3.             INVESTIGATION INTO THE OPERATION OF THE
Intersection of Woodroffe Avenue & IrIs Street

 

EXAMEN DU CYCLE DES FEUX DE CIRCULATION À
L’INTERSECTION DE L’AVENUE WOODROFFE ET DE LA RUE IRIS


 

 

Committee Recommendation AS AMENDED

 

That Council request the province to include an increase in eastbound capacity at the Woodroffe Queensway on-ramp as part of modifications to the ramp.

 

 

Recommandation MODIFIéE du comité

 

Que le Conseil demande à la Province d’accroître la capacité de circulation vers l’est de la bretelle d’accès Woodroffe Queensway, dans le cadre des modifications à cette bretelle.

 

 

 

 

Documentation

 

1.   Deputy City Manager's report (Public Works and Services) dated 12 June 2008 (ACS2008-PWS-TRF-0020).

 

2.   Extract of Draft Minutes, 20 August 2008.

 

 

 


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Transportation Committee/Comité des transports

 

12 June 2008/le 12 juin 2008

 

Submitted by/Soumis par :

R.G. Hewitt, Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint

Public Works and Services/Services et Travaux publics

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Michael J. Flainek, M.Eng., P.Eng., Director/directeur

Traffic and Parking Operations/Circulation de stationnement

613-580-2424 x 26882, Michael.Flainek@ottawa.ca

 

College, Ward 8

Ref N°: ACS2008-PWS-TRF-0020

 

 

SUBJECT:

INVESTIGATION INTO THE OPERATION OF THE Intersection of Woodroffe Avenue AND IrIs Street

 

 

OBJET:

EXAMEN DU cycle des feux de circulation à l’intersection de l’avenue Woodroffe et de la rue Iris

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That Transportation Committee receive this report for information.

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité des transports reçoive le présent rapport aux fins d’information.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

In September 2007, Transportation Committee provided the following direction:

 

That the Transportation Committee direct staff to conduct a formal investigation into the implementation of an advance left turn phase for eastbound Iris Street at Woodroffe Avenue and present a report to Committee”.

 

Traffic and Parking Operations staff have studied the operation of the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Iris Street.  In particular the eastbound left turn movement was studied to evaluate its current operation and determine if any operational changes are required.

 


A portion of the local community has been asking the Councillor’s office to have an advanced left turn arrow installed for the eastbound direction at the intersection of Iris Street and Woodroffe Avenue.  At the request of the local Councillor, staff had provided initial feedback regarding the implications of the advanced left turn arrow.  This feedback was provided to the Councillor’s office in March of 2007.  At that time, staff’s position was that the requested changes would not result in any improvement in the operation of the eastbound left turn movement and would have a negative impact on other movements at the intersection.  As well, it should be noted that local residents have in the past been concerned that providing an eastbound left turn arrow at this location would result in an increase in cut-through traffic using Iris Street as an alternate route to the Highway 417 corridor.

 

DISCUSSION

 

The primarily source of complaints have been regarding the AM peak periods.  Staff have observed the AM peak period operations at the intersection and in the area in general numerous times through the fall of 2007.  In particular, staff studied the operation of the eastbound left turn movement on four (4) separate occasions:

 

 

The results of these studies have shown that the eastbound left turn movement is experiencing delay and is operating at a Level of Service D or E (depending upon the operation of the Highway 417 corridor at the time of the study).  It was also found that the other movements at the intersection are operating at comparable levels of service.

 

Through the field studies it was found that in approximately 50% of the traffic signal cycles, eastbound left turning vehicles are experiencing delays directly associated with these vehicles not turning into the left most northbound lane on Woodroffe Avenue.  These vehicles are instead waiting and attempting to turn into the right most northbound lane (curb lane) on Woodroffe Avenue.  The northbound curb lane on Woodroffe Avenue is regularly congested due to traffic attempting to access the Highway 417 eastbound. 

 

The implementation of an eastbound left turn arrow would not reduce this delay and would result in increased delay to all other pedestrian and vehicle movements.

 

Traffic and Parking Operations staff have observed that the primary source of delay for the eastbound left movement is related to congestion on the Woodroffe Avenue corridor north of Iris Street.  A potential means of relieving this congestion is to encourage the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, to reconstruct the Woodroffe Avenue Eastbound 417 ramps to provide additional capacity for northbound traffic.  In addition, it is recommended that Traffic and Parking Operations staff continue to monitor and adjust traffic signal operations at this location and neighbouring intersections to minimize congestion in the Woodroffe Avenue corridor north of Iris Street.

 

Additionally, traffic simulation models have been used to model both existing and projected operations with an eastbound left turn arrow.  Through these models it was found that the installation of an eastbound left turn arrow would have no benefit to the eastbound left turn movement.

 

Conclusion

 

Staff have observed operations in the field and studied the potential impacts of the proposed left turn arrow.  It has been concluded that the implementation of the requested left turn arrow would not result in any benefit, and in fact may have negative impacts to traffic operations in the local community.  The local community has in the past opposed the installation of an eastbound left turn arrow as they feel it would result in an increase in traffic using Iris Street as a route to bypass traffic congestion on the Highway 417 corridor.  The implementation of the proposed eastbound left turn arrow could potentially result in an increase in traffic using Iris Street in this manner.

 

It is understood that a large number of complaints are being received requesting the installation of the eastbound left turn arrow.  However, it can be expected that a similar if not greater number of complaints would be received regarding both the short duration of an eastbound left turn arrow and the resulting cut-through traffic, if it was to be installed.

 

Implementing the eastbound left turn arrow display would increase the delay to north and southbound traffic by reducing the amount of green time available for these movements. This would reduce the level of service for the northbound Woodroffe Avenue movement to failure conditions.

 

For these reasons, it is staff's recommendation that no action be taken to introduce an eastbound left turn signal phase at this location.

 

The Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, has plans to modify the Highway 417 Eastbound On/Off ramps to improve pedestrian safety as well as traffic operations at these locations.  These improvements will potentially help relieve some of the congestion currently being experienced by northbound Woodroffe Avenue traffic.  This reduction in congestion for northbound Woodroffe Avenue traffic will help reduce delays currently experienced by the eastbound left turn movement at the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Iris Street. In the meantime, City of Ottawa staff have made some minor adjustments to the traffic signal timing at both the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Iris Street and at the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Highway 417 eastbound to better balance the needs of all intersection users.

 

In addition, staff will continue to monitor this location and the neighbouring intersections to adjust the traffic signal timing when appropriate to reduce congestion on Woodroffe Avenue north of Iris Street.  The planned installation of a traffic monitoring camera at this intersection as part of Transit Operations improvements will permit close monitoring of this intersection and its operations.

 

CONSULTATION

 

No specific public consultations were undertaken in the preparation of this report.  The Ward Councillor’s office has received requests to install an eastbound left turn arrow and the Councillor has requested this report as a direct result.  In addition, previous public meetings with local community groups have made staff aware of concerns regarding cut through traffic.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no financial implications as a result of the staff recommendations.

 

DISPOSITION

 

Traffic and Parking Operations staff will undertake direction received from Council.



            INVESTIGATION INTO THE OPERATION OF THE Intersection of Woodroffe Avenue & IrIs Street

EXAMEN DU CYCLE DES FEUX DE CIRCULATION À L’INTERSECTION DE L’AVENUE WOODROFFE ET DE LA RUE IRIS

acs2008-pws trf-0020                                                                                    College (8)

 

Stuart Edison, Traffic Control Engineer, gave a brief overview of the report.  A copy of the presentation is held on file.  Mike Flainek, Director of Traffic and Parking Operations added that the request from the community for an eastbound left-turn signal onto Woodroffe from Iris would not provide any relief and would negatively impact everyone else on the road and in the community.

 

Councillor Rick Chiarelli explained that this is a significant problem for the community and suggested writing to the Ministry of Transportation with a request for them to reconstruct the eastbound on-ramp at Woodroffe and the Queensway to provide additional capacity for northbound traffic.  Councillor Leadman agreed to put forward this Motion on his behalf.

 

Walter Mullins, a resident in the area explained that his concern is the westbound left turn movement on Woodroffe turning onto Iris Street.  He explained that heavy southbound traffic on Woodroffe Avenue prevents him from making this turn during the protected green cycle.  He sometimes makes it at the very beginning of the red cycle, which he knows is not safe.  Alternative routes are either prohibited during specific times or too circuitous.

 

Responding to these concerns, the Director explained that this intersection is operating at level of service E which means it is close to failing and the handling of volumes in peak periods is significant.  He indicated that a traffic monitoring camera at this location will give staff the opportunity to closely monitor the intersection and adjust signal timing when appropriate.

 

Moved by C. Leadman

 

That the Transportation Committee recommend that Council request the province to include an increase in eastbound capacity at the Woodroffe Queensway on-ramp as part of modifications to the ramp.

 

                                                                                                CARRIED

 

That Transportation Committee receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                RECEIVED as amended