Purpose: Financial Implications and Impact Statement: It is estimated that the cost to implement:

Transcription

1 Various Modifications Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East; Lower Jarvis Street, east side, between Lake Shore Boulevard East and The Esplanade Lower Jarvis Street; and Lower Jarvis Street, between The Esplanade and Front Street West (Downtown) (City Council on July 4, 5 and 6, 2000, amended this Clause to provide that the cost of the entrance way into the parking garage be co-shared between the City and the developer, i.e. the City of Toronto will pay $10,000.00, and the Developer will pay $10, ) The Toronto Community Council recommends the adoption of the following report (June 19, 2000) from the Director, Transportation Services, District 1 and the Director, Engineering Services, Districts 1 and 2: Purpose: To report on modifications to the alignment of the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East to improve safety for pedestrians; to provide for parking/loading laybys on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, fronting Premises Nos Lower Jarvis Street; and to provide for an exclusive southbound left turn lane from Lower Jarvis Street to the driveway to Premises No. 109 Front Street East, located on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, between The Esplanade and Front Street East. Financial Implications and Impact Statement: It is estimated that the cost to implement: (1) the modifications to the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street/Lake Shore Boulevard East, noted in Recommendation No. 1, below, is $160,000.00, funds for which are available in the Transportation Services Division 2000 Capital Budget; (2) the construction of three lay-bys on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, south of The Esplanade, noted in Recommendation No. 2, below, is $170,000.00, funds for which are available in the Transportation Services Division 2000 Capital Budget; (3) the widening of Lower Jarvis Street, east side, between Front Street East and The Esplanade, for the provision of an exclusive southbound left-turn lane into the driveway to Premises No. 109 Front Street East, as noted in Recommendation No. 3, below, is $145,000.00, funds for which are to be provided by the owners of Premises No. 109 Front Street East; and

2 (4) the modifications of the west side curb of Lower Jarvis Street, between Front Street East and The Esplanade, as also noted in Recommendation No. 3, below, is $20,000.00, funds for which are available in the Transportation Services Division 2000 Capital Budget. Recommendations: It is recommended that: (1) approval be given to alter the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East to improve pedestrian crossing safety on the east side of the intersection by stopping up and closing the existing westbound to northbound exclusive right-turn ramp, as well as modifications to the existing traffic islands within the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East to accommodate the northbound right-turn movement, as described below: The stopping up and closure of the existing exclusive right-turn channelized ramp on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard East, east of Lower Jarvis Street, and modifications to the existing traffic islands within the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street And Lake Shore Boulevard East, generally as shown on the attached print of Drawing No. SK-2257, dated June 2000 ; (2) approval be given to alter the east curb line of Lower Jarvis Street, south of The Esplanade, fronting Premises Nos Lower Jarvis Street, for the purpose of providing off-street parking/loading facilities, as described below: The widening of Lower Jarvis Street, from a point 54 metres south of The Esplanade to a point 96 metres further south, from a width of metres to a width varying between metres and metres, by the construction of three lay-bys on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, generally as shown on the attached print of Drawing No. SK-2256, dated June 2000 ; (1) approval be given to alter sections of the roadway on Lower Jarvis Street, from Front Street East to The Esplanade, for the provision of an exclusive southbound left turn lane and modifications to the west curb line, as described below: The widening of Lower Jarvis Street, from Front Street East to The Esplanade, from a width of 13.41metres to a width varying between metres and 15.9 metres, generally as shown on the attached print of Drawing No. SK-2258, dated June 19, 2000 ; (2) in conjunction with the implementation of Recommendation No. 3, westbound to southbound left turns from the driveway to Premises No. 109 Front Street East to Lower Jarvis Street, located at a point approximately 60 metres south of Front Street East, be prohibited at anytime;

3 (3) the City Solicitor and City Clerk be requested to commence the statutory advertising process of the draft by-laws to authorize the highway alterations noted in Recommendation Nos. 1, 2 and 3 such that ads are placed the weeks of June 19, June 26, July 3 and July 10, 2000, to enable the hearing of deputations on these matters at the July 18, 2000, Toronto Community Council meeting; and (4) the appropriate City Officials be authorized and directed to take whatever action is necessary to implement the foregoing, including the introduction in Council of any Bills that are required. Comments: Works and Emergency Services staff have investigated the feasibility of improving pedestrian crossing safety at the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East, of providing for off-street parking/loading facilities in front of Premises No Lower Jarvis Street; and to widen the section of Lower Jarvis Street, between The Esplanade and Front Street East to provide for an exclusive southbound left turn lane into the underground parking facilities of Premises No. 109 Front Street East. Staff have consulted with Downtown Councillors Kyle Rae and Oliva Chow respecting these investigations. Intersection of Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East The Toronto Pedestrian Committee (TPC) and the Task Force on Gardiner/Lake Shore Corridor, as well as staff from the offices of Downtown Councillors Kyle Rae and Olivia Chow, had requested that Works staff investigate the feasibility of improving safety for pedestrians crossing north-south at the intersection of Lower Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard East, destined to the Loblaws supermarket, located on the west side of Lower Jarvis Street, between Lake Shore Boulevard East and Queens Quay East. Specifically, the TPC wanted staff to review the pedestrian crossing environment on the west side of the Lower Jarvis Street/Lake Shore Boulevard East signalized intersection with particular attention being given to improving the safety of pedestrians crossing at the channelized southbound right turn lane and implementing a proposed north-south pedestrian crossing, which is currently prohibited by by-law (signage is posted to direct pedestrians to cross on the east side of the intersection). As noted above, this intersection is controlled by traffic control signals. During the busiest eight-hour period of a typical weekday, approximately 35,500 motorists, 1100 pedestrians and 50 cyclists use this intersection. Based upon these volumes, it is estimated that approximately 75,000 vehicles use this intersection on a twenty-four hour basis. The intersection has a complex geometry. Two lanes are provided on the northbound and southbound approaches. A channelized southbound right-turn lane is also provided, which leads to the westbound on-ramp for the Gardiner Expressway. The westbound approach is comprised of four lanes with a channelized right-turn lane, which is a ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard East to Lower Jarvis Street. The eastbound approach is divided into three sets of traffic lanes (eastbound left-turn movement from the Gardiner Expressway off-ramp, eastbound through movement from the Gardiner Expressway

4 off-ramp and eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard East traffic). The following ramps to and from the Gardiner Expressway are located near this intersection: eastbound off-ramp, eastbound on-ramp and westbound on-ramp. The Gardiner Expressway is located over the westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard East and east-west railway overpass is located just north of the intersection. Pedestrian crossings are provided on all legs of the intersection except for the west leg, where (as noted above) they are prohibited by by-law and signage. Providing a crossing on the west leg of the intersection is not feasible as pedestrians would have to cross four sets of traffic lanes and two small medians. Also, a proper pedestrian refuge is not available for pedestrians to cross this leg of the intersection in two stages. A single crossing is not feasible due to the long distance to be crossed and the signal timing constraints at this intersection. Due to the extensive length of the east leg crossing of approximately 47 metres, pedestrians have to cross this leg in two stages. On the east leg, a median is provided as a refuge for pedestrians between the eastbound and westbound traffic lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard East. The traffic control signals at this intersection operate under the SCOOT (Split Cycle and Offset Optimization Technique) traffic control system. Under this demand-responsive system, the length of individual green phases and cycle lengths are optimized depending on traffic demand, which is detected by sensors embedded in the pavement. Due to the complex geometry of this intersection, the traffic control signals operate under a three-phase operation. As it was determined that pedestrian crossings should continue to be prohibited on the west leg of the intersection, a number of improvements were implemented, including the posting of advanced warning signage at Lower Jarvis Street and The Esplanade to guide southbound pedestrians to use the east side of Lower Jarvis Street in order to cross Lake Shore Boulevard East, Pedestrians Ahead and Pedestrians Wait for Gap signs were installed at the channelized southbound right turn lane, and additional Pedestrians Cross at East Side Only signs were installed on the west leg of the intersection. Significant reconstruction to simplify traffic operations and pedestrian operations is not feasible at this time. However, as part of our investigations, we reviewed the feasibility of improving the pedestrian environment on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street. One of the major obstacles faced by pedestrians approaching Lake Shore Boulevard East on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, is the westbound to northbound channelized right turn ramp. Vehicles merging onto northbound Lower Jarvis Street from this ramp often disobey the posted Stop sign and endanger pedestrians. It was suggested that consideration be given to closing this ramp and to require right turns to be made through the signals directly from the westbound curb lane of Lake Shore Boulevard East. We examined the capacity of the westbound approach of Lake Shore Boulevard East at Jarvis Street and determined that there is sufficient capacity within the intersection to allow these westbound to northbound movements through the signalized intersection by the implementation of certain modifications to the existing intersection design, which are shown on the attached print of Drawing No. SK-2257, dated June It is our opinion that implementation of this proposal will improve safety for pedestrians by reducing their exposure to vehicles at one less crossing

5 point on the east side of the intersection. However, implementation of this proposal may result in increased queuing for westbound Lake Shore Boulevard East motorists. Proposed Lay-bys fronting Premises Nos Lower Jarvis Street City Council, at its meeting of April 13, 14 and 15, 1999, adopted Clause No. 65 of Report No. 6 of the Toronto Community Council, titled Installation of Parking Meters Lower Jarvis Street, East Side, from Lake Shore Boulevard East to The Esplanade (Downtown), and in doing so, authorized the implementation of an on-street loading zone and nine metered parking spaces on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, fronting Premises Nos Lower Jarvis Street. In the staff report contained in the said Clause, the following was noted: As an alternative to the above [on-street loading/parking], consideration was also given to constructing a lay-by on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, in front of Premises No While the provision of a lay-by is technically feasible, the cost of such an installation would be quite high (estimated to be in excess of $100,000.00). A check of Department records determined that the section of sidewalk on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, south of The Esplanade, is scheduled for reconstruction within the next five years. At the time the reconstruction is undertaken, a parking lay-by could be installed at reduced cost. Under this scenario, the parking spaces would be available all day and would not interfere with traffic operation on Lower Jarvis Street. Lower Jarvis Street, between Front Street East and Lake Shore Boulevard East, is scheduled for resurfacing of the roadway and sidewalk re-construction improvements this summer. In conjunction with this, it is feasible to construct three lay-bys at the subject location to accommodate commercial loading and up to eight parking spaces. The proposal is shown on the attached print of Drawing No. SK-2256, dated June It is also proposed to make improvements to the streetscape by planting trees and installing decorative paving stones on the sidewalk/boulevard on the east side of Lower Jarvis Street. The existing on-street loading/parking operates in the off-peak hours only as the curb lane of Lower Jarvis Street is required to accommodate rush period traffic. While the implementation of this proposal will result one less parking space, the loading/parking will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the added benefit of reducing traffic congestion on Lower Jarvis Street by regaining unrestricted access to the northbound curb lane. Transportation Services will report further on required parking by-law amendments needed to implement the above proposal at the time that deputations are to be heard by Toronto Community Council respecting this matter. Lower Jarvis Street in the vicinity of Premise 109 Front Street East Provision of a southbound exclusive left-turn lane Premises 109 Front Street East is the subject of an on-going development and is located in the block bounded by Front Street East, Lower Jarvis Street, The Esplanade and George Street South, opposite the St. Lawrence Market. Motor vehicle access to the site is via a driveway on

6 the east side of Lower Jarvis Street, midway between Front Street East and The Esplanade. This driveway serves as access to private parking facilities as well as to public, paid parking facilities. In 1998, as part of the development plans, the City of Toronto entered into a Section 37 agreement with the owners of Premises No. 109 Front Street East, which states, in part, as follows: The City shall support and assist the Developer in obtaining from the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto or its successor permission for a southbound left turn access from Jarvis Street to into the Public Garage to be constructed under the Phase IIc Building. The driveway and building flanking Lower Jarvis Street have now been constructed. City Planning staff and Works staff have consulted with the owners of Premises No. 109 Front Street East with respect to the design and construction of an overhead bridge to link the subject site with the St. Lawrence Market as well as the required southbound left turn lane noted above. In this regard, we have designed a proposal to modify the east and west curb lines of Lower Jarvis Street, between Front Street East and The Esplanade to accommodate the southbound left turn lane. This proposal is shown on the attached print of Drawing No. SK-2258, dated June 19, In conjunction with the left-turn lane, and as a safety measure, westbound to southbound left turns from the subject driveway to Lower Jarvis Street, should be prohibited at all times. All costs associated with the construction of the southbound left-turn lane should be the responsibility of the owners of Premises No. 109 Front Street East. The changes described above, and as noted in Recommendation Nos. 1, 2 and 3, would constitute an alteration to the public highways, pursuant to the provisions of the Municipal Act. The intent of Council to enact a by-law(s) to authorize any physical changes resulting in the alteration of the pavement configuration must be advertized and subsequently be subject to a public hearing. Having regard to these statutory requirements coupled with the schedule of Council meetings for the months of August and September, it will be necessary to begin advertising the proposed alteration after endorsement by the Toronto Community Council on June 20 and 21, but prior to City Council approval on July 4, 5 and 6. Specifically, it is recommended that this matter be advertised during the weeks of June 19, June 26, July 3 and July 10, 2000 and be scheduled as a deputation item for the July 18, 2000, meeting of the Toronto Community Council with final approval by City Council on August 1, 2, and 3, Adhering to this schedule will allow work to commence in August, to coincide with existing tenders. Should City Council not endorse the plan at its July 4, 5 and , meeting the advertising would be discontinued. These projects are pre-approved in accordance with Schedule A of the Class Environmental Assessment for the Municipal Roads Project.

7 Contact: Stephen Benjamin, Manager, Traffic Operations, Dist. 1 Central Telephone: (416) ; Fax: (416) ; sbenjami@city.toronto.on.ca Susan Samuel, P. Eng., Project Engineer, Design and Construction,Technical Services, Dist. 1 Telephone: (416) ; Fax: (416) ; ssamuel@city.toronto.on.ca

8 Drawing No. SK-2257, dated June 2000

9 Drawing No. SK-2256, dated June 2000

10 Drawing No. SK-2258, dated June 19, 2000