City Council authorize the installation of Traffic lights at the intersection of Dundas Street West and Quebec Ave.
Recommended by city staff
Existing Conditions
Dundas Street West is a major arterial roadway which operates with two-way traffic on a pavement width of about 12.8 metres, and has a posted speed limit of 50 km/h and a daily two-way volume of about 24,000 vehicles. It has two lanes in each direction for general traffic, of which one lane in each direction is utilized for on-street parking during off-peak times.
Quebec Avenue is a local roadway which operates with two-way traffic on a pavement width of about 8.5 metres, and has a posted speed limit of 30 km/h and a daily two-way volume of about 1,900 vehicles. East/west traffic on Dundas Street West is free-flow and north/south traffic on Quebec Avenue is stop controlled.
TTC service in this section of Dundas Street West is provided by the “40 Junction – Dundas West” bus and there are east-west near-side stops located on Dundas Street West at Quebec Avenue.Adjacent traffic control signals are located about 145 metres to the east at the intersection of High Park Avenue and 120 metres to the west at the Clendenan Avenue.
Collision Review
Collision statistics provided by Toronto Police Service for the three-year period ending December 31, 2018 disclosed that twelve collisions have occurred at the intersection of Dundas Street West and Quebec Avenue. Of these twelve collisions, one could be considered to be potentially preventable by the installation of traffic control signals.
Traffic Control Signals
The intersection of Dundas Street West and Quebec Avenue was reviewed for the feasibility of installing traffic control signals. Based on an eight-hour count of pedestrians and vehicles, as well as the collision history, the technical justifications for the installation of traffic control signals are satisfied to the following extent:
• Justification 1: Minimum Vehicular Volume 32 percent
• Justification 2: Delay to Cross Traffic 66 percent
• Justification 3: Collision Hazard 7 percent
To meet the technical requirements for the installation of traffic control signals, one of the Minimum Vehicular Volume or Delay to Cross Traffic justifications must be 100 percent satisfied, or any two of the three justifications must be at least 80 percent satisfied. Based on the above results, the installation of traffic control signals is not warranted.
Pedestrian Crossover (PXO)
The intersection of Dundas Street West and Quebec Avenue was also reviewed for the feasibility of installing a PXO. During the busiest eight-hour period of a typical weekday, 233 pedestrians were recorded crossing Dundas Street West. Of these 233 pedestrians, 136 pedestrians were delayed for 10 seconds or more. Based on these volumes, the technical justifications for the installation of a PXO are satisfied to the following extent:
• Pedestrian Volume Justification – Met
• Pedestrian Delay Justification – Met
To meet the technical requirements for the installation of a PXO, both justifications must be met. Specifically, the justifications require a minimum of 200 pedestrians over eight hours, of which, at least 130 must be delayed more than ten seconds. Based on the above results, the installation of a PXO at this location is warranted at this time.
However, based on the environmental criteria, including the width, speed limit, curvature of the road, and presence of driveways and TTC stops, installation of a PXO is not suitable. Given the unsuitability of a PXO, the installation of traffic control signals is recommended instead at this intersection. A review of the environmental safety characteristics can be found in Appendix “A”.
There will be a loss of about six paid parking spaces on Dundas Street West associated with the installation of traffic control signals at this intersection.
Summary
Transportation Services recommends the installation of traffic control signals at the intersection of Dundas Street West and Quebec Avenue to enhance pedestrian safety. TTC has been consulted about this proposal, but as of this writing no response has been received.
Traffic Control Signals – Dundas Street West and Quebec Ave.
