|
2.
Traffic control signal at Bronson and Arlington Feux
de circulation au carrefour des avenues Bronson et Arlington |
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
That
Council approve the installation of a traffic control signal at Bronson and
Arlington as part of the upcoming reconstruction project.
Recommandation du ComitÉ
Que le Conseil approuve l’installation de feux
de circulation au carrefour des avenues Bronson et Arlington, dans le cadre des
travaux de reconstruction à venir.
DOCUMENTATION
1.
Transportation Committee report dated 1 February 2012
(ACS2011-CMR-TRC-0002)
Report to/Rapport au :
Transportation Committee / Comité des transports
and Council / et au
Conseil
1 February 2012 / 1 février 2012
Submitted by/Soumis
par :
Councillor Diane Holmes, Somerset Ward
|
SUBJECT: |
|
OBJET : |
Feux de circulation au carrefour des avenues Bronson et Arlington |
That Transportation Committee
recommend that Council approve the installation of a traffic control signal at
Bronson and Arlington as part of the upcoming reconstruction project.
Que
le Comité des transports recommande au Conseil d’approuver l’installation de
feux de circulation au carrefour des avenues Bronson et Arlington, dans le
cadre des travaux de reconstruction à venir.
Background
Bronson
Avenue, in the 13 blocks between Laurier Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, will
be reconstructed as part of an Integrated Road, Water, and Sewer project to
replace the ageing water and sewer infrastructure. Funding for this project is
included as part of the Ottawa On The Move program in
the draft 2012 Capital Budget. Construction is expected to begin in 2012.
During
the public consultation process, the community representatives on the Public
Advisory Committee expressed many concerns about the poor pedestrian experience
along Bronson Avenue. As more residents are attracted to Centretown, Bronson
Avenue needs to become a pedestrian connection for the neighbourhood.
There
are no signalized or signed crossings of Bronson Avenue between Gladstone and
Catherine. During the consultation process for the reconstruction project, the
Public Advisory Committee for the project expressed a strong and unanimous desire
for a traffic control signal at Bronson and Arlington. The need for a TCS has
been supported by the Chair of the OCDSB and by the Principal of Glashan Public School.
The project design team
managing the project has acknowledged the merit of this request.
DISCUSSION
Arlington
Avenue is a direct pedestrian and cycling east/west route from Booth Street to
Bank Street. There is a desire line for students to access Glashan
Public School and to access the fast food restaurants on Bronson between
Arlington and Catherine.
Despite
the lack of a formal crossing, many pedestrians cross Bronson Avenue between
these two streets. As part of the reconstruction project for Bronson Avenue,
the community has been vocal about the need for a proper crossing of Bronson
Avenue within this stretch.
According
to the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (www.neighbourhoodstudy.ca) performed in 2010, 43.7% of residents in
Centretown walk to work, compared with the city-wide rate of 7%. There are more
pedestrians and cyclists who would take advantage of this crossing point if a
traffic control signal is installed.
Ottawa Cycling Plan
Arlington
Avenue is the only non-collector, non-arterial road that connects with Bronson
Avenue, Booth Street and Bank Street. Arlington Avenue is already a two-way signed
cycling route between Lyon and Percy, connecting the southbound bicycle lane on
Lyon Street to the pathway along Percy Street that continues further south
under the 417 toward the Glebe. While motorists are prohibited from using
Arlington Avenue as a through route from Bronson, pedestrians and cyclists are
permitted to pass through.
The
August 1996 traffic count also found that cyclists at this intersection cross
Bronson at Arlington (118). This suggests that as far back as 1996 that
Arlington Avenue has been a neighbourhood cycling route. Currently the Ottawa
Cycling Plan does not have any “Neighbourhood” cycling routes in Centretown,
only “Spine” cycling routes along arterial and collector roads. A signalized
crossing at Arlington will provide a neighbourhood connection for cyclists traveling
east-west, and will discourage cyclists from riding on the sidewalk along
Bronson Avenue between the side streets and the major cross-streets.
A
signalized crossing at Bronson and Arlington will provide a safer and more
direct route for cyclists coming from the south under the 417 along Percy going
west of Bronson Avenue.
International Charter for Walking
Very
recently, in October 2011, Council approved Mayor Jim Watson’s signing of the
International Charter for Walking. There are many relevant supporting elements
to the current proposal, including:
Ottawa Pedestrian Plan
In
June 2009, Council approved the Ottawa Pedestrian Plan, which is a component of
the Transportation Master Plan and Official Plan that sets out policies to
improve conditions for pedestrians in order to increase the modal share of
pedestrians and thus reduce strain on the road network from traffic congestion.
Section 7.4.1 of the Ottawa Pedestrian Plan sets out objectives for the
pedestrian network, including the following which apply in this case:
As
noted in the Ottawa Pedestrian Plan, pedestrians take the most direct routes available, and many
pedestrians cross Bronson between Gladstone and Catherine. Because there is no
designated place to cross, pedestrians cross all along this section of Bronson.
However, since Arlington is the only neighbourhood street that continues on the
west side of this section of Bronson, a signalized crossing at Arlington is
likely to encourage most of these pedestrians to cross at Arlington.
Public Works:
The
most recent traffic count at the intersection, conducted on 8 November 2011,
found that over a 12-hour period, 160 pedestrians and 28 cyclists crossed
Bronson Avenue at Arlington Avenue. This
volume of pedestrians crossing Bronson Avenue justifies the installation of a
pedestrian signal as per the warrants for the installation of traffic control
signals set out by the Province of Ontario.
Although the location only meets warrants for a pedestrian signal, Public
Works staff concur that a Traffic Control Signal be installed at this location
in lieu of an Intersection Pedestrian Signal due to the volume of traffic
travelling along Bronson Avenue and the difficulty that cyclists and motorists
would have to exit Arlington Avenue onto Bronson Avenue if Arlington Avenue was
not signalized.
It should be noted that Arlington Avenue is 75 m north of the signalized
intersection of Bronson Avenue and Catherine Street. The current policy is that in the Greater
Central Area (bounded by Bronson Avenue, Highway 417, The Rideau River and the
Ottawa River) traffic control signals or pedestrian signals shall not be placed
within 90 m of an existing traffic control signal. This policy is in place to prevent the
proliferation of traffic control signals in the Greater Central area while
maintaining reasonable level of service for pedestrians, cyclists, transit and auto users.
However, in this case, Public Works do not have any concerns if this
policy is waived due to the desire for pedestrians and cyclists to cross
Bronson Avenue at this location and the fact that the next signalized
intersection to the north, at Gladstone Avenue is more than 300 m from this
intersection.
It should be noted that the installation of a traffic control signal at
Bronson Avenue and Arlington Avenue may cause northbound traffic to back up
into the intersection of Bronson Avenue and Catherine Street. The southbound queues from Bronson Avenue and
Catherine Street will also extend through the new intersection and there may be
an increase in the volume of traffic using Arlington Avenue to access Bronson
Avenue. Public Works will monitor traffic flows on Bronson and adjust the synchronization
of the traffic signals along this corridor, as required, to minimize the
occurrence of backups into adjacent intersections.
The estimated cost to install the traffic control signal and to make
adjustments to the southbound traffic signal displays at Bronson Avenue and
Catherine Street (requires the use of a programmable signal display head that
limits the visibility of the signal display for southbound traffic on Bronson
Avenue to south of Arlington Avenue) is $160,000. Funds to undertake this work are available in
the Bronson Avenue Rehabilitation Project.
Total additional annual operating
costs for the traffic control signal is estimated at $9,850 and will be
requested in the year following completion of construction.
Infrastructure Services:
The Bronson Avenue Reconstruction
Project involves the complete replacement of underground and surface
infrastructure including sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic signals and streetscaping. The work associated with this report,
if approved, can be accommodated within the current budget allocation and
separate funding would not be required.
N/A
Notice
of this meeting was advertised on the City’s website as per Section 77(1)(b) of the Procedure By-law.
Councillor Holmes has received correspondence in support of a traffic control signal at this intersection from many businesses in the immediate area:
- Mike Nassar, Owner, Papa Joe’s Pizza, 525 Bronson Avenue
- Tony Saikali, Owner, 566 Bronson Avenue
- Amanda Lunan, Owner, Auntie Loo’s Treats
- John Abboud, Owner, 507 Bronson Avenue
The following comments in support of the proposal were received from the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation:
Centretown Citizens of Ottawa Corporation (CCOC) represents over 200 families living within a block of Bronson Avenue. Most of our tenants do not own cars. Many depend upon wheelchairs, walkers and strollers to get around.
We support your suggestion to install a signalized crossing at Bronson Avenue and Arlington Avenue.
Currently there is no safe place to cross Bronson Avenue anywhere between Catherine and Gladstone, which makes Bronson a major barrier for pedestrians and cyclists in the neighbourhood. The current conditions discourage residents from crossing Bronson and making full use of their neighbourhood.
A signalized crossing at Arlington will make crossing Bronson much easier and safer, and as a result will improve the quality of the neighbourhood for residents on both sides of the street.
The Centretown Citizens Community Association and the Dalhousie Community Association have both submitted letters supporting a traffic control signal at this intersection.
Glashan Public School has submitted a letter supporting a traffic control signal at this intersection, for those of its students who come from West of Bronson.
The following comments in support of the proposal were received from Jennifer McKenzie, OCDSB Trustee for Somerset and Kitchissippi wards:
“I am writing to request the provision of an additional pedestrian crossing for Bronson Avenue at Arlington during the Bronson Avenue reconstruction project. This is imperative for intermediate age students who travel to and from Glashan Intermediate School each day. As you may be aware, Glashan’s catchment area extends west past Preston Street and students must walk, crossing Bronson Avenue to get to school as they are not eligible for busing. A crossing point at Catherine is not useful for these students as they would have to travel too far south on Bronson Avenue and double back to get to Glashan. Placing one at Arlington would make more sense and would make the difference between being used or unused.
“Intermediate students are generally of ages from twelve to fourteen and are highly impressionable. As the school trustee, I receive many calls from residents near our intermediate schools who call to report traffic safety issues as these children seem oblivious to the dangers of traffic and think of themselves as invincible. Community members report squealing tires and close calls. We have lost too many students already to their illegal crossing of major arterial roads. A highly visible and responsive crossing point is absolutely vital for their safety as well as it being placed strategically for high likelihood of use.”
A coalition of community organizations formed in 2010 under the name “Rescue Bronson Avenue”, to support improvements to the pedestrian experience as part of this reconstruction project—one of which was a new crossing of Bronson and Arlington. An online petition created by the group on its website, at www.RescueBronson.ca, has 270 signatures as of November 2011.
Further consultation has taken place at meetings of the Public Advisory Committee (PAC), at public meetings in November 2010 (organized by Councillor Holmes in partnership with area community associations), at the Bronson Avenue Reconstruction Public Open House in November 2011 (organized by City Staff, Councillor Holmes and the PAC), and at the Citizens for Safe Cycling Annual General Meeting in November 2011.
Comments by the Ward Councillor
Councillor Diane Holmes strongly supports this proposal.
ACCESSIBILITY IMPACT
The primary aim of this proposal is to improve accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with reduced mobility who need to cross Bronson Avenue to get to potential destinations. A signalized crossing at Arlington provides an alternative route for people who cannot climb over or through sidewalk obstructions such as the snow banks indicated in Document 1, and thus can mean the difference between whether a person with restricted mobility can access neighbourhood activities.
As noted by
the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation in its submission, many vulnerable
road users live along Bronson Avenue and in the surrounding neighbourhood, and
have to get from one side of the street to the other. This includes wheelchair
users, parents with strollers, children walking from the west side of Bronson
to Glashan Intermediate School, and children getting
off the bus at the southeast corner of Bronson and Arlington and live on the west side.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal impediments to implementing the recommendation in this Report.
There are no risk implications.
The installation of this traffic control
signal can be accommodated from within the existing Bronson Avenue
Reconstruction budget allocation.
Technology
Implications
There are no direct technical
implications associated with this report.
City
Strategic Plan
The report’s recommendations support the following objectives of the City Strategic Plan:
Transportation
Objective 1: Improve the City’s transportation network to afford ease of mobility,
keep pace with growth, reduce congestion and work towards modal split targets.
Sustainable, Healthy and Active City
Priority
Objective 6: Require walking, transit and cycling oriented communities and employment
centres.
Infrastructure Services / Public Works staff to undertake any direction of Council.