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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-04-15 Minutes COUNCIL INFORMATION I-3 MINUTES Clarington Traffic Management Advisory Committee Thursday,April 15, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. Location: Committee Room 1C Access via Library, 163 Church Street Bowmanville.Library 40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville Present Andrew Kozak, Gord Lee, Clayton Morgan, Brendon Nightingale, (Voting Dave Rickard, Glenn Wallis,David Duffie,Dirk Zinner, Wayne Godwin, Members) Ron Radcliffe. g" NT 4:.n.C.}.l� . s ♦'..)tiirt<.+>LR.r'd'm:,e'r-..s-*•.I•Ye.at. :f. Present Ron Baker, Leslie Benson, Tony Cannella, Stuart McAllister, ` (Non-Voting Don MacArthur, Keith Richards. Fri Members) t11iP �i sa,> Regrets: Ross Libbey Absent: Glenda Baker, Teresa Williams. Secretary: Jenny Bilenduke 1) Minutes of previous meeting (March 18, 2004) , Moved by David Duffle; Seconded by Glen Wallis that the minutes of the meeting of March 18, 2004 be approved with one change made to reflect-that Ron Radcliffe was in attendance at the March 18th meeting. 2) Items for information a) Road Watch/Traffic Watch Update Ron Radcliffe reported that there were 27 citizen reports submitted over the previous one month period. The message board was not signed out over that same time. b) Highway 407 Update Leslie Benson was able to advise the members that the EA Terms of Reference for the Highway 407 Committee are out and that the next meeting has been scheduled for April 27, 2004. The April 6, 2004 407 meeting focused on a presentation by the Durham Region's Planning Department showing estimated population and employment forecasts. C) Bowmanville Community Improvement Plan Update Brendon Nightingale, CTMAC representative on the Bowmanville Community Improvement Plan committee, advised the members that he attended the March 25, 2004 meeting. A Chair and Vice-Chair have yet to be elected but this may take place at the upcoming May 27`h meeting. Clarington Traffic Management Advisory Committee MINUTES —April 15, 2004 Page 2 of 5 At the March meeting Mike Hubicki of Totten Sims Hubicki was in attendance to give a detailed overview of the downtown Bowmanville improvements that are scheduled to commence early this summer. It is anticipated that the project will be tendered by mid-April and should be complete by the end of August, 2004. Brendon explained that the improvements will occur between George St. and Scugog St., in Bowmanville and will include new lighting, as well as landscaping and concrete upgrades. Brendon felt that it was important that the final lighting design selected does not cascade light upwards and while TSH is looking at this,further consideration will be given. d) Other Information • Police listing of dangerous intersections Constable Keith Richards explained that the Durham Regional Police Services Bowmanville detachment have been malting use of the opportunity to present issues to the community by way of Clarington's Page Two. Traffic issues are featured every other week, with criminal issues covered on opposite weeks. The most recent traffic information section provided the community with a police listing of the top collision locations in Clarington. The data in the article shows that King Street/ Highway#2, still has the highest number of accidents in Clarington. Police use statistics such as were featured in the article as a useful gauge to determine where enforcement efforts should be focused. Stu McAllister commented on the recent ATV ad the Police ran and asked if this information had been made available across the Region? ATV "Know Where to Ride" advertisements have been placed across the Region on several occasions by the Durham Region ATV Safety Coalition because riding illegally is seen as a region-wide issue. 3) Agenda items for discussion a) Hampton General Store Pavement Marking Proposal (Intersection of Old Scugog Rd. and Mill Stream Lane) The committee members discussed their concerns about on-street parking in front of the liquor store in Hampton because some felt that vehicular safety could be improved if on-street parking was removed. Constable Richards explained that there has only been one traffic accident in this Clarington Traffic Management Advisory Committee MINUTES —April 15, 2004 Page 3 of 5 area over the last one year period, a number which statistically speaking, is relatively low. Ron Baker advised that in situations such as this one, he tries to achieve an acceptable balance between safety and commerce and agreed to provide the Committee members with a pavement marking scheme at the next meeting. This issue will be discussed again at that time. b) Traffic connection south side of Newcastle Public School (Between Glass Crt. and Beaver St.) On April 5, 2004 Clarington Council approved the by-law attached to report EGD-13-04 which recommended that changes be made in the area of Glass Crt., and Beaver St. in Newcastle to improve safety around the school. A copy of the by-law that was passed will be made available to the members at the next CTMAC meeting. After much discussion regarding the merits of connecting the two streets by way of a U-shaped link, a motion was proposed to show: "That the CTMAC recommends that the Engineering Department should discuss this link opportunity with the school board". This Motion was Moved by David Duffle; Seconded by Brendon Nightingale. CARRIED C) Concession St. W. traffic concerns (including intersection of Concession &Beech from Liberty St. to Wellington St.) Councillor MacArthur introduced this topic by stating that he has received numerous complaints from residents on Concession Street who have made it clear that they are not happy with the traffic calming changes that have been made. Andrew Kozak advised that as a resident of the street he can confirm that the major concerns are volume and speed of traffic on the street. Noise caused by the interlocking brick treatments is also an issue but volume and speed are more serious concerns. It has been suggested that the intersection of Concession and Beech be changed to an all-way stop and that pedestrian crossings are needed in various locations. In addition to the concerns raised by residents on Concession Street, drivers who use Concession Street have complained that parking on the street, particularly in front of the bump outs, should not be permitted as this impedes traffic flow and puts drivers at risk. Local area residents are not in favour of additional "no parking"by-laws for the street. Drivers have also complained about visibility at Beech Ave. and Concession St. Clarington Traffic Management Advisory Committee MINUTES —April 15, 2004 Page 4 of 5 Tony Cannella talked about the challenges involved in trying to introduce traffic calming measures to an arterial type "C" collector road without changing the functionality of the road. A collector road is one which has been designated within the Official Plan as a roadway used to move higher volumes of traffic. When the design work was being done on Concession Street the Municipality worked with local area residents to achieve a compromise that looked at safety as being the primary issue. The design, which included brickwork, was approved by a majority of the key stakeholders because it was agreed that it had succeeded in addressing the primary issue in a manner that is also visually appealing. The Committee agreed that if further improvements are to be made they should be thoughtfully reviewed by the members of this committee over the next few months. Ron Baker will provide data regarding speed and volumes in the area, although several studies by the Municipality and the Police have shown that there is significant compliance with posted speed limits on the street. Traffic volumes continue to show approximately 3 — 4,000 cars per day,numbers that have not changed since the improvements were made. Once the Longworth Bridge is constructed it is fair to expect that even though Bowmanville is growing these numbers may decline, perhaps even significantly. Tony Cannella agreed to go through the various letters and petitions that have been received so far and will compile a list of issues that the Committee can begin to review. d) King Street E. —Bowmanville Mall access Clayton asked about the status of the installation of the traffic signals on King St. E., at the Bowmanville Mall. Tony Cannella advised the members that the Municipality is reviewing and assessing comments received from the public and the stakeholders to determine the best location for traffic signals. It may not be appropriate to place them in front of the mall canopy, as was originally proposed, due to transportation issues or concerns arising in the area. When options are being considered it is important that we.have confidence that the transportation issues in the area are being dealt with in a more global fashion. The transportation network in the area is very complex and may breakdown rapidly if land use policies or transportation policies are not strictly adhered to as recommended in the corridor study. After some discussion the committee agreed that because future improvements on King St. E., could potentially have such a significant impact on traffic in the Bowmanville community, this is the type of situation the Committee should be aware of. This is the type of project that meets the committee's vision which is to deal with traffic Clarington Traffic Management Advisory Committee MINUTES —April 15, 2004 Page 5 of 5 management issues of community significance. Tony agreed to provide further information that may assist the Committee in conducting a full review over the coming months. 4) New Business a) All-Way Stop Request at Byron's General Store, Tyrone Clayton Morgan stated that he has received a copy of a letter that Ron Baker sent to a resident who has requested an all-way stop in Tyrone. Clayton commented on how well the letter explained when it is appropriate to install an all-way stop. b) Advanced Light at Highway#57 and Highway#2 Stu McAllister agreed to bring a copy of the Region's response to this request to the next CTMAC meeting. C) Prospect Street Bridge,Bowmanville Tony Cannella advised the members that the wooden bridge on Prospect Street was recently closed by the Municipality to vehicular traffic in response to concerns raised by the railway regarding its structural integrity. Engineering Staff recently met with the railway to talk about repairs that are to be done in a manner that is consistent with the historical nature of the area and of the bridge. Tony does not expect that the bridge will be re-opened quickly but will provide further information as it becomes available. 5) Next meeting date: May 20, 2004—7:00 pm Room 1A (New Location - Enter via Municipal Administration Centre, north door). 6) Adjournment Moved by David Duffie; Seconded by Wayne Godwin.