Item - 2016.EY17.20

Etobicoke York Community Council deferred consideration of this Item to its meeting on November 15, 2016.

This staff report is about a matter that Community Council has delegated authority from City Council to make a final decision.

Following requests by local residents to block pedestrian access to a laneway due to concerns about illegal and antisocial behaviours, this report advises on the advantages and disadvantages of converting existing guardrails to full fences to prevent pedestrian through traffic on the public laneway which runs north-south between Lawrence Avenue West and MacDonald Avenue, east of Ralph Street. 

Reducing public through access on this laneway has the potential to reduce the rate of illegal activity now associated with pedestrian access. The advantage of closing the laneway to public access is to provide the abutting landowners with the benefits of a private lane, while being maintained by the City. The disadvantages of closing the lane include the removal of an efficient transportation link for a significant number of pedestrians between Lawrence Avenue West and MacDonald Avenue, including the local high school, Weston Road Collegiate. The closing of the lane with fencing would also be contrary to the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and may lead to situations where, as a result, the affected lanes become less safe due to limited access and visibility from the street. Once access is limited, there is also an increased likelihood that the lanes will be used for illegal parking. Finally, the addition of a chain-link or wood fence is likely to attract a variety of maintenance issues, including graffiti, garbage and weeds which will require additional City resources on an ongoing basis. As a result, City staff do not recommend that the laneway be blocked against pedestrian use.