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THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
Meeting:
REPORT
GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE File #"'[0 ~
DECEMBER 6, 1999 Res. #C//J-J'1/,-f9
Date:
Report No.: WD-48-99
By-Law #
Subject:
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Recommendations:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee
recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report WD-48-99 be received;
2. THAT a permanent Traffic Management Committee be formed to review existing and
future traffic management practices;
3 . THAT the first agenda item for the Traffic Management Committee be to review published
Traffic Calming Guidelines and prepare a Municipal Policy, for Council's consideration, to
facilitate requests from the public for such devices; and
4. THAT the Traffic Management Committee report back to Council when a draft policy has
been completed.
REPORT
1.0 BACKGROUND
1.1 At a meeting held on June 22, 1998, the Council of the Municipality of Clarington passed
the following resolution:
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"THAT Report WD-41-98 be received;
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THAT the Municipality should continue to monitor the progress of traffic
calming in other areas and review any future guidelines adopted by the
Transportation Association of Canada (T AC), Canadian Institution of
Transportation Engineers (CITE), and the Ontario Traffic Conference
(OTC);
THAT the Municipality not experiment with speed humps in Enniskillen or
any other location at this time, but defer such actions until standardized
traffic calming guidelines are established;
THAT Council consider establishing a Traffic Management Committee and
work with a consulting firm to create a comprehensive municipal policy, if
funds are available during the 1999 budget deliberations."
1.2 The Transportation Association of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Transportation
Engineers compiled information from across North America and produced the Canadian
Guide to Neighbourhood Traffic Calming, dated December, 1998. The Municipality
received a copy of the final report in March, 1999.
2.0 REVIEW AND COMMENT
2.1 Neighbourhood Traffic Concerns:
As the population of Clarington increases, so has the concern of its residents about traffic
related impacts such as speeding, traffic volumes and traffic infiltration. The initial reaction
from the public has usually been to request additional stop signs or police enforcement.
Government and public consensus on what actually constitutes a traffic problem, and how to
resolve it, has resulted in significant levels of frustration for the public, politicians,
municipal staff and police.
Although the municipality must maintain a safe and efficient transportation network, it must
also try to manage local traffic to create a safe and comfortable environment for the local
residents. Although roadways are necessary for automobile traffic, economic development,
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and emergency services, there are increasing efforts being made to return streets to more
mixed uses, so as to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
An increasing number of jurisdictions are experimenting with traffic calming devices (some
more successful than others) and as they do, more requests will come from Clarington
residents to review this option. A proven need for local traffic calming also indicates that
the overall approach to traffic management has failed in some way.
2.2 Traffic Calming Overview:
Traffic calming involves altering motorists' behaviour on a single street or on a portion of a
street network. It also includes traffic management, which involves changing traffic routes
or flows within a neighbourhood. The Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers
(CITE) definition of traffic calming is as follows:
"Traffic calming is the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce
the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behaviour and improve
conditions for non-motorized street users."
Physical traffic calming measures include vertical and horizontal deflections in the roadway,
as well as obstructions. Examples of these measures include speed humps, raised
intersections, traffic circles, curb extensions and diverters. These measures, used alone or in
combinations, and implemented properly, can be effective in reducing motor vehicle speeds
and volumes. These same physical measures can reduce conflicts between other street
users, thereby improving the street environment.
Some physical traffic calming measures can also have potentially negative effects on the
mobility of local residents and emergency response times. Some measures can also be
costly to implement and may be considered visually unattractive or incompatible with
adjacent buildings and land uses. The challenge, when implementing traffic calming, is to
determine the best combination of measures that result in a net improvement (both real or
perceived) in the quality of neighbourhood life. The implementation of the final traffic
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calming measures must be achieved at a reasonable cost, without creating or exacerbating
problems on adjacent streets.
2.3 Principles of Traffic Calming
Although every situation is umque, there are several general principles which could
maximize the effectiveness of a traffic calming strategy and help build community
acceptance/support of the final plan. Many municipalities have learned that it is not wise to
rush traffic calming implementation. It is best to develop a sound policy and follow a
process which includes local public input and support. If measures are implemented without
proper planning, a great deal of time and funds can be spent, resulting in either very little
benefit or the creation of a larger problem than existed previously.
Identify the Real Problem:
Residents in a neighbourhood may not agree on whether the problem is speed and/or
volume, or which problem should have the highest priority. If a through traffic problem is
perceived, and traffic calming is installed with a device intended to reduce volume, it may
not be effective. No significant volume reduction would occur if the vast majority of traffic
was actually local, and would now only hinder local residents and emergency services.
If citizens on a major residential collector roadway consider 3,000 vehicles per day
excessive, on a roadway designed by planners and engineers to carry up to 10,000 vehicles
per day, is it a perceived problem or a valid concern which requires action? If on the same
street, citizens feel 50 km/hr is excessive and want traffic calming to reduce speeds to 30
km/hr, is it justified?
Ifthe perceived or actual problem is actually caused by local motorists, can it be affected by
educational/enforcement programs such as Road Watch before costly physical measures are
implemented?
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Quantify the Problem:
To select appropriate measures, it is necessary to gather data such as vehicle classification,
volume and speed counts, licence plate traces, parking surveys and collision statistics. The
perceived problem may not be as significant as reported, or at least less significant than
other locations competing for the same limited funds. Some jurisdictions have found that it
is difficult to justify expenditure of public funds on traffic calming in locations where only a
small percentage of the community will benefit.
Consider Improvements to the Arterial Street Network First:
Motorists will only short-cut through a neighbourhood if there is a reason to do so, such as
congestion on the arterial road. There are often a number of low cost options which could
be considered to improve performance on the arterial road, such as signal timing, new turn
lanes, turning prohibitions or parking restrictions before traffic calming is implemented on
the local streets. This would require consultation with the Region of Durham and
documentation demonstrating that a local problem exists which could be reduced or
eliminated with an improvement to the Region's arterial system.
Review and Apply Traffic Calming on an Area Wide Basis:
When considering resolving a traffic problem on one local street, such as volume, the
adjacent streets must also be considered. Otherwise, the proposed solution for one street
might simply create or exacerbate problems elsewhere.
Avoid Restricting Access and Egress:
Diverters, barriers and closures generally receive less support from residents and emergency
servIces.
Do Not Impede Pedestrians or Cyclists:
Measures should include gaps in barriers for cyclists and median refuges for pedestrians.
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Consider All Services:
Consider and consult with transit, fire, ambulance, snow plowing, street cleaning, and
garbage collection to address their concerns.
Monitor and Follow up:
When implementing traffic calming measures, it is important to report back to Council and
the Community regarding the success of the program. This helps to justify future
expenditures. It is sometimes useful to implement measures on a temporary basis for six
months or one year to monitor their effect. Before and after studies are essential to
determine the actual results, but often, even if very little has changed, there is often a
perceived improvement by the residents in the quality of the street life.
2.4 Clarington Traffic Management Committee:
It is desirable to establish a Traffic Management Committee to review traffic related policies
with the first item being a review of the Canadian Guidelines for Traffic Calming, recently
published by the Transportation Association of Canada.
Planning
Fire
Proposed Committee Members:
Public Works - Director of Public Works
- Manager of Operations
- Manager of Engineering
- Director of Planning
- Fire Chief
- Public Works Liaison Councillor
- Five (5) individual citizens
Council
Public
Note - The composition of the basic committee may expand during some reviews to include
representation from emergency services (police/ambulance), transit services, other staff
members, school boards, the Region of Durham and other members of the public.
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First Objectives of Traffic Management Committee:
1) To review available information about traffic calming.
2) Consider impacts on the municipality, including but not limited to liability, budget
allocations including cost of public process/implementation and maintenance, staff
time, scheduling of reconstruction projects, potential neighbourhood conflicts.
3) Develop a policy to review traffic calming measures for three scenarios:
- if retrofitting to existing streets
- if introducing in conjunction with road reconstruction or resurfacing
- if introducing with plan of subdivision or through Municipal Land Use and
Transportation Plans in a pro-active approach.
4) To ensure that area wide alternatives such as improvements to the arterial street
network, municipal land use or area transportation plans are considered, and that
local educational/enforcement programs are introduced before consideration of
localized traffic calming projects.
5) To present an overvIew of existing Traffic Management Practices with a
Comprehensive Traffic Calming Policy for Council's consideration which would
establish criteria, study process, public consultation, funding sources,
implementation, maintenance and post studies, and surveys to determine overall
effect.
6) To review future requests for traffic calming from the public.
7) To consider a proactive approach to Traffic Management on an area wide basis and
implementation of Traffic Calming measures in the planning process of new
development if justified.
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3.0 CONCLUSIONS
3.1 From the above, it is concluded that a permanent Traffic Management Committee is
required to review traffic management practices and to develop a Municipal Traffic Calming
Policy for Council's consideration in a subsequent report.
Respectfully submitted,
Reviewed by,
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Stephen A. Vokes, P. Eng.,
Director of Public Works
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Franklin Wu,
Chief Administrative Officer
RDB*SA V*ce
29/11/99
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