HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-14-077 - Pioneer Drive Roadway Improvements Staff Rgpor t
I r rc'.�► t .R Infrastructure Services Department wmkitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: August 11, 2014
SUBMITTED BY: Justin Readman, Director of Transportation Services, 519-741-
2200 ext. 7038
PREPARED BY: Barry Cronkite, Transportation Planning Project Manager, 519-
741-2200 ext. 7738
WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 4
DATE OF REPORT: July 17, 2014
REPORT NO.: INS-14-077
SUBJECT: Pioneer Drive Roadway Improvements
RECOMMENDATION:
That a series of three (3) pedestrian refuge islands, bike lane buffers and painted
bike lane conflict zones be installed on Pioneer Drive between Homer Watson
Boulevard and Doon Village Road and;
That bike lanes be established on both sides of Pioneer Drive from Homer
Watson Boulevard to Green Valley Drive, and further;
That the Uniform Traffic Control By-Law be amended accordingly
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
A traffic calming/roadway safety review was conducted for Pioneer Drive between Doon
Village Road and Homer Watson Boulevard. Based on the analysis of all relevant traffic
data, public input and applicable policies, Transportation Services is recommending a
plan for Pioneer Drive that includes the following:
• A series of three (3) pedestrian refuge islands at the two identified school
crossings and the existing trail to enhance pedestrian crossings
• A "bike lane buffer" to shift cyclists away from the door zones of parked vehicles
• Painted conflict zones to highlight where to anticipate vehicle/cycling conflicts
• The extension of existing bike lanes through Homer Watson Boulevard to Green
Valley Drive to accommodate cycling access to a variety of trails and features
The identified improvements for Pioneer Drive will enhance safety for all roadway users
and decrease overall vehicle operating speeds, thereby enhancing the overall
functionality of the roadway, while minimizing impact to Grand River Transit and
Emergency Services.
BACKGROUND:
Transportation Services has received requests to review the traffic conditions on
Pioneer Drive between Homer Watson Boulevard and Doon Village Road. More
specifically, concerns raised identified speeding, pedestrian safety, and general cycling
safety as issues that need to be addressed.
In response to these requests, Transportation Services reviewed the roadway
conditions and recommended a Traffic Calming Study for Pioneer Drive, which was
subsequently approved by Council in February 2013, through INS Report 13-014 —
"Traffic Calming Priority — 2013".
REPORT:
According to the City of Kitchener's Official Plan, Pioneer Drive is designated as a major
collector roadway providing access to the surrounding street network within this
neighbourhood as well as serving as a link between Homer Watson Boulevard and
Doon Village Road and the surrounding trail network. Pioneer Drive is a two lane road
with a fairly consistent pavement width of 14 to 15 metres, on-street bike lanes,
permitted parking and a speed limit of 50 km/h as per the Uniform Traffic By-law.
Data collected in 2011 and 2012 indicate that the 85th percentile speeds are above the
posted speed limit (see results below). As a result, in 2013 a traffic calming review was
initiated for Pioneer Drive between Homer Watson Boulevard and Doon Village Road.
85 th
Location Count AADT AADT Percentile
Date Combined Speed
(km/h)
Northbound —
2231
between Upper Canada and Nov Southbound — 4386 59
Doon Village 2012 2155
between Bechtel and Old May Northbound — 7487 62
Carriage 2011 3998
Southbound —
3489
* AADT: annual average daily traffic
** 85th Percentile Speed: 85% of vehicles are traveling at or below this speed.
Collision Analysis (2011-2013)
A three (3) year collision history was reviewed along Pioneer Drive between Homer
Watson Boulevard and Doon Village Road with a total of twenty one (21) reported
collisions. The following is a summary of the collision history:
Initial Impact Type
Year Single Rear Turning Total
Approaching Sideswipe Motor End Movement Angle Other
Vehicle
2013 0 0 4 1 1 2 0 8
2012 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 4
2011 0 0 6 0 2 1 0 9
Total 0 1 11 1 3 4 1 21
The collision history for Pioneer Drive shows a variety of collision types have occurred
in this area, with the majority being the loss of control of a single motor vehicle.
However, while the majority of collisions are of the same type, the locations vary
considerably along the roadway and as such don't indicate a clearly preventable
collision trend.
An initial survey was sent to the residents of Pioneer Drive in June 2013 to determine if
there is sufficient neighbourhood support for a traffic calming review. The results of the
survey are as follows:
In favour of a traffic calming review 58 (62%)
Opposed to the recommended plan 35 (38%)
Response rate — 30% (93/308)
Because there was insufficient response to support the initiation of a traffic calming
review, a public meeting was held on Tuesday, October 8t" 2013 outlining the traffic
calming process and typical measures that are considered. At that meeting, there were
9 attendees, and the primary message from the constituents was that while safety for all
road users is a real concern on Pioneer Drive, the traditional forms of traffic calming
may not be the best solution to address those safety concerns, and staff should
consider other measures.
Based on the analysis of existing traffic, public input following the first open house and
the City of Kitchener's Traffic Calming Policy, Transportation Services concluded that
rather than continuing with a formal traffic calming review, which doesn't meet the true
concerns of neighbourhood residents, a roadway safety review would better serve the
community as a whole, and provide staff an opportunity to review the roadway in a
holistic manner, rather than focusing primarily on calming traffic.
As a result of that review, Transportation prepared a plan for Pioneer Drive that includes
the following:
• A series of three (3) pedestrian refuge islands at the two identified school
crossings and the existing trail to enhance pedestrian crossings
• A "bike lane buffer" to shift cyclists away from the door zones of parked vehicles
• Painted conflict zones to highlight where to anticipate vehicle/cycling conflicts
• The extension of bike lanes through Homer Watson Boulevard to Green Valley
Drive to accommodate cycling access to a variety of trails and features
The identified pedestrian refuge islands are intended to make it safer for school children
to cross Pioneer Drive as they would only have to cross one direction of traffic at a time,
with the assistance of the existing adult crossing guards. The refuge island at the trail
crossing has been widened compared to the typical refuge island in order to adequately
accommodate all trail users. Additionally, the refuge island between Bechtel Drive and
Upper Canada Drive will be landscaped to enhance the aesthetic nature of the island,
create a visual "gateway" feature and have a greater impact on overall vehicle speed.
Buffered bike lanes are conventional bicycle lanes paired with a designated buffer
space (0.5 meters in width) separating the bicycle lane from the adjacent parking lane.
They encourage cyclists to ride outside of the door zone, providing more space for
cycling without making the bike lane appear so wide that it might be mistaken for a
vehicular travel or a parking lane. Ultimately, bike buffers encourage cycling by
contributing to the overall safety and comfort of users of the bicycle network.
Painted conflict zones (green painted bike lanes) are recommended to highlight where
potential vehicle/cycling conflicts exist. Intersection and intersection-related locations
account for up to 70 percent of all bicycle—motor vehicle collisions. Painted conflict
zones have the potential to alert motorists and cyclists of these conflicts, which should
reduce conflicts and collisions. Such treatments have been found to be effective in
several cities both nationally and internationally, however this will be the first application
within the City of Kitchener, and will serve as an effective pilot project to determine the
merits of installation elsewhere.
A second public meeting was held on Thursday June 5t", 2014 to present the design
and discuss its benefits to the community. Eleven (11) residents were in attendance,
and attendees unanimously agreed that the resultant design following the roadway
review was the appropriate solution for Pioneer Drive. Further, the Cycling Advisory
Committee was also presented with the plan and has given its support for the measures
recommended and members were pleased with the improvements to the cycling realm,
including the extension of the bike lanes to Green Valley Drive, which was initially
outside of the scope of work, recognizing the ultimate benefit to the cycling community.
While the recommended plan is intended to improve overall road user safety, it is
anticipated by staff that the design will have a positive impact on vehicle operating
speeds, as the horizontal deflection from the proposed refuge islands and narrowed
travel lane, ultimately addressing all the neighbourhood's initial concerns.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
This initiative falls under the Community Priority of Quality of Life. "Work with partners,
including all orders of government, to create a culture of safety in our community."
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
It is anticipated that the design, as proposed, will cost approximately $75,000 and will
be accommodated through the traffic calming and cycling capital budgets.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM - This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance
of the council / committee meeting.
CONSULT - This project has had extensive public involvement and communication. It
has included letters to affected property owners, two public information centres with
related comment forms and a formal survey. Both Grand River Transit and Emergency
Services were circulated and support the plan as proposed. The Cycling Advisory
Committee was also contacted and concurs with the methodology and approach.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Pauline Houston, Deputy CAO
FIG 1
KEY MAP OF AREA
l
'
Ado
%1JD0
kk u
w,
lyw,,
o
i
o�iom r �
m% �, , � ,agar u,sinuua!���
//
f,
L
N PIN
Nit
Xqm U �a O� � �Cd 6ouui��ar
1 g %%// ffi,A lr,,� d>Llmuull �M
G
U
W
LL O J err
a
O
a
J
Q
a
i
0 J
Z_
O
U
J_
f
� r
D ,r
Cl) z
LL fn
0
D
LL
W
Z
Q
P �
C
0
r ;
hI
I
1�
r"/ I
f„
1
ILI+i
I,J �
I!
i%
`/
Z
F�V/� /
I %
0
U
J �r
0
2 u
C/) % +�Q1811i
I,
2 z
LL
w
0
D �p
LL
w
w
Q
C/)
w
w
J
i
j
� ls�
1
LU
W
i
r ;
W � ;�, !m
m n .
W
r
0 5 tl
Q (�irf,A l
Q PRO
rr
L
D o��
0 �
Z
ur jr'
C/)
ullllu lu uyYO��u�do i r iIC yi'��U� �Iw V y�ill /,�
W
0
D
LL
w
Z
Q �
W
0
W
a ,
w
r � d
tlllf��oY�li�