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Home My WebLink AboutINS-16-086 - School Traffic Safety Doon South Drive REPORT TO: Special Council DATE OF MEETING: November 7, 2016 SUBMITTED BY: Ken Carmichael, Interim Director of Transportation Services, 519-741-2200, ext. 7372 PREPARED BY: Ronald Schirm, Supervisor of Crossing Guards 519-741-2200, ext. 7372 WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 4 DATE OF REPORT: Wednesday, October, 19, 2016 REPORT NO.: INS-16-086 SUBJECT:School Traffic Safety Doon South Drive ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATIONS: That an adult crossing guard not be placed at the intersection of Doon South Drive at Doon Village Road; and further, That improved pedestrian facilities for the intersection of Doon South Drive and Doon Village Road be investigated through the current Doon South Drive traffic calming review. BACKGROUND: Council considered a motion by a member of Council at its Special Meeting on August 8, 2016 recommending the installation of a Crossing Guard at the intersection of Doon South Drive and Doon Village Road for the start of the 2016-17 School Year. Council passed the following resolution: be deferred to on or before the November 7, 2016 “That consideration of the following motion special Council meeting to allow time for staff to undertake a study as to whether a crossing guard is warranted at the intersection of Doon Village Road and Doon South Drive: ‘WHEREAS 5445 vehicles per day have been recorded traveling on Doon South Drive (near Doon Village Road), with 85th percentile speeds of 61.6 km/h northbound, and 59.0 km/h southbound; and, WHEREAS Doon Public School has an enrollment of approximately 500 students, with ages range from 9-13 years old, many of whom traverse the intersection of Doon Village Road and Doon South Drive to get to school; and, *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1. - 1 WHEREAS numerous people in attendance at the June 21, 2016 and June 23, 2016 Public Information Sessions expressed concern regarding the volume and speed of vehicles at the Doon Village Road and Doon South Drive intersection; and, WHEREAS requests have been made in the past by both Kitchener and Waterloo Regional Councillors to address pedestrian safety at this intersection; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that a crossing guard be located at the intersection of Doon Village Road and Doon South Drive starting September 2016.’” Contained within the body of the report is the outcome of studies conducted at the identified intersection. REPORT: Doon South Drive is a major collector roadway in Ward 4. Doon Public School is a senior public school whose student body includes Grades 6-8 students. As outlined in INS-14-057, May 14, 2014, schools in the Doon South area underwent temporary boundary changes to accommodate higher than expected population growth. One temporary change indicated in the report was the temporary housing of grade 5 students at Doon Public School from September 1, 2014 to June 30, 2016. This temporary situation did indeed end on June 30, 2016 and there are no longer Grade 5 students attending Doon Public School. Traffic studies show average daily traffic volumes that are typical for a collector roadway. The posted speed limit is 50 km/h; however, operating speeds are higher. Direction of travel Average daily volume of traffic 85% speed Northbound 2723 61.6 km/h Southbound 2722 58.7 km/h Visibility is very good for pedestrians at the intersection of Doon South Drive and Doon Village Road. Pedestrians are able to clearly see vehicles entering Doon South from Homer Watson Blvd, 150 metres north of the intersection. Pedestrians are also able to see northbound vehicles from more than 155 metres south of the intersection. The required Child’s Visibility Distance, that is, the distance a student needs to be able to see an approaching vehicle from in order to determine a safe gap to cross, is 140 metres in both directions. Therefore, the distance a school pedestrian needs to be able to see in order to determine a safe gap is adequate based on the existing road width and vehicle speeds. Doon South Drive features a median from Doon Village Road to south of Windrush Trail. Pedestrians use the centre median as a refuge and cross one direction of travel at a time. This makes crossing Doon South Drive safer and more convenient with less delay. The critical width, the distance a pedestrian needs to travel from edge of roadway to the centre median, is 10 metres crossing the northbound vehicular lane and 15 metres crossing the southbound vehicular lane. A safe gap for an elementary aged student is based on a 4 second perception/reaction time plus 1.1 metres per second for each metre the pedestrian needs to cross. Using this standard indicates a safe gap of 13 seconds when crossing the northbound lane and 18 seconds when crossing the southbound lane. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1. - 2 Gap studies for each direction of travel were conducted in September and October 2016. Approximately 12 students crossed this intersection between 8:00 AM and 8:35 AM. Between 15-21 students crossed between 2:50 PM and 3:20 PM. The morning bell is at 8:30 AM and afternoon dismissal is at 2:50 PM. The result of the gap studies is that an adult crossing guard is not warranted at this time. Adult Crossing Guard services are, with very few exceptions, installed to assist elementary school aged students. While many elementary schools do include grade 6 the primary target for crossing guard services is for junior kindergarten to grade 5. At age 10 children have developed the cognitive skills required to roadways and intersections where crossing guards are typically utilized. Anecdotal observations at the location in question substantiate that the students using this location are able to judge speed and distance of on-coming vehicles sufficiently so as to not require assistance. Furthermore, the traffic calming process has been initiated by Transportation Services for the Doon South Drive corridor from Homer Watson Boulevard to Robert Ferrie Drive. Through this traffic calming review, pedestrian crossings, including at the intersection at Doon Village Road, have been reviewed with possible recommendations for enhanced crossing features or infrastructure. A final survey will be distributed to residents imminently with construction occurring as early as 2017. Transportation Services does not support the installation of an adult crossing guard at this time due to the outcome of the gap studies, adequate pedestrian visibility, the use of the centre median as a refuge, as well as the age of the students crossing at this location. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city’s strategic vision through the delivery of core service. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no financial implications. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM – This report has been posted to the city’s website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT – Transportation Services has been in consultation with staff at Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region throughout the study process. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Justin Readman, Interim Executive Director Infrastructure Services Department *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1. - 3 Appendix A Doon South Drive at Doon Village Road (South leg) S C OUTHBOUNDROSSING C W 13 RITICALIDTHMETRES N C ORTHBOUNDROSSING C W 10 RITICALIDTHMETRES *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1. - 4 Appendix B: Gap Study Doon South Road at Doon Village Road (south leg) Sept 26 – Oct 3, 2016 Time Required NB Gaps:SB Gaps:Students:Students: NB SB PeriodGaps 13" 18" NB SB VehiclesVehicles 8:00 a.m. 5 111050 299 8:05 a.m. 5 81040 298 8:10 a.m. 5 6912 5610 8:15 a.m. 5 51030 488 8:20 a.m. 5 101007 319 8:25 a.m. 5 71052 3510 8:30 a.m. 5 111010 299 Total a.m.: 30 47591911 25754 2:50 p.m. 5 13700 1923 2:55 p.m. 5 98118 1330 3:00 p.m. 5 18896 1125 3:05 p.m. 5 151110 1415 3:10 p.m. 5 121201 1819 3:15 p.m. 5 121000 2217 Total p.m.: 30 79562115 97129 *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1. - 5