Local residents living in the Runnymede Road at Liverpool Street area have sought and received a traffic calming measure in the form of signs prohibiting northbound left turns from Runnymede Road to Liverpool Street during the morning and afternoon peak periods.
Walmart and the BMO bank have probably already affected the community with increased traffic of cars and trucks causing drivers to try and short cut around it. This fall a new TD bank will open along with the new Old Mill car dealership further increasing the traffic in the area. This move by the community caps the issue before it gets worse- good early move!
…read on for the text of the cites background file on this issue
Councillor Frances Nunziata, on behalf of residents of Liverpool Street, requested Transportation Services staff to determine the feasibility of implementing peak period turn prohibitions northbound from Runnymede Road onto Liverpool Street. In addition, residents also requested staff to review the feasibility of implementing an all-way stop control at the intersection of Castleton Avenue and Liverpool Street and to review speeding on Liverpool Street between Castleton Avenue and Runnymede Road (addressed in a separate report). A map of the area is Attachment No. 1.
COMMENTS
Liverpool Street between Castleton Avenue and Runnymede Road is an 8.45 metre wide two-way local residential road with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h. There are sidewalks on both sides of Liverpool Street, however, they are not continuous as sections of sidewalk are missing on the north side of Liverpool Street, just east of Castleton Avenue and on the south side of Liverpool Street, just west of Runnymede Road. Parking is prohibited at all times on the north side of the road but is allowed on the south side of the road up to the city wide unposted three hour limit. Two parking lots which accommodate overnight permit parking, 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily, exist at either end of the street.
The surrounding area is comprised of mainly single family homes. Castleton Avenue, between St. Clair Avenue West and Henrietta Street, is an 8.7 metre wide two-way collector road, with a posted speed limit of 40 km/h. Liverpool Street intersects with Castleton Avenue to form a “T” type intersection to the north of St. Clair Avenue West and west of Runnymede Road. This intersection is currently controlled by a stop sign for westbound traffic on Liverpool Street. The TTC operates bus service via Runnymede Road/Henrietta Street/Castleton Avenue.
Runnymede Road is a collector road north of St. Clair Avenue that is 14.7 metres wide south of Liverpool Street and 8.6 metres wide north of Liverpool Street. During the morning and afternoon peak periods, some northbound Runnymede Road motorists wishing to access Castleton Avenue use Liverpool Street as a short cut to avoid the intersection of Henrietta Street and Runnymede Road.
In order to mitigate these concerns, Transportation Services staff examined the possibility of week-day turn prohibitions from Runnymede Road to Liverpool Street, during the morning and afternoon peak hours, Monday to Friday. Specifically, these turn prohibitions would prohibit northbound left turns from Runnymede Road to Liverpool Street between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.
These proposed turn prohibitions would require motorists to use Runnymede Road and Henrietta Street or St. Clair Avenue West and Castleton Avenue, to gain vehicular access to the area, rather than the local road network. Approval of these turn prohibitions would provide for a safer overall environment for all road users by keeping traffic on the collector roads (Runnymede Road, Henrietta Street and Castleton Avenue).
