Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWD-86-86TOWN OF NEWCASTLE REPORT MEETING: THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE DATE: OCTOBER 20, 1986. REPORT #: WD -86 -86 FILE #: SU&ECT : File # _ Res_ #e, By -Law # TRAFFIC CONTROLS - INTERSECTION OF CHURCH STREET & TEMPERANCE STREETS RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended: 1. That Report WD -86 -86 be received; and, 2. That the stop controls at the intersection of Church Street and Temperance Street be reversed from Church Street to Temperance Street; and, 3. That the painted arrows on the Church Street approach lanes be removed; and, 4. That the curbing on the northeast and southwest corners be altered to eliminate jogs; and, 5. That the operation of the Church Street /Temperance Street intersection be monitored after completion of the new Administration Building construction to re- evaluate the warrants for traffic control signals. ...2 Page 2 Report No. WD -86 -86 The safety associated with the traffic movements through the Church Street /Temperance Street intersection has been questioned by the public, Town staff, and some Members of Council for some time. Staff have recently reviewed the traffic volumes, collision history, sight lines and physical aspects of the intersection with the Region of Durham Traffic Section. The results of our review are summarized in the September 25, 1986 letter from Mr. M.R. Bellamy of the Region of Durham (see attached). The recommendations presented in this report are intended to improve the safe operation of the intersection. It is noted that if the direction of control is to be changed, a Four -Way stop will be required for a period of three months. At the end of the three month period, the stop signs on Church Street would be removed creating through traffic in an east -west direction through the intersection. Respectfully submitted, Gordon J. Ough, P. Eng., Director of Public Works. GJ 0 : j co t October 14, 1986. _. The Regional Municipality of Durham Works Department Box 623 The Corporation of the Town of Newcastle 105 Consumers Dr. Whitby, Ontario Public Works Department Canada, L1N6A3 Hampton, Ontario (416) 668 -7721 LOB 1J O W.A.TWELVETREES,P.Eng. Attention: Mr. G. Ough, P. Eng. Commissioner of Works Director of Public Works Please quote our ref: Dear Sir: TRA -GEN Re: Intersection of Church St. & Temperance St., Bowmanville We recently completed a review of traffic operations at the intersection of Church and Temperance Streets as requested by the Town some time ago. Our review included analysis of traffic count.data supplied by the Town, a review of collision reports for the past five years, traffic control signal warrant calculations and field observations. The following is a summary of our findings: Existing Conditions The intersection is controlled by Stop signs for east -west traffic on Church St. Church St. is 4 lanes -wide with parking permitted on both sides of the road west of the intersection and no parking on either side of the road east of the intersection. The two westbound approach lanes are marked; one for through and right turns, the other for through and left turns. Of the two eastbound approach lanes, only the short curb lane is marked for right turns only. Temperance St. is the Through street. South of the intersection it provides one traffic lane in each direction and a parking lane on each side. To the north of the intersection the street is wide enough for 2 lanes of traffic and parking on the east side only. ...2 t6 r -2- With the exception of the 15 minute parking on the east side of Temperance St., in front of the Post Office, all other permitted parking is controlled by meters. Traffic Volumes A manual traffic count was conducted on Friday, October 25, 1985. All vehicle and pedestrian movements were recorded for the peak 9 1/2 hours between 7:30 A.M. and 7:30 P.M. The most significant feature of this data is that 61% of the intersection traffic enters from Church St. compared to 39% on Temperance St. It is obvious therefore, that the Stop signs are on the major street and the minor street has the "through" status. During the 9 1/2 hours counted, 495 pedestrians crossed Temperance St. and 676 pedestrians crossed Church St. In this instance having the Stop control on Church St. does accommodate the majority of pedestrians. Collisions Collision records provided by the Town can be summarized as follows: NUMBER OF RIGHT YEAR TOTAL COLLISIONS ANGLE COLLISIONS 1982 1 5 1983 5 1984 4 3 1985 3 0 1986 (to Aug.) 2 2 Average Per Year 3 2 The number of right angle collisions is an important consideration because this is the type of collision that can be reduced by the installation of traffic signals. The installation of traffic signals however can result in an increased number of other types of collisions, e.g. rear end. In this case, an average of 2 right angle collisions per year does not signify a serious problem. ...3 - 3 - Traffic Signal Warrants Traffic signal warrants, as established by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, consider intersection volumes, delay and collisions. Conditions at the intersection of Church and Temperance Streets do not satisfy any of these warrants. Observations An eastbound motorist at the Stop sign has his visibility to the south restricted by parked vehicles. A westbound motorist at the Stop sign has inadequate visibility, both north and south, when parking spaces are occupied on the east side of Temperance St. We were not able to determine if restricted sight was a contributing factor in the intersection collisions. The curb radii on the northeast and southwest corners have an irregular shape which may hamper smooth eastbound and westbound right turns. Recommendations 1. Reverse the Stop control from Church St. to Temperance Street. Putting the control on the minor street will reduce intersection delay. In addition, the sight problems will be minimized without the removal of curb parking. Four -way Stop control was considered but the severity of the collision problem does not justify such a stringent control method. i If the direction of control is to be changed, a 4 -way Stop will be required for an interim familiarization period of 2 - 3 months. 2. Remove the painted arrows from the Church St. approach lanes. 3. Replace the curbing on the northeast and southwest corners to elimiate the jogs. 4. Recount the intersection traffic in 1987 to determine what, if any, growth there has been. Collisions should also be monitored. With this information, traffic control signal warrants can be checked again. V (0' 4 If any of the above requires further explanation, please call me. Yours truly, 1'1." . -- . . ,.✓ Traffic Supervisor /rd cc: D. McMullen