Examples of Traffic Calming Proposals include:
- Stop Signs
- Speed Humps/Bumps
- Traffic Signals
- Speed Limit Changes
- On-Street Parking Regulations
Examples of Traffic Calming Proposals include:
A crosswalk running north/south at the corner of Front Street East and Frederick Street has become absolutely imperative. The SE corner is the home to Young People’s Theatre, which sees upwards of 85,000 young patrons a year. The company has expanded to include an education centre across the street at 161 Frederick, requiring children to cross Front to access both facilities during their visit. With greatly increased residential density over the past 20 years due to high condominium development, the traffic on Front Street East has risen dramatically – and will increase with the addition of a 30-story residential building on the NE corner of Front & Frederick, directly across from Young People’s Theatre. A crosswalk would allow children to cross directly (and safely) at Frederick Street. It is unlikely that young people will walk a block east to Sherbourne Street or west to George Street to cross at available lights. It should be noted that in the last 15 years, traffic lights have been installed at every intersection on Front Street East between Parliament and Church Streets – with the exception of Frederick Street where there has been a children’s theatre for 45 years.
A few years ago, the section of George St between Gerrard and Dundas was opened to two-way traffic. Previously, the traffic had been restricted to one-way northbound. The section of George between Dundas and Shuter remains one-way northbound. Residents are noticing an increase in the number of vehicles that drive the wrong way down George south of Dundas. This behaviour is of particular concern because the east side of this section of George is used for pick-up and drop-off of children attending the Ecole Gabrielle-Roy elementary school. Traffic Services have agreed to look at the placement and visibility of the Do-No-Enter and One-Way signage intended to stop vehicles from driving the wrong way down George. One potential change that has been identified requires the assistance of the Councillor's Office as it involves a change to the by-law. When the upper portion of George was made two-way, No-Left-Turn signs were installed on both sides of Dundas facing southbound drivers. This may be a source of confusion for drivers since in reality their only legal option is to turn right onto Dundas. The suggestion is to replace the No-Left-Turn signs with No-Left-Turn-or-Through signs (see sample attached). It is hoped that combining the efforts of Traffic Services to improve the existing signage with this change to the signage facing southbound vehicles may reduce or eliminate this dangerous traffic situation.
The recently reconstructed Shuter Street and its new cycle track between Parliament and River function as a gateway for both the Regent Park and Corktown communities.
However, recent vehicular accidents, near-misses at pedestrian crosswalks, and consistent speeding concerns warrant revisiting safety measures along Shuter Street.
This petition is calling for the LOWERING OF SPEED LIMITS TO 30 km/h along Shuter Street between Parliament and River Streets, the INSTALLATION OF 4-WAY STOP SIGNS at the intersection of Shuter/Sackville and Shuter/Sumach, and the IMPROVEMENT OF CROSS TIME on the signal lights at Parliament Street.
For context, Shuter Street runs parallel to Queen Street and Dundas Street. However, unlike either of these, Shuter street has NO traffic lights or stop signs between Parliament and River, despite have 7 intersections in this segment.
Shuter Street in this stretch is also home to the Regent Park Community Centre, the Nelson Mandela Park Public School, The Sumach retirement residence, the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, and the future Kinder College Child Care Centre. Families, children, and individuals using these amazing community services deserve to feel safe using Shuter Street as they come and go.
The pedestrian crosswalks located at Sackville and Sumach remain a concern with poor visibility by day, and the signal lights at Parliament have a very short crossing time.
By identifying these key issues and putting forward realistic and achievable actions, we can make Shuter Street a safer place to enjoy. Thank you for your support!
This proposal has reached the required threshold of support. Councillor Wong-Tam has reviewed the proposal and has submitted 4 motions to the next Toronto & East York Community Council meeting to:
November 24, 2021 Update: Today the Toronto & East York Community Council adopted Councillor Wong-Tam's motions above. Check back here for implementation updates.
There's lots of pedestrian traffic along this section of Yonge St – I feel pedestrian safety would be improved if there were a traffic light, so folks could cross safely at this intersection.
Motorized vehicles tend to not follow the speed limits and there is a threat of the driver losing control and crashing into one of the patios. Given the proximity to the vehicles as they are circulating, even at the speed limit of 50kph, the current wooden fences are inadequate to stop a vehicle before it hits one or more tables accidentally. If the driver is intentionally trying to hit people, as has recently happened, they could easily take out several tables. One false manoeuvre and it could easily ram into one of the patios alongside.
The existing measures in place only offer partial safety. However, there is a big risk of cars ramming into the patios (accidentally or deliberately) by taking down the wooden fence. Additionally, many of us have witnessed cars being driven above the speed limit on Church St. especially on the stretch between Carlton and Wellesley.
The horrific London, ON incident where a car driver committed a hate crime by driving his car onto a sidewalk killing 4 members of a Muslim family serves as a grisly reminder to us that vulnerable sectors of society such as LGBTQ2S+ people could also be under similar threat.
As a matter of fact, last year, a car accidentally rammed into CafeTO patios on Queen St. W during midnight. Thankfully, nobody was hurt as the patios were empty at that time. See the links below to read more about this. This should serve as a warning for all of us to make sure our roadside patios are safe for the general public and vulnerable people like LGBTQ2S+ groups.
After the recent events seen on Queen St. W where drivers accidentally ran down CafeTO settings, and since the village is known for its LGBTQ2S+ community, and hate of all types is still prevalent, it is only a matter of time before the same happens in The Village.
Subsequently, as a concerned citizen and an LGBTQ2S+ person/ ally, I am extending my support to the following proposal to make all the patios in The Village safe from such accidental or intentional hate crime attacks.
Proposal : Reducing the speed limit to 30kph during patio hours on the stretch of Church St. between Carlton and Bloor St. E along with installing photo radar cameras or increasing patrols to ensure the speed limit is respected.
Furthermore, with the patio season just kicking off, I would request you to flag this proposal as "URGENT" when you bring it up before the City Council.
This proposal has reached the required threshold of support. Councillor Wong-Tam has reviewed the proposal and has submitted a motion to the next Toronto & East York Community Council meeting to reduce the speed limit of Church Street from the current 40km/h to 30km/h.
Sept 9, 2021 Update: Today the Toronto & East York Community Council adopted Councillor Wong-Tam's motion to reduce the speed limit on Church Street between Bloor Street East and Conger Coal Lane to 30 kilometres per hour and directed the General Manager, Transportation Services, to install the relevant speed limit signage as soon as possible. Read the full motion.
Next Steps: Transportation Engineering Staff will now begin the process of planning and implementing the speed limit reduction which is quite complex. A great deal of work is involved including reprogramming each traffic signal to update the timing, reconfiguring the coordination of the signals with each other to keep vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists moving safely, coordinating with the Toronto Transit Commission and emergency services, as well as installing the new speed limit signage. All of these changes are anticipated to be implemented in 2023.