Item - 2022.IE28.7

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the installation of Bartlett-Havelock-Gladstone Cycling Connections project and all required Chapter 886, 903, 910, 925, and 950 by-law amendments on the following sections of roadway, as generally described in Revised Attachment 2, attached to motion 4a by Chair McKelvie:

a. Bartlett Avenue (Davenport Road to Bloor Street West);

b. Bloor Street West (Bartlett Avenue to Havelock Street);

c. Havelock Street (Bloor Street West to Sylvan Avenue);

d. Lindsey Avenue (Havelock Street to Gladstone Avenue); 

e.  Gladstone Avenue (Sylvan Avenue to College Street).

2. City Council authorize the installation of College Street West Upgrades project between Manning Avenue and Bay Street and all required Chapter 886, 910, and 950 by-law amendments, as generally described in Attachment 3 - College Street Upgrades By-Laws.

3. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to review and develop, during the future feasibility analysis and design phases of College Street, on the following elements:

a. design solutions to install raised sidewalks across all side streets not completed by the College Street Upgrade project;

b. the creation of a street vision emerging from a robust, transparent collaborative process including incorporating environmental improvements and greening initiatives outlined in the HVRA and PARA Green Plans, including engaging the Forestry division for possible opportunities for tree planting and permeable surfaces on street flankages wherever possible, and;

c. the development of a working group with key stakeholders including area residents.

4. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to establish metrics and commence data collection on safety of all road users, and impacts to motor vehicle traffic following the completion of construction of the College Street Upgrades project and provide an update to stakeholders and the public 12 months after construction completion.

5. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to conduct a safety analysis of Bathurst Street and College Street, and Spadina Avenue and College intersections to update pavement markings, signage and other infrastructure to support safer travel and include in the current College Street Upgrade project.

6. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to facilitate the CaféTO applications in 2023 and engage with applicants between Manning Avenue and Spadina Avenue to identify contiguous CaféTO applications and the potential use of the raised cycle tracks adjacent to the sidewalk.

7. City Council authorize the installation of Douro-Wellington Cycling Connections project and all required Chapter 886, 910, 925, and 950 by-law amendments, on the following sections of roadway, as generally described in Attachment 4 - Douro-Wellington Cycling Connections By-Laws:

a. Bathurst Street (Front Street West to Richmond Street West);

b. Clarence Square (Spadina Avenue to Wellington Street West);

c. Douro Street (King Street West to Strachan Avenue);

d. Wellington Street West (Strachan Avenue to Blue Jays Way).

8. City Council authorize the installation of Knox Avenue Cycling Connections project between Eastern Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard East and all required Chapter 886, and 950 by-law amendments, as generally described in Attachment 5 - Knox Avenue Cycling Connections By-Laws.

9. City Council authorize the installation of Sentinel Road Safety Improvements project and all required Chapter 886 and 950 by-law amendments, on the following sections of roadway, as generally described in Attachment 6 - Sentinel Road Safety Improvements By-Laws:

a. Dovehouse Avenue (Sentinel Road and Keele Street);

b. Grandravine Drive (a point 75 metres west of Sentinel Road and a point 40 metres east of Sentinel Road);

c. Sentinel Road (Lamberton Boulevard and Sheppard Avenue West); 

d. Sheppard Avenue West (Sunfield Road and a point 100 metres east of Sentinel Road). 

10. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to, as part of the next Near-Term Cycling Network Plan Update, review opportunities for a connection along the south side of Sheppard Avenue West from Sunfield Road and up to the east terminus of the future multi-use trail being secured along the public right of way as part of the development application at 1629 Sheppard Avenue West.

11. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to report to the next meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on the a plan for extending the Sentinel Road Safety Improvements project identified in Recommendation 5, north to Finch Avenue, and subsequently to Pond Road as a second phase.

12. City Council authorize the installation of Sheppard-Willowdale Road Resurfacing Opportunities project and all required Chapter 886, 910, and 950 by-law amendments on the following sections of roadway, as generally described in Attachment 7 - Sheppard-Willowdale Road Resurfacing By-Laws:

a. Hollywood Avenue (Willowdale Avenue and Longmore Street);

b. Greenfield Avenue (Willowdale Avenue and Wilfred Avenue);

c. Sheppard Avenue East (Bonnington Place and Clairtrell Road);

d. Willowdale Avenue (Empress Avenue and a point 40 metres south of Sheppard Avenue East).

13. City Council authorize the installation of Steeles Avenue Complete Street project between Kennedy Road and a point 150 metres east of McCowan Road and all required Chapter 886 by-laws amendments, as generally described in Attachment 8 - Steeles Avenue Complete Street By-Laws.

14. City Council authorize the installation of The Queensway Complete Street project and all required Chapter 886, 910 and 950 by-law amendments  on the following sections of roadway, as generally described in Attachment 9 - The Queensway Complete Street By-Laws:

a. Grand Avenue (The Queensway and a point 23 metres south);

b. High Street (The Queensway and Whitworth Avenue);

b. Park Lawn Road (Ringley Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West);

c. Stephen Drive (Ringley Avenue and The Queensway);

d. The Queensway (Burma Drive and a point 657 metres east of High Street); 

e. Woodford Park Road (The Queensway and a point 39 metres north).

15. City Council authorize the installation of a traffic control signal at the intersection of Bartlett Avenue and Davenport Road.

16. Subject to approval of and in conjunction with the installation of traffic control signals at Bartlett Avenue and Davenport Road identified in Recommendation 9 above, City Council authorize removal of the pedestrian crossover at Salem Avenue and Davenport Road.

17. City Council authorize the installation of a traffic control signal at the intersection of Bartlett Avenue and Dupont Street.

18. Subject to approval of and in conjunction with the installation of traffic control signals at Bartlett Avenue and Dupont Street identified in Recommendation 11 above, City Council authorize removal of the pedestrian crossover at Bartlett Avenue and Dupont Street.

19. City Council authorize the reduction of the speed limit from 40 kilometres per hour to 30 kilometres per hour on Wellington Street West between Bathurst Street and Portland Street.

20. City Council authorize the reduction of the speed limit from 60 kilometres per hour to 50 kilometres per hour on Steeles Avenue East between Brimley Road and McCowan Road

21. City Council amend cycling, traffic and parking regulations required in Chapter 886, Chapter 910 and Chapter 950, as generally described in Attachment 10 - Technical Amendments, for the Danforth Avenue cycle tracks, Oakwood Cycling Connections project and Davenport Road upgrades project, Bloor Street West cycle tracks, and The Esplanade cycle tracks previously approved by City Council are enacted in phases aligned with the timing of implementation of the appropriate segments of the respective projects over 2022 - 2023 and by-law accuracy.

22. City Council authorize the continuation of the temporary ActiveTO 2021 Cycling Network Expansion Projects listed below to July 31, 2023, inclusive, in order to provide sufficient time for Transportation Services to undertake additional data collection, monitoring evaluation and report back with recommendations to Infrastructure and Environment Committee and Council prior to July 31, 2023 regarding these projects:

a. Bayview Avenue:  River Street to Front Street East (multi-use trail, Ward 13); and

b. Yonge Street:  Davisville Avenue to 100 m south of Bloor Street (cycle tracks, Ward 11 and 12);

and request City staff to examine all intersections along the ActiveTO Midtown pilot project for the implementation of dedicated turn lanes and implement as soon as possible, in coordination with CaféTO.

23. City Council amend the various delegated authorities of the General Manager, Transportation Services, as adopted by City Council on April 7, 2021 in Item IE 20.12 - ActiveTO Lessons Learned from 2020 and Next Steps for 2021, which are currently in effect until April 30, 2022 to remain in effect until July 31, 2023, inclusive.

24. City Council authorize the appropriate City Officials to submit directly to City Council at the appropriate time any necessary Bills to amend the appropriate City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter, and any Schedules to the Code, to reinstate the traffic and parking regulations to what they were immediately prior to the By-law amendments made in connection with the IE 20.12 report (March 9, 2021) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

25. City Council authorize and direct the appropriate City Officials to take the necessary action to give effect to City Council's decision, including the introduction in Council of any and all Bills that may be required.

Infrastructure and Environment Committee requested the General Manager, Transportation Services to work with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Transit Commission, to compile all available data related to regular bus service and shuttle-bus service on Yonge Street during planned and unplanned Line 1 closures pre- and post-implementation of the ActiveTO Midtown Yonge Street Cycling Network Expansion project, and any other transit impacts, and to report directly to the April 6 and 7, 2022 meeting of City Council.

The Cycling Network Plan and the associated Near Term Implementation Plan, adopted by City Council in December 2021 seeks to build on the existing network of cycling routes to Connect gaps in the current network, Grow the network into new parts of the city, and Renew existing parts of the network to improve safety. This report recommends a number of bikeway projects that are proposed to be installed in the near term (2022 to 2024) for which design and consultation have been completed.

This report seeks Council authority to install 10 centreline kilometres of new bikeways on the following streets:

- Bartlett Avenue, Havelock Street, Gladstone Avenue and Lindsey Avenue: Davenport Road to College Street (contra-flow bike lane and cycle tracks, Ward 9)

- Knox Avenue: Eastern Avenue to Lake Shore Boulevard (bi-directional cycle tracks, Ward 14)

- The Queensway: the Humber Bridge to Burma Drive (cycle tracks, Ward 3)

- Sentinel Road: Dovehouse Avenue to Sheppard Avenue West (cycle tracks, Ward 6)

- Sheppard Avenue East: Bonnington Place to Clairtrell Road (cycle tracks, Ward 18)

- Steeles Avenue East: Midland Avenue to McCowan Road (cycle tracks, Ward 23)

- Wellington Street: Bathurst Street to Blue Jays Way (bi-directional cycle tracks, Ward 10)

- Willowdale Avenue: Empress Avenue to Sheppard Avenue East (cycle tracks, Ward 18)

This report also seeks Council authority to make improvements to 5 centreline kilometres of existing cycling infrastructure on the following streets:

- Bloor Street West: Bartlett Avenue to Havelock St (cycle tracks to two-way cycle tracks, Ward 9)

- College Street: Bay Street to Manning Street (bicycle lanes to cycle tracks, Ward 11)

- Douro Street: King Street to Strachan Avenue (uni-directional cycle tracks to bi-directional cycle tracks, Ward 10)

- Sentinel Road: Lamberton Boulevard to Dovehouse Avenue (bicycle lanes to cycle tracks, Ward 6 and 7)

- Stephen Drive: The Queensway to Ringley Avenue (bicycle lanes to cycle tracks, Ward 3)

- Wellington Street: Strachan Avenue to Bathurst Street (bicycle lanes to bi-directional cycle tracks, Ward 10)

The changes proposed would improve safety and mobility options by providing improved cycling connections to transit, parks, local schools, businesses, and residences. Pedestrian improvements have also been included in the projects, wherever feasible, including curb extensions and new sidewalk installations, and motor vehicle lane adjustments.

In addition, this report summarizes a preliminary evaluation of the pilot 2021 ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion projects on Midtown Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue south of River Street and recommends the temporary pilot periods of both installations be extended to July 2023, before which time Transportation Services will report to Infrastructure and Environment Committee and City Council on additional data, evaluation, and recommendations on the future of the two temporary ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion projects installed in 2021.

The ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion program dedicated road space on a temporary basis to facilitate cycling for essential trips and physical activity in order to support the city during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The program was highlighted in the City of Toronto's Office of Recovery and Rebuild's COVID-19: Impacts and Opportunities Report, which indicated that transportation infrastructure and programs will be critical for Toronto's recovery to build back better.

Seven of the temporary ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion projects installed in 2020 were made permanent in December 2021. There were two additional corridors installed in 2021, Yonge Street from Davisville Avenue to Bloor Street and Bayview Avenue from River Street to Front Street East.

The ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street pilot on Yonge Street implemented cafés, cycle tracks and other streetscape elements in July 2021. The expanded CaféTO program provided urgent support to local restaurants, while the ActiveTO bikeways provided a new safe connection that mirrored the Line 1 subway line.

After less than a year and with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding public health restrictions, the preliminary data demonstrates significant increases in cycling trips on the corridor and a reduction in motor vehicle operating speeds, as well as support for local business including an increase in the number of CaféTO patios on the corridor.

The preliminary data also indicates that motor vehicle travel times on Midtown Yonge Street have increased in comparison to the pre-pandemic baseline from Fall 2019. After various adjustments to the pilot and with evolving pandemic restrictions, travel times have increased by up to 30 seconds in AM/PM peak periods (down from 90 seconds observed Fall 2021) and approximately 102 seconds midday (reduced from 150 seconds observed in Fall 2021). At this point, the motor vehicle impacts are within the scale of impacts of the other ActiveTO 2020 and permanent bikeway projects that removed motor vehicle travel lanes. The largest impacts have been observed in the northbound direction during the middle of the day. As a result of this data and follow-up field observations, signal coordination timing adjustments and a Corridor Traffic Management System project are being implemented to optimize traffic operations along the corridor.

Community consultation has taken place, both before and during the pilot, with local businesses, four Business Improvements Areas, several neighbourhood associations and area residents. Feedback for the ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot ranged from support for the project citing improved safety and experience for people walking and cycling because of the cycle tracks and complete street design, to requests to remove the cycle tracks due to concerns about motor vehicle congestion and increased travel time.

Additional data collection, monitoring, and evaluation is recommended as Toronto reopens and recovers from the on-going pandemic impacts, particularly to address impacts from changing volumes of motor vehicle traffic along the corridor.

The ActiveTO pilot on Bayview Avenue East was implemented between Front Street East and River Street to provide a safe and direct detour to the Lower Don Trail closures. While Waterfront Toronto has moved forward with closures of the trail south of Corktown Commons until at least 2024, the planned Parks, Forestry and Recreation project which was expected to close the trail in 2021 to widen and improve the trail between Riverdale Park and Corktown Commons has experienced a delay due to contractor issues. Construction of the Lower Don Trail project is now expected to start in 2022. Extending the pilot period to July 2023, would allow staff to monitor the status of the trail construction project and report back with recommendations based on those findings.

As such, Transportation Services recommends extending the pilot period and existing delegation of authority in place for the corridors below until July 2023:

- Bayview Avenue: River Street to Front Street East (multi-use trail, Ward 13);

- Yonge Street: Davisville Avenue to 100 metres south of Bloor Street (cycle tracks, Ward 11 and 12).

Finally, this report seeks to make minor housekeeping amendments to existing bikeways and their associated traffic and parking by-laws on the following streets:

- Bloor Street West (bike lane by-laws and traffic and parking, Ward 9)

- Davenport Road (bike lane by-laws and traffic and parking, Ward 11)

- Danforth Avenue (traffic and parking, Ward 19)

- The Esplanade (bike lane by-laws and traffic and parking, Ward 10 and 13)

A map of the bikeway and ActiveTO projects proposed in this report is included as Attachment 1.