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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSD-2021-36 - Slow Streets & Food Trucks 2021 REPORT TO: Community & Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: April 19, 2021 SUBMITTED BY: Barry Cronkite, Director, Transportation Services, 519-741-2200 ext. 7738 PREPARED BY: Darren Kropf, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, 519-741-2200 ext. 7314, and Helen Fylactou, Manager of Licensing, Legislated Services 519-741-2200, Ext. 7854 WARD (S) INVOLVED: All Wards DATE OF REPORT: April 8, 2021 REPORT NO.: DSD-2021-36 SUBJECT: Slow Streets & Food Trucks 2021 ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: That Slow Streets be reinstated for 2021 on: Cameron Street (King to East); Samuel Street (Stirling to Frederick); Montcalm Drive (Lorraine to Ottawa); Brybeck Crescent (Westmount to Karn); Greenfield Avenue (Fifth to Traynor); Duke Street West (Victoria to Waterloo); Waterloo Street (Duke to Moore); and Duke Street East (Pandora to Cedar); and further, That notwithstanding Section 9(a), Schedule 12, of Chapter 599 of The City of Kitchener Municipal Code, for the time period July 1, 2021 to August 31, 2021, which may be operate in an area zoned R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8 or R9 by the City Zoning By- law, as amended, in the City of Kitchener, provided they comply with Chapter 599 as well as the various conditions set out in Report DSD-2021-36; and That notwithstanding Section 5(a)(v), Schedule 12, of Chapter 599 of The City of Kitchener Municipal Code, for the time period of May 1 to August 31, 2021, which may be extended into the fall of 2021 by the Manager of Licensing, that one additional Food Truck location is permitted at Victoria Park, provided they comply with Chapter 599 as well as the various conditions set out in Report DSD-21-36. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: This report shares the key findings of a policy paper called Slow Streets Ontario Case Studies and seeks City Council approval to reinstate Slow Streets in 2021. Slow Streets were an emergency pandemic response in 2020, with some positive feedback and room for improvements. Reinstating Slow Streets in 2021 will cost approximately $16,000, taken from the traffic calming budget. Community engagement will include an end-of-year survey. This report supports People-friendly Transportation. BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted transportation choices and experiences. Cities around the world are investing in active transportation to provide greater space for physical distancing required for essential trips and physical activity, and to continue to address climate emission targets. Slow Streets were implemented by the City of Kitchener in 2020, as part of a multi- faceted approach to rapidly expand active transportation options during the pandemic. REPORT: What are Slow Streets? Slow Streets are roadways where measures have been put in place to help reduce traffic volumes and speeds to create more space for people to walk, bike, and run. They help support the pandemic response and healthy neighbourhoods by allowing residents to make better use of their own streets. They still allow vehicle access, though it is intended to be for local property access, deliveries, and emergency response. Lowering the traffic volumes and speeds on these roadways allow for safer cycling and allow sidewalk users a safer space if they need to use roadway space to maintain 2 metres distance from others. Through traffic is discouraged from traveling on slow streets through temporary barricades and signage at entry points. for ing different measures and plans to ensure public roadway infrastructure is being utilized in the best way possible to help cities respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic. NACTO states that cities should cate our streets and Slow Streets Ontario Case Studies City of Kitchener Staff developed a policy paper titled Slows Streets Ontario Case Studies on behalf of the Road Safety Committee of Ontario (ROSCO). Kitchener staff gathered experiences of Slow Streets from Guelph, Mississauga, Toronto and Waterloo, as well as internal staff. See Appendix 1: Slows Streets Ontario Case Studies. Key findings of the policy paper include: Municipalities generally had positive experiences with slow streets, with room for improvements. The criteria commonly used in selecting the slow streets implementation locations include land use, density, the proportion of vulnerable residents in the area, lack of parks and trails, not being on a transit route or emergency route, already lacking traffic The infrastructure commonly used in implementing slow streets include barrels/pylon cones as well as signs on temporary stands with messaging about local traffic only and that the street is shared with pedestrians and cyclists. This set up allowed a cost effective and quick implementation of slow streets. Engagement with residents emerged as a key area for improvement for future implementation of slow streets. A recurring issue was movement and vandalism of the signage, with most municipalities noting/implementing anchors and/or heavier signs as a mitigation measure. Data collection was challenging as traffic volumes were impacted by stay-at-home orders and lockdowns making it difficult to measure the success of the program through empirical data. The policy paper reflects municipal experiences after a single year of implementation. Many of the programs were implemented rapidly while municipalities were faced with unique challenges and conditions related to the COVID pandemic. Follow up reviews should be considered to obtain representative results over multiple years. Slow streets was in response to the pandemic, however many municipalities indicated that these types of initiatives should be planned through regular municipal road safety programs. Reinstating Slow Streets in 2021 The need for physical distancing required for essential trips and physical activity on sidewalks and trails continues, as the pandemic emergency remains in effect. Staff recommend reinstating the program, utilizing lessons learned from last year and putting in place an effective evaluation program in terms of motor vehicle speeds, volumes and community feedback. Primarily using the same equipment on the same streets is cost efficient, provides consistency in resident experience, and offers an opportunity to evaluate the impact of the program more effectively. However, the following changes from 2020 are recommended: Removing Delta Street and Sydney Street from the program, due to impending construction of boulevard multi-use trails on those streets this spring; Removing the short stretch of Dunbar Road from the program, because the City of Waterloo is taking a different approach for that neighbourhood in 2021; Using flex signs on Waterloo Streety with ; Addition of an engagement plan to inform and educate residents about slow streets, as well as gauging their feedback on this program; and Addition of a data collection plan to measure the effectiveness of slow streets on reducing vehicle speeds and volumes. Street selection In selecting streets last year, preference was given to the neighbourhoods indicated in the table below using criteria that measured increased user vulnerability relative to the rest of the City of Kitchener. This vulnerability was determined using population density, age (over 65) and close proximity to major trails with challenges with physical distancing or distant proximity to any type of trail. Streets were also identified by neighbourhood groups and are indicated as a future Neighbourhood Bikeway in the Cycling and Trails Master Plan. Focusing on neighbourhood bikeways is a reflection that staff anticipate seeing higher numbers of local cyclists using these streets, and therefore the reduction in through traffic and traffic speeds should increase cyclist safety. Slow Streets are not implemented on primary emergency routes or transit routes. The proposed 2021 slow street locations include: Neighbourhood Street Boundaries Measure type Central Cameron King to East Frederick Street with Central Samuel Street Stirling to Frederick Frederick with Heritage Park Montcalm Lorraine to Drive Ottawa with Victoria Hills Brybeck Westmount to Road Closed Loc Crescent Karn with Vanier Greenfield Fifth to Traynor Avenue with Mount Hope Duke Street Victoria to Breithaupt Park West Waterloo with Mount Hope Waterloo Duke to Moore In-road flex stake, with the word Breithaupt Park Street SLOW King East Duke Street Pandora to Cedar East with Food trucks in residential zones In 2020, as part of our efforts to support businesses during COVID-19, staff recommended a pilot project to allow food trucks to operate in more locations including residential zones approved by Council as part of the Activation of Streets report (DSD-20-073). Annually there are approximately 37 food trucks that are licensed and operate in Kitchener. In 2020, staff renewed 25 of the 37 licensed food trucks. The food truck industry has reached out to staff to request that we once again permit food trucks to operate in residential zones as an economic tool. Staff are supportive of extending the pilot project for the 2021 season. Staff did not receive any complaints or have any concerns raised as a result of permitting food trucks to operate in residential zones in 2020. In fact, staff heard gratitude from the food truck operators for including their businesses in the support we offered to the community. The desirability of this type of operation is evidenced by the fact that residents often inquire if food trucks can be hired for operation at a personal home or neighbourhood event. Food truck operators have requested to operate near residential parks, schools, and high-density neighbourhoods, as they speculate that is where they will have the most exposure and pass-by traffic. As this has been positive experience for both the food trucks and the community, staff will review this as a permanent option as part of the 3-year review of the Business Licensing By-law. With the continued reduction of special events occurring across the city due to the pandemic, this initiative will help support food trucks that are currently licensed and operating in the City of Kitchener. It will increase their visibility and increase the locations that they are permitted to licence. In addition to the expansion into residential zones, staff are recommending that one additional food truck location is permitted in Victoria Park. In the current Business Licensing By-law, there is only one location permitted in Victoria Park and the spot is located near the playground in a signed and paved spot. Staff will work with Economic Development, Parks, and Transportation in selecting the additional spot that will take into consideration proximity to the other food truck location, the hot dog cart, safety for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and the most viable location for the operators. As food truck events are likely to not occur in Victoria Park this summer, as well with the Boathouse not currently operating, an additional spot for a food truck would provide options for food and beverage to park visitors. In order to ensure public health and safety, nuisance control, and consumer protection, staff will re-institute the same conditions as in 2020 to ensure proper operation. The conditions include: Food truck must have a valid City of Kitchener business licence; Operate only between the hours of 11:00am 8:00pm; church or school); No horns, flashing lights, or amplified sound/music would be permitted; Parking must be in a legal parking spot and must abide by all parking regulations; Food truck must be parked in a manner that the serving window is parallel to the sidewalk; Parking in one location has a 2-hour maximum limit and then the food truck must move to a different street; Food trucks cannot operate within 200 metres of a property with a licensed Food Shop; Food trucks cannot operate within 500 metres of each other; Food trucks cannot operate on Regional roads; Operator must ensure that no waste is left behind; Operator must ensure that any line-ups are on the sidewalk or boulevard; and Operator must ensure that line-ups are being managed to comply with current provincial regulations (including physical distancing measures and face coverings) Any violation of any of the conditions listed above, the Business Licensing By-law, or another Municipal by-law will result in revocation of permission by the Manager of Licensing to operate in residential zones. Food trucks are required to continue to comply with the all other regulations in the Business Licensing By-law. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: This report supports People-friendly Transportation. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Capital Budget The recommendation has no impact on the Capital Budget. Operating Budget In 2020, the Slow Streets program cost $18,000 for 10 streets. Each street costs approximately $2,000, depending on the length of street, number of intersections, and required repairs due to tampering. Reinstating Slow Streets in 2021 on 8 streets is estimated to cost $16,000, taken from the traffic calming budget. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM council / committee meeting. The Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee was informed of the Slow Streets program in August 2020. Due to rapid implementation at the start of the emergency order, a proper consultation and evaluation program was not able to be implemented. Staff received some anecdotal appreciation for the program, but there were not enough calls and emails to draw clear conclusions on the . In 2021, an end-of-year survey through Engage Kitchener is proposed to gather feedback on the program. PREVIOUS REPORTS: DSD-20-073 Activation of Streets ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services