, the hourly volumes during the daytime range between 15-26 vehicles. The
operating speed of the street (referred to as the 85th percentile speed) is about 49 km/h. This is low compared to many
streets in the City and notwithstanding the speed profile, the street operates safely.
Although Oakvale Avenue does not satisfy the primary criteria for the installation of speed humps, staff have prepared
Drawing No. 421F-5340 for your inspection (as requested by your staff) showing potential speed hump locations on
Oakvale Avenue at a point 39.5 metres west of Greenwood Avenue and at a point 128.0 metres west of Greenwood
Avenue. However, we emphasize that based on our assessment of conditions on Oakvale Avenue and the limited
department resources available for projects of this nature, we do not recommend the implementation of this plan. Our
referral of the speeding complaint to the Toronto Police Service and the Toronto Transit Commission, as was done in
September 1998 was and remains the appropriate course of action in this instance.
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The Toronto Community Council reports, for the information of Council, having also had before it during consideration of
the foregoing matter, the communication (April 22, 1999) from Mr. Nicholas Brooke, President, Oakvale Avenue Residents
Association, in support of the application, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.
Insert Table/Map No. 1
Oakvale Avenue
