Item - 2023.TE1.30

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1. Requested the General Manager, Transportation Services to review the feasibility of establishing a construction hub within the Yonge and St. Clair area, bounded by Avenue Road to the west, Cottingham Street/Shaftesbury Avenue to the south, Lonsdale Road to the north and Avoca Avenue to the east, along the same model as existing construction hubs, particularly, the Yonge-Eglinton Construction Hub, and to provide an update to the February 23, 2023 Community Council meeting.

I am writing to respectfully request the establishment of a construction hub in the Yonge and St. Clair area, approximately bounded by Avenue Road to the west, Cottingham Street/Shaftesbury Ave to the south, Lonsdale Road to the north and Avoca Ave to the east.  This is in view of the rapid pace of developments in the area evidenced by the large number of active development applications—there are over 25.  Construction has commenced on a number of these developments.  In the not too distant future, others will follow suit.  As such, it is crucial that we begin taking steps to proactively envisage logistical planning of the right-of-way, review Construction Management Plans, connect travellers with real-time information, collaborate with enforcement officers and communicate impacts and changes to businesses and communities in the neighbourhood.  Certainly, this proposed hub should be set up replicating the Yonge and Eglinton Construction Hub model that was instituted in 2019, which has by-and-large been a success. 

At the numerous community consultation meetings that I have presided over, residents and community stakeholders alike have consistently called for co-ordinating truck movements, improving signage and road markings, and undertaking temporary road design changes, on a case-by-case basis, as the area is becoming what they describe as the "new Yonge and Eglinton."

Moreover, the complete streets pilot on Yonge Street makes this more imperative.  Just a couple of days ago, we learned of the unfortunate demise of a young cyclist in this area, at the intersection of Yonge and St. Clair, as a result of being hit by a pickup truck.  Many residents have identified this particular intersection as chaotic.  This could not be a timelier opportunity to begin to focus on the Yonge and St. Clair area and taking the needed steps toward enhancing pedestrian and cyclist safety as we could have more chaos on our hands once more heavy-duty trucks increasingly ply this area.