Item - 2017.TE22.78

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1.  City Council enact the traffic and parking by-law amendments as set out in Attachment 3 to the report (February 6, 2017) from the Acting Director, Transportation Infrastructure Management.

2.  City Council authorize and direct the appropriate City officials to take the necessary action to give effect to Council's decision, including the introduction in Council of any bills that may be required.

The Toronto and East York Community Council requested the Acting Director, Transportation Infrastructure Management to work with the affected Business Improvement Areas to monitor the changes to extended peak period regulations and to report back to the Toronto and East York Community Council if any additional changes are being recommended.

As part of the City of Toronto's Congestion Management Plan, continuing efforts to reduce traffic congestion, and improve streetcar operations, this report recommends the modification of peak hour restrictions on Toronto and East York District mixed-traffic streetcar route sections east of Parliament Street.

The study area covers Broadview Avenue, Coxwell Avenue, Kingston Road and Queen Street east of Parliament Street (Appendix A). An analysis of TTC GPS-based data further calibrated through manual traffic surveys and field observations supports the recommendations in this study.

The recommended changes, which consist primarily of extensions to many "No Stopping" and some "No Left-Turn" signed restrictions, are intended to improve transit service reliability, to better manage vehicular and cycling flow during the new extended peak period, and to match the City's existing traffic regulations with prevailing traffic conditions on these corridors. The By-law amendments also include the related changes to on-street parking operations to coincide with the new stopping prohibitions.

Conditions will be monitored following implementation to determine whether the changes have the intended effect, and whether any adjustments need to be made. While these changes do not immediately impact streetcar service scheduling or planning, they are intended to improve the consistency of travel times, and allow for subsequent schedule adjustments by the TTC.

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:  

1. City Council enact the traffic and parking by-law amendments as set out in Attachment 3 of the report dated February 6, 2017 from the Acting Director, Transportation Infrastructure Management.

2. City Council authorize and direct the appropriate City officials to take the necessary action to give effect to Council's decision, including the introduction in Council of any bills that may be required.

As part of the City of Toronto's Congestion Management Plan, continuing efforts to improve transit operations, vehicular and cycling flow, this report recommends the modification of peak hour restrictions on sections of Toronto and East York District mixed-traffic streetcar routes east of Parliament Street. This report includes revised recommendations based on recently updated analysis, and is intended to be considered in place of the staff report TE 19.62 Toronto East End Streetcar Routes - Extended Peak Period Regulations, which was considered by Toronto and East York Community Council on October 13, 2016 and subsequently deferred.

The study area covers Broadview Avenue, Coxwell Avenue, Kingston Road and Queen Street east of Parliament Street.  An analysis of the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) Automatic Vehicle Location data further calibrated through manual traffic surveys and field observations support the recommendations in this study.

The recommended changes, which consist primarily of extensions to many "No Stopping" and some "No Left-Turn" signed restrictions, are intended to clear parking in the curb lane and prohibit turning vehicles from blocking streetcars at intersections for slightly longer than the existing peak period.  The extended traffic regulations are intended to improve reliability of transit, reduce traffic congestion and align with the prevailing traffic conditions along the corridor.  The by-law amendments also include related changes to on-street parking regulations to coincide with the new stopping prohibitions.

Conditions will be monitored following implementation to determine whether the changes have the intended effect, and whether any adjustments need to be made. While these changes do not immediately impact streetcar service scheduling or planning, they are intended to improve the consistency of travel times, and allow for subsequent schedule adjustments by the TTC.