Traffic Studies Completed - Results Not Good!

The two (merged) traffic studies have now been completed and unfortunately the results are very car and property owner sensitive (or maintain Oxton Avenue as a free-flowing artery without pedestrians and thereby prevent near-by property owners from complaining again about non local cars on their streets). Also, notable is a lack of any alternate solutions in the report to address the issue of pedestrian safety on Oxton Avenue.

Summarized report...

(Excerts taken from the letter sent to Councillor Michael Walker from Transportation Services (Stephen Benjamin) in response to Mr. Walker following his Oxton Pedestrian Safety meeting with Mark Rees" June 17th, 2005 . Report conclusions highlighted in red) .

Re: Oriole Parkway and Oxton Avenue - Various Traffic Options

...In response to a June 27, 2005 email from Pierre D'Aoust of your office, summarizing seven issues arising from a June 17, 2005 meeting with Mark Rees, as well as subsequent e-mails from Mark Rees, we have reviewed the various traffic option at the above noted intersection...

Existing Conditions,

• Oxton Avenue is an major east-west arterial roadway...
  
• 20,000 vehicles per day and a speed limit of 50km...
  
• Free-flow traffic movement both ways...

(Oxton Avenue has been turned into the Oxton" Freeway")

History

• Reconstructed late 2002...
  
• Residence's areas to west of Avenue Road...high levels of non local traffic...
  
• dedicated turn lane created...
  
• Yields sign installed...removed...Because vehicles were stopping anyway...new signs installed to re-enforce no need to stop...

(If 99% of all our traffic is non local...according to this rational why do we still have non local traffic on Oxton? No stop/yield signs is 100% pedestrian unfriendly and just plain "lethal .")

"The following discussion will address each of Mr. Rees' concerns."

1. Replace Eastbound "Yield" Sign With a "Stop" Sign

• Installation of "Stop" sign would return intersection to pre-November 2002 conditions...
  
• However, removal of "Yield" sign has increased percentage of non stopping, eastbound motorists...,
  
• City Respone: Proposal is not advisable...

(Non stopping motorists are going to seriously injure a pedestrian!)

2. Removal of "Pedestrian Wait For The Gap" signs

• Only legal way to give pedestrians right-of-way is "Stop" sign...or traffic control signals...
  
• No pedestrians right-of-way at channelized turns (Oxton-Oriole)...
  
• Radar studies show cars travelling show 85% cars going 25kms
  
• Low pedestrian volumes...
  
• City Respone: Proposal is not advisable...

(Of course there are no pedestrians...the city has all but forced pedestrians to take the long way to the subway!)

3. Install rumble Strips In Northbound Left Turn Lane..."

• Bad idea on my part (Mark Rees)...
  
• City Response: No action required...

(Agreed)

4. Install Pedestrian Warning Signs For Northbound Motorists

• Not required by Ontario Traffic Manual (Book 6 Warning Signs)...
  
• City Response: No action required...

(Recently, I have noticed a "Yield to Pedestrian" sign at Lawrence & Allen Road and a flashing "Yield To Pedestrians" sign at York and Front...Why are these signs installed if they are not required by the manual? I think we all know why!)

5. Install Warning Signs To Highlight Need For Caution

• No signage in Ontario Traffic Manual that would provide additional guidance [in this situation]...
  
• Left-turning motorist's must yield to southbound traffic...
  
• City Response: Additional signage...not required...

(Again, focus solely on cars...pedestrians need not apply!)

6. Paint Warning Signs in northbound Left-Turn Lane

• Presently, there are left-turn arrows to guide northbound motorists in this lane, with solid lines separating it from adjacent lanes...
  
• City Response: Signage in accordance with Ontario Traffic Manual (Book 11, pavement, hazard and Delineation markings)...no further action required.

(Again, focus solely on cars...pedestrians and pedestrain safety need not apply!)

7. Install Traffic Control Signals

• Traffic lights warranted...
  
• Not a pedestrian issue, but a traffic issue...
  
• If lights installed traffic will go back into near-by residencial streets...
  
• City Response: Proposal is not advisable...

(Near-by homes owners don't like the cars on their streets...so installing traffic lights at Oxton & Oriole is a no, no!)

8. Signage Issues (Speed Signs)

• Signs clearly visible...installed according to Ontario Traffic manual
  
• We could arrange for oversized speed tab signs...

(Anything would be a help at this point...)

COMMENT: Powerful, near-by homeowner ratepayer associations have been the primary driver for the recent road configuration changes make on Oxton, Oriole and Chaplan. Since most of us rent and therefore do not belong similar organizations, it is easy for the city to overlook us whether by design or by accident.

That is why your emails and comments are so very important and very necessary to show the city that "we" count too! If you haven't had the opportunity, please take a few minutes to add your comments to this web site.

(For more information see comment below)