3. EXISTING TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS

Transcription

1 3. EXISTING TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS Eglinton Avenue spans 35 kilometres across the centre of Toronto, from Kingston Road near Lake Ontario in the east to the Pearson Airport in the west. The corridor has grown from being a disconnected dirt road at the edge of the City to one of its most important thoroughfares. It is now one of the City s traditional main streets, and plays a key role at the neighbourhood, city and regional scale, serving as the main street for the many neighbourhoods throughout the corridor, while also linking the broader region geographically and economically. There are five major components that impact movement on Eglinton Avenue: moving vehicles, pedestrian space, cycling, access and parking, and social and economic conditions. This section documents existing conditions of these components along Eglinton Avenue between Black Creek Drive and Brentcliffe Road. This examination of existing conditions is fundamental to the process of defining alternative solutions, as the operational deficiencies and constraints identified at this stage, along with the review of future transportation conditions, shaped the development of the problem statement and opportunities. 3.1 Existing Population and Employment Land use, particularly population and employment levels and density, is directly correlated with transportation demand, and affect the transportation movement throughout the EGLINTONconnects EA study area. The existing population and employment is based on information provided in the 2011 Census for population density, and the City s 2011 Flash Forward Official Plan Forecast for employment densities. The existing 2011 population and employment densities within the study area are illustrated in Exhibit 3-1 and Exhibit 3-2. Exhibit 3-1: Existing Population Density (2011 Census) The highest population and employment densities are concentrated around major nodes, especially where there is existing subway service. The area around Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue experiences the highest density with respect to both population and employment. Along Eglinton Avenue, there are pockets of significant residential density between Dufferin Avenue and Allen Road, and also between Bathurst Road and Chaplin Crescent. In the west end of the study area (west of Dufferin Avenue), there is generally low density population and employment. Major employment exists towards the east end of the corridor, at Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue. Exhibit 3-2: Existing Employment Density (2011 Census) March 26, Project # 7162

2 3.2 Existing Road Network Eglinton Avenue is a main east-west arterial road under the jurisdiction of the City of Toronto. It serves a combination of local vehicular traffic within the corridor, and also longer distance through traffic. Its role varies along the corridor in some sections there is a high proportion of local, shorter distance traffic; in other sections there is a higher proportion of longer distance through traffic. The study area used to develop the traffic analysis for the EGLINTONconnects EA study is for the underground portion of the LRT is from Black Creek Drive to the west and Brentcliffe Road to the east, and bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the north, and St. Clair Avenue to the south, as illustrated in Exhibit 1-4. Eglinton Avenue has an urban cross-section and generally varies between 4, 5 and 6 lanes, with an existing posted speed limit varying between 50 km/h and 60 km/h, and with reserved bus and taxi lanes at various locations throughout the corridor. Along Eglinton Avenue in the westbound direction of travel, bus/taxi lanes exist between Caledonia and Oakwood, east and west of Bathurst, and east and west of Yonge and Mount Pleasant. In the eastbound direction of travel, bus/taxi lanes exist between Caledonia and Oakwood, west of Bathurst to Bathurst, west of Chaplin to west of Yonge, and from east of Yonge to Bayview. The traffic lane configuration within the study corridor is shown in Exhibit 3-3 Intersection lane configurations were documented in the ECLRT Corridor Transportation Study (LEA-Halsall, November 2011), as shown in Exhibit 3-4. Two significant changes to lane configurations have occurred since the completion of the LEA-Halsall report, and are reflected in Exhibit 3-4. At the intersection of Eglinton Avenue and Allen Road North, the previous westbound Eglinton Avenue configuration of two westbound through lanes and one westbound right-turn lane was reconfigured to have one westbound through and two westbound right-turn lanes. In addition, exclusive NB and SB right-turn lanes have been implemented at Yonge Street. Exhibit 3-3: Existing Traffic Lane Configuration March 26, Project # 7162

3 Exhibit 3-4: Existing Lane Configurations at Signalized Intersections Source: Figure 2.1, Eglinton LRT Corridor Transportation Study, LEA-Halsall, November 2011 March 26, Project # 7162

4 3.3 Existing Cross-Section Eglinton Avenue has a varied right-of-way condition and cross-section throughout the corridor. The majority of Eglinton Avenue currently has a right-of-way of 26.2 m. The balance of the street between Black Creek Drive and Brentcliffe Road varies from 23.1 m to approximately 30 m in width. No segment of Eglinton Avenue currently has a right-of-way of exactly 27 m. Typical cross-sections, representative of each segment A through G, have been developed to highlight the existing right-of-way, lane configurations and lane widths and are presented in Exhibit 3-5 through to Exhibit A summary of key characteristics of the existing cross-section is provided by segment. Additional description of the corridor is discussed in latter sections of the report: Segment A Black Creek Drive to Caledonia Road 26.2m right-of-way (typ.) 3.0m general purpose travel lanes, two in each direction 2.6m centre turn lane or median 5.8m public realm, on either side Some off-peak on-street parking Segment F Segment G Bayview Avenue to Laird Drive 23.0m right-of-way (typ.) Five 3.0m general purpose lanes, two in westbound direction, three in eastbound direction (one reserved taxi/bus curb lane south side) 2.0m public realm on either side Rare off-peak on-street parking Laird Drive to Brentcliffe Road 29.3m right-of-way (typ.) 3.2m to 3.3m (varies) general purpose travel lanes, two in each direction 3.0m centre left turn lane 3.3m dedicated taxi/bus curb lane, south side 5.6m public realm on south side, 4.5m public realm on north side Some off-peak on-street parking Segment B Segment C Segment D Segment E Caledonia Road to Oakwood Avenue 26.2m right-of-way (typ.) 3.5m general purpose travel lanes, one in each direction 4.0m dedicated taxi/bus curb lanes, one in each direction 5.6m public realm, on either side Off-peak on-street parking Oakwood Avenue to Avenue Road 26.2m right-of-way (typ.) 3.3m general purpose travel lanes, two in each direction 3.0m dedicated centre taxi/bus lane 5.0m public realm, on either side Some off-peak on-street parking Avenue Road to Mount Pleasant Road 26.2m right-of-way (typ.) 3.0m to 3.6m (varies) general purpose travel lanes, two in each direction 3.4m dedicated taxi/bus curb lane, south side 4.8m public realm (approx.), on either side Some off-peak on-street parking Mount Pleasant Road to Bayview Avenue 26.2m right-of-way (typ.) 3.0m to 3.6m (varies) general purpose travel lanes, two in each direction 3.6m dedicated taxi/bus at curb lane, south side 4.7m public realm on south side, 4.9m public realm on north side No on-street parking Exhibit 3-5: Existing Cross-Section - Segment A March 26, Project # 7162

5 Exhibit 3-6: Existing Cross-Section - Segment B Exhibit 3-8: Existing Cross-Section - Segment D (North-South) Exhibit 3-9: Existing Cross-Section - Segment E (North-South) Exhibit 3-7: Existing Cross-Section - Segment C March 26, Project # 7162

6 3.4 Moving Vehicles Existing Traffic Analysis Existing Modal Share and Trip Length A trip length analysis based on the 2006 Transportation Tomorrow Survey data was conducted for traffic zones within the study area. A summary of varying trip lengths within the study area by travel mode for AM Peak Period (6-9 AM) trips are shown in Exhibit 3-12 and Exhibit Although the majority of trips (63% of 90,100 in total) on the Eglinton Avenue corridor are over 4 km in length, a significant portion (21% or 29,600 in total) of trips are less than 2 km in length and can potentially be substituted by active transportation modes. Of these short distance trips (<2 km) trips, 44% are walk-cycle trips versus 7% transit trips and 49% auto trips. Improvements to walking and cycling facilities along the Eglinton Avenue corridor can potentially serve some of the trips that are currently being made by autos and reduce the car mode share for short trips. Exhibit 3-10: Existing Cross-Section - Segment F (North-South) Exhibit 3-11: Existing Cross-Section - Segment G (North-South) Exhibit 3-12: Percentage Mode Share by Trip Length in the Study Area March 26, Project # 7162

7 Exhibit 3-13: Total AM Peak Period (6-9AM) Study Area Trips by Length and Mode Trip Length Walk Cycle TTC Auto Driver Auto Passenger Total Trips by Length Trip Length Distribution 0-1km 4, , ,200 6% 1-2km 8, ,800 8,000 3,500 21,400 15% 2-3km 1, ,700 5,900 1,900 12,700 9% 3-4km ,500 5,500 1,300 10,500 7% 4+km ,700 45,900 8,600 90,100 63% Total Trips by Mode 14,500 1,000 43,900 67,500 16, , % Modal Share 10% 1% 31% 47% 11% 100% Existing Origin-Destination Patterns Overall, there is a steady base amount of locally generated traffic throughout Eglinton Avenue along with high volumes of regional traffic from three sources: Black Creek Drive/Highway 400, Allen Road, and the DVP/Leslie/Highway 404, which use Eglinton Avenue to disperse among alternative north-south routes. Allen Road in particular features this pattern since it terminates at Eglinton Avenue. Traffic congestion related to Allen Road causes a distinct split between local traffic east and west of Allen Road as well. Allen Road appears to be a dividing point between Eglinton Avenue traffic to the east and west, such that longer distance trips are made to and from Allen Road, but not beyond. About 90% of trips on Eglinton Avenue, east of Allen Road either came from or are going to Allen Road. From Allen Road, only about 25% are destined to Eglinton Avenue, west of Yonge Street. About 50% are headed further south, while the remaining 25% continue east on Eglinton, beyond Yonge Street. The overall origin-destination traffic patterns observed are illustrated in Exhibit Exhibit 3-14: Origin-Destination Traffic Patterns on Eglinton Avenue Existing Traffic Volumes Traffic count information was collected as input to the traffic analysis for this study. The majority of traffic data was obtained from the Eglinton Crosstown LRT Corridor Transportation Study (LEA- Halsall, November 2011), which utilized the City of Toronto s latest traffic counts at the time, which were also used in the 2010 ECLRT EA study. Although newer counts from 2012 were provided, the traffic counts from the original ECLRT EA were used to maintain consistency with 2010 Eglinton Crosstown LRT EA, and because the difference between the counts used for the 2010 EA and the updated counts provided was anticipated to be within the day-to-day variance of traffic. The count locations, dates and sources are summarized in Exhibit Where significant differences or a need to use a more updated count was identified, the traffic volumes were updated (at Yonge, Mount Pleasant, Allen Road NB). At the intersection of Allen Road NB and Eglinton Avenue, and at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue however, HDR conducted traffic counts (via HDSL and TIG) for more up-to-date traffic information. Growth rates were not applied to any of the traffic counts for the existing conditions analysis. The existing volume and capacity of Eglinton Avenue by major roadway segments is illustrated in Exhibit The AM peak hour traffic on Eglinton Avenue today can be divided into segments of high and low traffic volumes. From Black Creek Drive to Caledonia Road, traffic exceeds single lane capacity of approximately 800 vehicles per hour per lane. Between Caledonia and March 26, Project # 7162

8 Oakwood, there is a lower volume section where traffic does not exceed this threshold. Through the Allen Road intersections, traffic volumes are very high until Bathurst, with traffic exceeding two lanes of capacity westbound. East of Bathurst, traffic volumes are roughly 1,000 in each direction or less, all the way to Mount Pleasant Road. East of Mount Pleasant, traffic volumes ramp up progressively towards the Don Valley Parkway. The intersection turning movement volumes at all signalized intersections on Eglinton Avenue are summarized in Exhibit In these exhibits, unsignalized intersections, driveways, etc. located in between the major intersections account for discrepancies between traffic volumes in adjacent intersections. In addition, the data for each intersection may have been collected at different times and dates, which would also account for discrepancies between adjacent intersections volumes. Existing Synchro analysis for the AM and PM peak hours is provided in the Traffic Study Report in Appendix A. Exhibit 3-15: Existing AM Peak Hour Traffic Volume by Major Roadway Segment Exhibit 3-16: Turning Movement Count (TMC) Locations and Dates - Signalized Intersections Count Location Date Source Black Creek February 27, 2007 City Bicknell April 8, 2008 City Keele & Trethewey October 6, 2009 City Richardson November 15, 2007 City Gabian December 2, 2009 City Blackthorn December 1, 2009 City Caledonia June 4, 2007 City Harvie & Ronald April 26, 2010 City Ennerdale July 28, 2008 City Dufferin April 5, 2007 City Northcliffe August 27, 2009 City Glenholme July 28, 2008 City Oakwood October 29, 2007 City Marlee October 29, 2007 City Allen Road SB May 12, 2008 City Allen Road NB June 28, 2011 HDSL Glen Cedar July 28, 2008 City Rostrevor November 30, 2009 City Bathurst April 14, 2008 City Forest Hill December 2, 2009 City Vesta January 3, 2009 City Spadina July 22, 2009 City Chaplin August 26, 2009 City Heddington April 2, 2007 City Castle Knock July 22, 2008 City Avenue July 22, 2008 City Oriole July 24, 2008 City Duplex July 23, 2008 City Yonge November 14, 2012 TIG Redpath August 25, 2009 City Mount Pleasant June 22, 2011 LEA Forman August 10, 2005 City Banff July 28, 2010 City Bayview June 1, 2009 City Rumsey June 9, 2008 City Sutherland July 29, 2009 City Laird February 24, 2010 City Brentcliffe January 21, 2008 City March 26, Project # 7162

9 Exhibit 3-17: Existing AM and PM Peak Hour Turning Volumes March 26, Project # 7162

10 Existing Level of Service Analysis The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) defines Level of Service (LOS) for signalized and unsignalized intersections as a function of the average vehicle control delay. LOS may be calculated per movement or per approach for any intersection configuration, but LOS for the intersection as a whole is only defined for signalized and all-way stop configurations. HCM LOS definitions are summarized in Exhibit Exhibit 3-19: Existing Signalized Intersection Level of Service Intersection at Eglinton Avenue Existing Lane Configurations AM LOS PM LOS Critical Movements, V/C Ratio, Delay(s) Exhibit 3-18: Highway Capacity Manual Level of Service Definitions for Intersections LOS Signalized Intersection Average Vehicle Control Delay Unsignalized Intersection Average Vehicle Control Delay LOS Recommendation A 10 sec 10 sec Acceptable B sec sec Acceptable C sec sec Acceptable D sec sec Somewhat undesirable E sec sec Undesirable F 80 sec 50 sec Unacceptable The traffic analysis documented in this report focuses on intersection capacity because traffic operations along Eglinton Avenue are generally dictated by intersection capacity rather than link capacity. It should be noted that LOS calculations refer to the intersection as a standalone site and does not take into account any spillback or congestion related to adjacent intersections, where spillback tends to reduce traffic volumes actually processed through intersections. Notable intersections known to experience spillback include Allen Road NB and Allen Road SB, and thus intersection operations documented within this report may be worse in reality. Recognizing the impact that this spillback would have, particularly on emergency response, it would need to be taken into account in the development of the emergency vehicle signal pre-emption system. Existing weekday AM and PM peak hour level of service for major signalized intersections between Black Creek Drive and Brentcliffe Road are summarized in Exhibit Detailed Synchro reports for the intersection capacity analysis are documented in the Traffic Study Report in Appendix A. The critical movements, the V/C ratios, and total delay are also included for intersections with a LOS of D or worse. The critical movement delays represent a worst case scenario and are subject to the limitations of the Synchro model assumptions and traffic and signal timing inputs. Due to these model limitations, the modelled delay times are not reflective of actual delay times experienced in cases where delay times are significant. When traffic experiences such delays, traffic will often divert to other routes, and the delay times in the exhibit are not actually experienced (for example, when delays are greater than two traffic cycle lengths, approximately greater than 180s-240s). In addition, the City of Toronto s traffic light system can adjust signal timings to meet changing traffic conditions, reducing the delay times. Black Creek Drive B B Keele Street / Trethewey Drive Caledonia Road D F Dufferin Street C D Oakwood Avenue B E D D NBL, 1.24, 555 NBL, 1.03, 235 WBT, 1.21, 419 WBT, 1.06, 161 WBL, 1.06, 182 March 26, Project # 7162

11 Intersection at Eglinton Avenue Existing Lane Configurations AM LOS PM LOS Critical Movements, V/C Ratio, Delay(s) Intersection at Eglinton Avenue Existing Lane Configurations AM LOS PM LOS Critical Movements, V/C Ratio, Delay(s) Allen Road SB E E SBR, 1.07, 180 SBL, 1.07, 189 Duplex Avenue C C Allen Road NB B C EBL, 1.00, 69 Yonge Street C C Bathurst Street D C NBL, 1.03, 167 Avenue Road D F EBLT, 1.03, 137 EBLT, 1.46, 679 NBLTR, 1.03, 111 Mount Pleasant Road C C Oriole Parkway C D Bayview Avenue D F SBL, 1.02, 162 SBL, 1.29, 580 March 26, Project # 7162

12 Intersection at Eglinton Avenue Existing Lane Configurations AM LOS PM LOS Critical Movements, V/C Ratio, Delay(s) north-south traffic and thus intersection LOS is poor at these locations. While the analysis shows good level of service at Allen Road NB, this intersection is in fact congested today due to spillback issues which are not captured in the analysis, where upstream traffic is often metered by upstream intersections. Laird Drive E E Brentcliffe Road E F EBLT, 1.02, 120 WBL, 1.02, 136 NBL, 1.00, 146 WBL, 1.14, 311 WBL, 1.33, 657 NBR, 1.35, 679 East of Avenue Road through to Mount Pleasant Road, traffic volumes are low and little congestion is experienced at the major intersections. Progression through this part of Eglinton is slow however because of short distances between intersections, high land use density and pedestrian traffic. The section east of Mount Pleasant to the eastern limit of the study area has high traffic volumes and significant congestion during the peak periods with traffic building towards the Don Valley Parkway Traffic Safety The City of Toronto s Transportation Services has identified locations along the corridor for potential for safety improvement, based on the Safety Improvement Rankings, as illustrated in Exhibit This Safety Improvement Ranking is determined through a network screening process of all roads within the City, mainly considering the historical frequency of collisions, and severity of collisions in these locations, among other factors. This priority ranking does not necessarily include geometric design of the roadway, or human factors considerations. As illustrated in Exhibit 3-19, existing traffic level of service on Eglinton Avenue varies by major roadway segments. Eglinton Avenue traffic volumes vary by roadway segment, experiencing high and low traffic volumes that match the changing role and function of the corridor, as it progresses from west to east and vice versa. As such, traffic level of service varies as well. Congestion is observed in the western section of the study area, west of Allen Road. While traffic volumes are low between Caledonia and Oakwood, congestion is experienced in the peak periods due to the presence of the bus/taxi only lane in both directions, which restricts the flow of general traffic to two lanes. Allen Road, Bathurst, and Avenue Road each carry significant The areas shown in red indicate the roadway segments and intersections within the corridor with the highest potential for safety improvements for consideration. In general, Eglinton Avenue between Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street, and also Eglinton Avenue between Yonge Street and Mount Pleasant Road. Potential design factors in improving traffic safety include, but are not limited to, modified geometric design and cross-section elements, improved separation between roadway users, improved signage and human factors considerations. These types of improvements can be considered in the future as opportunities arise. Exhibit 3-20: Potential Safety Improvements Eglinton Avenue Corridor Source: City of Toronto Transportation Services, North York District, Potential for Safety Improvement Ranking March 26, Project # 7162