Towards Great Regional Streets - A Path to Improvement

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December 2008 Towards Great Regional Streets - A Path to Improvement Design Guidelines for 6-Lane Regional Streets Regional Municipality of York FINAL REPORT (REVISION) Prepared By: in association with

Transcript of Towards Great Regional Streets - A Path to Improvement

December 2008

Towards Great Regional Streets -A Path to ImprovementDesign Guidelines for 6-Lane Regional Streets

Regional Municipality of York

FINAL REPORT (REVISION)

Prepared By:

in association with

Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Background.................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Study Process................................................................................................................................ 1

2.0 EXISTING CROSS-SECTIONS AT TIME THE STUDY WAS INITIATED................................ 5

2.1 Typical Cross-Sections for a Four Lane Urban Arterial ................................................................. 5 2.2 Typical Cross-Sections for a Six Lane Urban Arterial ................................................................... 5

3.0 POLICY ...................................................................................................................................... 9

3.1 Official Plans .................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1.1 York Region Official Plan, Office Consolidation (As of November 30, 2005) ........................... 9 3.1.2 Town of Markham Official Plan (Revised 1987), As Amended, Office Consolidation, July, 2005......................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1.3 Town of Richmond Hill Official Plan Consolidation, December 31, 1998............................... 12 3.1.4 City of Vaughan Official Plan Amendment 600 (Amending OPA 400), Office Consolidation, Jaunary, 2003 .......................................................................................................... 12 3.1.5 Town of Aurora Official Plan, June 27, 1991 (January 2007 Office Consolidation) .............. 13 3.1.6 Town of Georgina Official Plan (OPA 88), November, 2002.................................................. 15 3.1.7 Town of Newmarket Official Plan, October 10, 2006.............................................................. 15 3.1.8 Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Official Plan Amendment 109, Official Consolidation, August 2004..................................................................................................................................... 16 3.1.9 Township of King Official Plan, November 23, 1970 .............................................................. 16

3.2 Secondary Plans.......................................................................................................................... 17 3.2.1 Central Area Planning District (Markham Centre), July, 1997................................................ 17 3.2.2 Official Plan Amendment No. 155, Bayview Glen Secondary Plan, Town of Richmond Hill ................................................................................................................................................ 19 3.2.3 Amendment Number 500 to the Official Plan of the Vaughan Planning Area - Secondary Plan for the Vaughan Corporate Centre........................................................................ 21 3.2.4 Amendment Number 34 to the Yonge Street South Secondary Plan, Town of Aurora.......... 24 3.2.5 OPA No. 528 Amending OPA 500 Transportation Plan for Vaughan .................................... 24

3.3 Vision Documents ........................................................................................................................ 25 3.3.1 Vision 2026 - Towards a Sustainable Region......................................................................... 25 3.3.2 A Vision for Highway 7............................................................................................................ 26 3.3.3 Yonge Street Vision - Richmond Hill Graphic Image .............................................................. 29 3.3.4 York Region Transit Five-Yer Service Plan 2006 - 2010 Final Report ................................... 29

3.4 Urban Design or Streetscape Policies and/or Guidelines............................................................ 31 3.4.1 A Regional Streetscape Policy, York Region, December, 2001............................................. 31 3.4.2 North Yonge Street - Richmond Hill Urban Design Study, 2001 ............................................ 31

3.5 Synopsis....................................................................................................................................... 34 4.0 NEEDS ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 35

4.1 Existing Conditions ...................................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Projected Increases in Travel Demands...................................................................................... 39 4.3 Alternatives to Six Lane Cross-Sections...................................................................................... 39

4.3.1 Alternative 1 - More Closely Spaced Arterials ........................................................................ 39 4.3.2 Alternative 2 - Conversion of Existing Curb Lanes to HOV .................................................... 41

4.4 Testing of Different Mobility Scenarios ........................................................................................ 41 4.5 Summary...................................................................................................................................... 45 4.6 Synopsis....................................................................................................................................... 46

5.0 BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH............................................................................................. 48

5.1 Lane Widths ................................................................................................................................. 48 5.2 Public Transit ............................................................................................................................... 48 5.3 Need for Access versus Control .................................................................................................. 51

Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December 2008

5.4 Medians........................................................................................................................................ 53 5.5 'U'-Turns....................................................................................................................................... 54 5.6 Pedestrians .................................................................................................................................. 55 5.7 Frontage Streets .......................................................................................................................... 56 5.8 Cyclists......................................................................................................................................... 57 5.9 Parking......................................................................................................................................... 58 5.10 Urban Design ............................................................................................................................... 58 5.11 Landscape Design Planting Principles ........................................................................................ 59 5.12 Barrier Aesthetic Treatments ....................................................................................................... 60 5.13 Design Speeds............................................................................................................................. 60 5.14 Examples of Six Lane Cross-Sections in Other Municipalities in the GTA.................................. 61

6.0 CROSS-SECTION SPATIAL NEEDS...................................................................................... 65 6.1 Typical Cross-Section Elements.................................................................................................. 65 6.2 Basic Right-of-Way Functions Versus Desirable Functions ........................................................ 66 6.3 Protection of Wider Rights-of-Way .............................................................................................. 67

7.0 DEVELOPMENT OF CROSS-SECTIONS............................................................................... 69 7.1 Development of Alternatives........................................................................................................ 69 7.2 Evaluation Criteria........................................................................................................................ 83

7.2.1 Transportation Functionality/Mobility/Safety ........................................................................... 83 7.2.2 Costs ....................................................................................................................................... 84 7.2.3 Community Needs and Values ............................................................................................... 84

7.3 Assessment of Alternatives.......................................................................................................... 85 7.4 Recommended Cross-Section..................................................................................................... 87

8.0 GENERALIZED LAND USE CATEGORIES ........................................................................... 88

8.1 Residential ................................................................................................................................... 88 8.2 Commercial .................................................................................................................................. 88 8.3 Urban Mixed Use ......................................................................................................................... 89 8.4 Employment Campus................................................................................................................... 89 8.5 Industrial....................................................................................................................................... 89

9.0 REGIONAL STREET CASE STUDIES.................................................................................... 90

9.1 Case Study Corridors................................................................................................................... 90 9.1.1 Case A - McCowan Road, near Denison Road (Residential Category) ................................. 90 9.1.2 Case B - McCowan Road, near Highway 7 (Commercial Category)...................................... 90 9.1.3 Case C - Leslie Street, near Highway 7 (Urban Mixed Use Category)................................... 90 9.1.4 Case D - 16th Avenue, near Highway 404 (Employment Campus Category) ......................... 90 9.1.5 Case E - Weston Road, near Steeles Avenue (Industrial Category)...................................... 90

9.2 Storage and Taper Lengths ......................................................................................................... 96 9.3 Basic Cross-Sections and Variations........................................................................................... 96 9.4 Landscaped Streetscape Treatment............................................................................................ 97

9.4.1 Residential Category Example................................................................................................ 97 9.4.2 Commercial Category Example .............................................................................................. 97 9.4.3 Urban Mixed Use Category Example.................................................................................... 100 9.4.4 Employment Campus Category Example............................................................................. 100 9.4.5 Industrial Category Example................................................................................................. 105

9.5 Safety Considerations................................................................................................................ 105 9.6 Potential Landscaping Features ................................................................................................ 110 9.7 Hydro Pole Locatios................................................................................................................... 113 9.8 Costs .......................................................................................................................................... 120 9.9 Phasing of Landscaping Features ............................................................................................. 120 9.10 Transitional Zones between 4 Lanes and 6 Lanes.................................................................... 123

10.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................ 124

Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December 2008 11.0 NEXT STEPS ......................................................................................................................... 128 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 130

Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December 2008 LIST OF FIGURES

2-1 Existing Conditions ........................................................................................................................ 5 2-2 Potential Streets to be Widened to 6 Lanes, 2007-2015 .............................................................. 6 2-3 Standard Six Lane Cross-Section within 36 metre ROW .............................................................. 7

3-1 Transportation Schedule for Markham Centre............................................................................. 18 3-2 Transportation and Services Schedule for Bayview Glen ........................................................... 20 3-3 Transportation Plan for OPA 500................................................................................................. 22 3-4 Cross-section view of "Avenue Seven"........................................................................................ 23 3-5 Vision for Highway 7, Vaughan Corporate Centre looking west.................................................. 27 3-6 Vision for Highway 7, west from McCowan in Markham ............................................................. 28 3-7 Vision for Yonge Street, north of Highway 7 in Richmond Hill..................................................... 30 3-8 An Illustrated Guide to Built Form, Siting and Streetscape Approaches for Yonge Street

in Oak Ridges .............................................................................................................................. 33

4-1 Existing Areas of Major Traffic Congestion.................................................................................. 36 4-2 1998 AM Peak Period Screenline Comparison of Volume-to-Capacity ...................................... 37 4-3 1998 PM Peak Period Screenline Comparison of Volume-to-Capacity ...................................... 38 4-4 2031 Horizon - AM Peak Hour Screenline Comparison of Volume-to-Capacity ......................... 40 4-5 Travel Time Comparison.............................................................................................................. 44

5-1 Typical Station Layout at Street Intersection ............................................................................... 50 5-2 Typical Transit Passenger Waiting Area...................................................................................... 52 5-3 Examples of Six Lane Cross-Sections in the GTA (Part I) .......................................................... 62 5-4 Examples of Six Lane Cross-Sections in the GTA (Part II) ......................................................... 63 5-5 Examples of Six Lane Cross-Sections in the GTA (Part III) ........................................................ 64

6-1 Typical Cross-Sectional Elements ............................................................................................... 66 6-2 Wider ROW (42.6 m) Required with Reduced Pavement Width ................................................. 67 7-1 Standard 7 Lanes......................................................................................................................... 70 7-2 Alternative 1.1 Curb Lane Bus/HOV (6.0 m Median)................................................................... 71 7-3 Alternative 1.2 Curb Lane Bus/HOV (4.0 m Median)................................................................... 72 7-4 Alternative 1.3 Curb Lane Bus/HOV (2.0 m Median)................................................................... 73 7-5 Alternative 1.4 Curb Lane Bus/HOV (No Median) ....................................................................... 74 7-6 Alternative 2.1 Bike Lane/Curb Lane Bus/HOV (6.0 m Median).................................................. 75 7-7 Alternative 2.2 Bike Lane/Curb Lane Bus/HOV (4.0 m Median).................................................. 76 7-8 Alternative 2.3 Bike Lane/Curb Lane Bus/HOV (2.0 m Median).................................................. 77 7-9 Alternative 2.4 Bike Lane/Curb Lane Bus/HOV (No Median) ...................................................... 78 7-10 Alternative 3.1 Off-Street Bike Lane with Curb Lane Bus/HOV (6.0 m Median) ......................... 79 7-11 Alternative 3.2 Off-Street Bike Lane with Curb Lane Bus/HOV (4.0 m Median) ......................... 80 7-12 Alternative 3.3 Off-Street Bike Lane with Curb Lane Bus/HOV (2.0 m Median) ......................... 81 7-13 Alternative 3.4 Off-Street Bike Lane with Curb Lane Bus/HOV (No Median).............................. 82

9-1 Case A Study Corridor (McCowan Road Near Denison Street) .................................................. 91 9-2 Case B Study Corridor (McCowan Road Near Highway 7) ......................................................... 92 9-3 Case C Study Corridor (Leslie Street Near Highway 7) .............................................................. 93 9-4 Case D Study Corridor (16th Avenue Near Highway 404) ........................................................... 94 9-5 Case E Study Corridor (Weston Road Near Steeles Avenue West) ........................................... 95 9-6 Proposed Streetscape Plan Case A Residential Category (McCowan Road near

Denison Street) ............................................................................................................................ 98 9-7 Existing and Future Condition Case A Residential Category (McCowan Road near

Denison Street) ............................................................................................................................ 99 9-8 Proposed Streetscape Plan Case B Commercial Category (McCowan Road near

Highway 7) ................................................................................................................................. 101

Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December 2008

9-9 Existing and Future Condition Case B Commercial Category (McCowan Road near Highway 7) ................................................................................................................................. 102

9-10 Proposed Streetscape Plan Case C Urban Mixed Use Category (Lesile Street near Highway 7) ................................................................................................................................. 103

9-11 Existing and Future Condition Case C Urban Mixed Use Category (Lesile Street near Highway 7) ................................................................................................................................. 104

9-12 Proposed Streetscape Plan Case D Employment Campus Category (16th Avenue near Highway 404) ............................................................................................................................. 106

9-13 Existing and Future Condition Case D Employment Campus Category (16th Avenue near Highway 404)..................................................................................................................... 107

9-14 Proposed Streetscape Plan Case E Industrial Category (Weston Road near Steeles Avenue West) ............................................................................................................................ 108

9-15 Existing and Future Condition Case E Industrial Category (Weston Road near Steeles Avenue West) ............................................................................................................................ 109

9-16 Potential Landscaping Features Residential Medians (5.2 m) .................................................. 111 9-17 Potential Landscaping Features Other Medians (6.0 m) ........................................................... 112 9-18 Potential Landscaping Features Residential Medians (2.2 m) .................................................. 114 9-19 Potential Landscaping Features Other Medians (3.0 m) ........................................................... 115 9-20 Median Intersection Clear Vision Zone...................................................................................... 116 9-21 Potential Landscaping Features Residential Boulevards .......................................................... 117 9-22 Potential Landscaping Features Other Boulevards ................................................................... 118 9-23 Potential Landscaping Features Intersections........................................................................... 119 9-24 Landscaping Example Along Sidewalks in the Hydro Corridor ................................................. 121 9-25 Potential Phasing of Landscaping Features at McCowan Road (Case B - Commercial)

Study Corridor............................................................................................................................ 122 LIST OF TABLES

4-1 Scenarios ..................................................................................................................................... 42 4-2 Resulting Average Travel Speed ................................................................................................. 43 6-1 Typical Cross-Section Elements.................................................................................................. 65 7-1 Alternatives .................................................................................................................................. 69 7-2 Evaluation Matrix ......................................................................................................................... 86 9-1 General Cost Comparison ......................................................................................................... 120

Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December, 2008

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND

The Regional Municipality of York is located in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Southern Ontario. York Region is composed of nine area municipalities covering 1,756 square kilometres (678 square miles), stretching from the City of Toronto in the south, to Lake Simcoe in the north, and bounded by Peel Region to the west and Durham Region to the east. The dominant physical features of the Region are Lake Simcoe and the Oak Ridges Moraine, an east-west rolling topography including forested areas, wetlands and kettle lakes covering 500 square kilometres, or 193 square miles. These features enhance the quality of life for the Region’s residents, provide abundant recreational opportunities, and are a basis for tourism in the Region. The Region has grown rapidly from 166,000 people in 1971 to 978,000 in 2007, and is expected to reach 1.28 million by 2026. Meanwhile, employment is expected to increase from 400,000 jobs in 2004 to 696,000 jobs in 2026. With the rapid growth in both population and employment, the Region’s transportation system is under considerable strain, particularly in the five urban municipalities that comprise “Urban York”. These trends in population and employment growth are expected to continue over the next decade. However, it is recognized that growth in vehicular traffic cannot be sustained at the same rates as growth in population and employment, requiring a balance between acceptable levels of congestion and mobility. Beyond accommodating traffic movements, the demands on Regional streets are changing in that they also need to address multiple roles related to other users including transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians. Regional streets are also an integral element in promoting high quality urban design, serving as entryways to communities and encouraging the development of pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented neighbourhoods. The Regional Municipality of York is on the threshold of widening approximately 31 sections of Regional streets to six lane cross-sections between 2007 and 2015, as per the 2006 – 10-Year Road Construction Program. Before doing so, this study presents an opportune time to review the Region’s existing six lane cross-sections, as well as the best practices of other jurisdictions in this regard. This review also critically examines both existing and emerging requirements with a view to implementing a consistent cross-section treatment and appropriate accommodation for the various elements within the cross-section.

1.2 STUDY PROCESS

This study commenced in July of 2003 with a thorough review of all relevant policies, guidelines, and best practices in order to understand the planned function of the major Regional streets as corridors that support land use intensification, transit and cyclists. This information assisted the team in understanding the intended role of Regional streets in facilitating growth management and community building, including the varying expectations for different urban and rural conditions.

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Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December, 2008

At the same time, best practices research was being conducted relating to the various elements/components on the streets, such as lane widths, median alternatives, pedestrians, transit, cyclists, trees and landscaping, among others. The findings were then brought forward for discussion with Regional staff in a Visioning Workshop in order to define design priorities. Many Regional staff in attendance indicated that the continuous two-way centre left-turn lanes are unsightly, expensive and result in excessive unused pavement that is often not required. They also reinforced the idea that the street cannot be treated in isolation of adjacent land uses. Based on the discussions, they indicated that if six lane streets are to be built, landscaped medians should be integral elements. Also, they indicated that the two additional lanes should be for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) such as dedicated transit or ridesharers, rather than all traffic. Subsequent to the Regional Visioning Workshop, two local discussion forums were held. Participants included staff from the Town of Markham, Town of Richmond Hill and City of Vaughan. They expressed similar concerns and expectations. The other local municipalities did not participate in these. The need for all of the proposed widenings of Regional arterials has also been questioned. The requirement to widen Regional streets from an existing four lane cross-section to a six lane cross-section should be critically reviewed on a link-by-link basis, as the needs are identified. In some cases, there may be other viable alternatives, such as the widening of a parallel collector street, where a sufficient right-of-way is available to do so and where the abutting land uses would not be unduly impacted. However, in many cases, such alternatives may not exist. In these cases, the Regional street may need to be widened. Without these widenings, extreme levels of congestion could have strong repercussions on the movement of goods, and therefore the economy. Other requirements, such as quick emergency response (police, fire, ambulance) would also be jeopardized. The widening to six lanes should generally not be undertaken to accommodate all traffic (i.e. continuation of the status quo), but rather to accommodate HOV lanes in order to encourage ride-sharing and transit usage. However, it may be necessary to allow all traffic in the short-term, with a clear understanding that over the longer term the curb lanes would be dedicated to HOV or transit exclusively. Besides the need to accommodate HOV or transit lanes, there are in the order of 20 cross-section elements that are needed, or desirable, for inclusion within the right-of-way. If these functions of the street are to be included within the right-of-way, using current York Region design standards including pavement width, a 44.2 metre right-of-way would be needed. However, for most of the 4 lane Regional streets that are proposed to be widened to 6 lanes, the available space is limited to a 36 metre right-of-way. All the various cross-section elements are competing for this limited right-of-way. At the very least, the basic functions of streets, relating to the movement of people and goods, as well as allocation of space for services and public and private utilities, must be accommodated within this right-of-way. Within the 36 metre right-of-way, there are significant trade-offs between space for mixed vehicular traffic versus pavement for other modes of travel and streetscape amenities. One of the major trade-offs is reduced lane widths for mixed use vehicular traffic in order to allocate more space for other elements which are also viewed as being equally important. Another trade-off is the recognition that although it is desirable to locate trees at least 3 metres from the edge of the curb to support their long term viability, there is not enough space to do it within the 36 metre right-of-way. As a result, higher costs would need to be incurred with respect to how the

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Towards Great Regional Streets – A Path to Improvement (Revision) Regional Municipality of York, December, 2008

trees are to be planted initially, as well as costs associated with maintaining and replacing trees. Within the 36 metre right-of-way, 12 alternative cross-sections were developed. These alternatives were evaluated against various criteria in the categories of transportation functionality, mobility and safety; cost; and community needs and values. Those alternatives featuring on-street bikeways were found to generally have higher scores than those which did not include on-street bikeways, given that they attempt to accommodate all modes of travel in a safe and efficient manner within the limited right-of-way. The alternative which includes a 6 metre wide median and an exclusive on-street bikeway, as well as exclusive HOV/Transit Lanes, is recommended as the preferred alternative. It is viewed as being able to accommodate all modes of travel in a safe and efficient manner. It is recognized, however, that in some cases it may be necessary to reduce the median to less than 6 metres. It is also understood that the implementation of HOV/Transit and bike lanes will need to be undertaken in a logical and staged manner in order to result in a logical network of those facilities, rather than through discrete, discontinuous segments. Recognizing the strong relationship between land use and transportation planning, five categories were developed. These five categories represent different contexts, reflecting various land use/transportation characteristics which need to be considered when applying the preferred cross-section to actual situations. The five categories are residential, urban mixed use, commercial, employment campus, and industrial. This preferred design alternative was then applied to segments of five case study corridors, representing the five categories. Graphical representations of the case study corridors were prepared. The appropriateness of the proposed design concept was examined along the case study corridors. It was found that some modifications and refinements needed to be made with respect to some categories. For example, given the spacing constraint between intersections, the length of taper for left turn lanes would generally need to be reduced as compared to that which is typically provided for this design speed. This is required in order to achieve a reasonable length and width of median which can be landscaped, rather than simply being used to provide a buffer between opposing traffic lanes. Another example of a refinement is the provision of a 5.2 metre wide median at mid-block locations for the residential category which is constrained by the adjacent developments (typically reverse frontage), as compared to a 6 metre wide median for other categories where landscaping and sidewalks could be extended through appropriate agreements onto private property to complement landscaping which is generally placed within the public right-of-way. It is clear that the 36 metre right-of-way imposes many spatial constraints to the inclusion of some desirable cross-section elements. As noted, in order to accommodate all the basic and desirable functions of the street, a wider right-of-way is required. However, acquiring additional right-of-way in many existing urbanized areas where land uses are set and not expected to be redeveloped is not feasible, for example in stable residential areas. In these situations, the best use must be made of the limited 36 metre right-of-way, recognizing that some trade-offs will be required such as public and private utility placement, reduced lane widths, and landscaping locations. As noted, in some categories, some features will need to be shared between the Regional right-of-way and private property in order to accommodate a double row of trees and/or a wider sidewalk. However, in newly developing areas where land uses have not yet been set, ideally

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wider rights-of-way (e.g. 42.6 metres) should be protected, in order to avoid these spatial constraints 30 or 40 years from now when consideration is being given to widening these Regional streets. This would necessitate amendments to the Regional Official Plan. It is recognized, however, that through hamlets and other constrained areas the existing provisions would remain. The next step in the process would include various changes in policies and/or procedures, or even further study. These include but are not limited to: o The access control policy o The Official Plan with respect to designated rights-of-way o A Regional HOV strategy o A Regional HOV enforcement strategy o A review of pedestrian crossing requirements of Regional arterials o Discussions with local municipalities related to sidewalks along Regional streets o Regional design standards for roads o Design guidelines for landscaped medians o Catalogue of potential streetscape treatments.

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