Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutEGD-007-20Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: Council Date of Meeting: May 4, 2020 Report Number: EGD-007-20 Submitted By: Ron Albright, Acting Director of Engineering Services Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#: JC-071-20, C-209-20, C-210-20 File Number: By-law Number: 2020-029 Report Subject: Temporary Bike Lanes – Prestonvale Road, Courtice Recommendations: 1.That Report EGD-007-20 be received for information; 2. That, should Council wish to move forward with temporary bike lanes, the staff recommended route be used; and 3.That all interested parties listed in Report EGD-007-20 and any delegations be advised of Council’s decision. Municipality of Clarington Page 2 Report EGD-007-20 1. Background 1.1 The Engineering Services Department has reviewed the request from Council to provide temporary bike lanes on Prestonvale Road from Highway 2 to Bloor Street. This request is unique in nature as this situation is not specifically addressed in any of the guidance materials for Ontario roads. As such, staff have used the guiding principle of public safety in preparation of this report as well as Ontario guidance related to cycling facilities and travelled road lanes. 1.2 The following is a summary of the existing geometric conditions of Prestonvale Road: • Hwy. 2 to Robert Adams (160m) o 50 m of urban shoulders from Robert Adams north, terminated because of turning lane development. Traffic lane widths are 3.25 to 3.50 m beyond 1.50 m urban shoulder. Total road width of 10.0 m to 10.5 m Report Overview In response to Council’s request to implement temporary bike lanes on Prestonvale Road from Highway 2 to Bloor Street, staff have reviewed the Council recommended route as well as an alternate route, communicated with other Municipalities that have installed temporary bike lanes, and provided cost estimates. Municipality of Clarington Page 3 Report EGD-007-20 • Robert Adams to Claret (400m) o 1.5 m urban shoulders and 3.5 m traffic lanes. Total road width of 10.0 m • Claret to Glenabbey (645m) o 1.5 m urban shoulders and 3.5 m traffic lanes. Total road width of 10.0 m Municipality of Clarington Page 4 Report EGD-007-20 • Glenabbey to Meadowglade (260m) o Offset centreline with 3.5 m wide northbound lane and 3.5 m to 5.0 m wide southbound lane. Total road width of 7.0 m to 8.5 m • Meadowglade to Bloor (380m) o 3.5m traffic lanes but transitions at south end to include left turn lane at signalized intersection. Total road width of 7.0 m for majority and transitions to 12.0 m at signalized intersection. Municipality of Clarington Page 5 Report EGD-007-20 1.3 Based on the Ontario Traffic Manual’s Book 18 – Cycling Facilities, the minimum width for a bike lane should be no less than 1.5 m, and based on the traffic volumes on Prestonvale Road, the traffic lane widths should be no less than 3.5 m. Therefore, the road width that can accommodate both through traffic and bike lanes should be a minimum of 10.0 m. Below is a figure from OTM Book 18 showing these requirements. Based on these criteria, the only portion of Prestonvale Road that should be considered for temporary bike lanes is from Robert Adams to Glenabbey. Council’s request cannot be safely accommodated outside of these limits. Municipality of Clarington Page 6 Report EGD-007-20 2. Alternative Temporary Bike Lane Route 2.1 With the understanding that Council’s intent was to provide an additional temporary access to recreational facilities, and specifically the Waterfront Trail, staff reviewed other options to achieve the requested goal. In reviewing the local road network, and knowing that the desired local destination as per the Councillor’s request is Prestonvale Road south of Bloor Street, staff have identified the following alternative route that meets the minimum required road width for Council’s consideration: • Use existing urban shoulder from Robert Adams to Glenabbey with the provision of “Temporary Bike Lane” signage. Because the lanes are already painted, it is not recommended that construction barrel delineation be used (red line on below map) • Use construction barrel delineation and “Temporary Bike Lane” signage for the following areas (green line on below map): o Glenabbey from Prestonvale to Robert Adams Municipality of Clarington Page 7 Report EGD-007-20 o Robert Adams from Glenabbey to Meadowglade o Meadowglade from Robert Adams to Bloor (offset centreline additional centre barrels required – 25+/-) Municipality of Clarington Page 8 Report EGD-007-20 o Roswell from Bloor to Southfield • Southfield from Roswell to Prestonvale • Prestonvale (Bloor to south entrance of SCA) has formal bike lanes • Prestonvale south of SCA entrance the formal bike lanes terminate and the road changes to a 2-lane rural road with narrow shoulders (no opportunity to extend temporary bike lanes) under current conditions Municipality of Clarington Page 9 Report EGD-007-20 2.2 As an alternate to Prestonvale Rd, Council could consider continuing the temporary bike lane on Robert Adams from Glenabbey to Prestonvale (yellow line on map). This route would require the use of barrels and temporary signage as well. 2.3 When developing the route, staff found one section that would not be wide enough for a temporary bike lane; this was on Medowglade at the intersection of Bloor and is due to the turning lanes for this signalized intersection. Considering the lower than normal traffic numbers, the Region of Durham may consider a temporary removal of the left turn lanes on Meadowglade at Bloor to accommodate the bike lanes. Clarington staff can liaise with the Region of Durham on this issue, should that be Council’s direction. Municipality of Clarington Page 10 Report EGD-007-20 Municipality of Clarington Page 11 Report EGD-007-20 3. Temporary Bike Lanes in Other Communities 3.1 As suggested at Council, staff reviewed the temporary bike lanes implemented in Brampton. Our bike lanes would be similar in concept, however the circumstances in Brampton were slightly different in that they closed the outside lanes of a 4-lane roadway, which was only possible due to the reduction in traffic volumes during this COVID-19 situation. Below are several photos showing the temporary bike lanes created by Brampton. Municipality of Clarington Page 12 Report EGD-007-20 3.2 Further research by staff found that Mississauga also created similar temporary bike lanes on King Street in Cooksville. Mississauga’s temporary condition was done on a wider road that could accommodate the recommended lane widths for both traffic and cyclists. Mississauga is also planning to open an additional temporary facility similar to Brampton’s where they will be closing the outside lane of a 4-lane road to accommodate the bike lanes. When staff asked if Mississauga changed their traffic by-laws, they confirmed they did not. While this would be required to enforce no parking in the temporary bike lane, Mississauga staff noted that due to by-law staff’s focus on assisting with the enforcement efforts associated with COVID-19, they would not have the resources to also enforce these added temporary areas. Instead, they are relying on the temporary signage and the expectation that area residents will understand they cannot park in these temporary bike lanes. Below are some photos of Mississauga’s temporary bike lanes. Municipality of Clarington Page 13 Report EGD-007-20 3.3 As seen in the photos, both Brampton and Mississauga create the temporary bike lanes with extensive use of construction barrels. Both municipalities have also used this solution in areas with a limited number of homes fronting the roads, which would not be the case in Courtice. 3.4 While it can be appreciated that during this trying time we are attempting to assist our residents in safely exercising outdoors, it should be noted that both Mississauga and Brampton are much different communities than Clarington. Both have much higher population densities and fewer naturalized recreational areas within their municipal boundaries. For these reasons, these communities are seeing significant pressure on their trail and park systems from their residents during this time. Clarington’s population is much less dense, and we enjoy access to many naturalized recreational areas. While our trail systems are seeing an increase in use, we have observed that residents are generally able to keep a safe distance from others when using our trails. 4. Materials and Estimated Costs 4.1 As noted above, where there are white edge lines to define the temporary bike lanes the use of barrels to further delineate the lanes is not recommended. In the examples shown in the photos, it appears that the barrels are spaced between 5m and 10m. Because of the higher frequency of driveways and with the goal of reducing costs, we have estimated costs based on spacing of between 10m and 20m. The number of barrels required for the temporary bike lanes, considering the 1.65 km length of the alternative route on both sides of the road, would be roughly 275. This would exceed the number of barrels Clarington has available so the barrels would need to be rented or purchased. The cost Municipality of Clarington Page 14 Report EGD-007-20 for the rental of 275 barrels is estimated at $6,700 per month. The purchase price would be roughly $9,600. 4.2 Although staff are not recommending the use of barrels on Prestonvale Road, should Council decide to do so, roughly 160 barrels would be required at an estimate cost of $4,000 per month whereas the purchase price would be roughly $5,600. If the Robert Adams option is used instead of Prestonvale, roughly 200 barrels would be required at an estimated cost of $4,800 per month ($800 more per month than if barrels where used on Prestonvale) whereas the purchase price would be roughly $7,000. 4.3 Additionally, temporary bike lane signs would be required and should be posted at the minimum spacing of every 200 m and should be present at the temporary bike lane ends on both sides of an intersection. Based on these criteria, roughly 50 temporary signs would be required. Due to the temporary nature of these signs, staff recommend using coreplast signs (corrugated structural plastic) which have a significantly lower cost than metal signs and can be manufactured much faster. The estimated cost for the temporary signage is a one-time charge of $550. 4.4 Based on staff’s experience in implementing various traffic initiatives, a concern Council should consider is the local residents’ receptiveness to having these barrels in front of their homes and the entire stretch of road they live on for the next 1 to 2 months, or possibly longer. In addition to the staff time that would be required to install the temporary bike lanes, they would also be required to patrol the route 2 to 3 times a day as a minimum to ensure that the barrels are in place and not causing any issues. The cost of staff time required to complete this request has not been included in the estimate. 5. Concurrence Not Applicable. 6. Conclusion It is estimated that the implementation of the temporary bike lane proposal, excluding staff time, would cost $6,700 to $10,700 per month for barrel rental plus a one-time cost of $550 for the temporary signage. Should Council wish to proceed with purchasing the barrels for this Council initiative, the cost would be between $9,600 and $15,200. Staff Contact: Ron Albright, Acting Director, Engineering Servicing, 905-623-3379 x2302 or RAlbright@clarington.net. Attachments: Not Applicable Interested Parties: There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.