HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-17-003 - Wilson Avenue Bike Lane Implementation
REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee
DATE OF MEETING: April 3, 2017
SUBMITTED BY: Ken Carmichael,Interim Director of Transportation Services,
519-741-2200, ext. 7372
PREPARED BY: Danny Pimentel, Active Transportation Planning Project
Manager, 519-741-2200, ext. 7371
WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 3
DATE OF REPORT: March 15, 2017
REPORT NO.: INS-17-003
SUBJECT: Wilson Avenue Bike Lane Implementation
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
That on-street bicycle lanes be installed on both sides of Wilson Avenue from
Kingsdale Community Center to Traynor Avenue; and further,
That on-street parking be prohibited on the north side of Wilson Avenue between
Kingsdale Community Center and Traynor Avenue; and further,
That the Uniform Traffic Bylaw be amended accordingly
BACKGROUND:
The approved City of Kitchener Cycling Master Plan (CMP) outlines a plan to implement
114 kilometres of cycling infrastructure over 20 years. This plan recommends the
implementation of bicycle lanes and other dedicated cycling infrastructure throughout
the city to create a more bike-friendly environment. Accordingly, Wilson Avenue has
been identified and recommended for cycling improvements and bicycle lanes are being
recommended.
REPORT:
The neighbourhood bound by Wilson Avenue, Connaught Street, Franklin Street South,
Greenfield Avenue and Traynor Avenue was recommended for a traffic calming review
within Report No.INS-12-015. As a result, in April 2012 residents were surveyed
regarding the initiation of a traffic calming review.
minimum of 25% of the residents directly fronting the roadways under review must be in
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favour of initiation of a traffic calming review, in order f
required response rate was not met and therefore Transportation Services did not
proceed with a formal traffic calming review.
However, as a result of Wilson Avenue being identified within the Cycling Master Plan, it
was recognized that a cycling review be conducted. The intent of the review is to
provide a roadway corridor that will be safer for all road users as well as meeting the
recommendations outlined in the Cycling Master Plan.
Wilson Avenue is designated as major collector roadway within the City of Kitchener
Official Plan. The function of amajor collector road is to collect and distribute traffic
between local streets, other collector roads and the arterial road system. The primary
purpose of such roads is to carry through traffic between neighbourhoods. Direct access
to abutting properties is also typically permitted. Wilson Avenue has a designated speed
limit of 50 km/h.
On-Street Parking
There are approximately 162 on-street parking spaces along Wilson Avenue within the
study area based on the current parking regulations. Installation of cycling facilities as
proposed will result in a loss of approximately 57 parking spaces on the north side
(even numbered houses) and one (1) parking space on the south side (odd numbered
houses) of Wilson Avenue. The remaining 104 spaces are provided in various areas
throughout the corridor, exclusively along the south side (odd numbered houses) of
Wilson Avenue and should still accommodate any on-street parking demands.
To quantify parking demand, City staff conducted parking studies along Wilson Avenue
between Kingsdale Community Center and Traynor Avenue. The parking studies
counted the number of vehicles parked along the north side (even numbered houses) of
Wilson Avenue. On-street parking along the south side of Wilson Avenue was not
recorded at the time of the study. The results are provided below:
DateTimeNumber of Cars Parked
Sunday April 6, 201611:00 am3
Thursday April 14, 20167:00 pm1
Friday April 15, 20168:00 pm2
Sunday April 17, 201611:00 am4
City staff conducted further parking studies in early 2017 to gain a better understanding
of the parking demand on both sides of Wilson Avenue. The parking study counted the
number of vehicles parked along both sides of Wilson Avenue between Kingsdale
Community Center. The result of the most recent parking studies are shown on the
following page.
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DateTimeNumber of Cars Number of Cars
Parkedon north Parkedon south
sideside
Thursday March 16, 20178:00 pm00
Friday March 17, 201710:00 pm42
Saturday March 18, 20174:00 pm15
On Monday March 22, 2017, Transportation staff conducted an additional parking study
and observations during school hours on, to better understand how on-street parking is
accommodated during the 3:10 p.m. dismissal time at Wilson Avenue Public School.
The table below displays on many vehicles were parked on-street and between which
mid-block between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Number of Cars on north Number of Cars on south
sideside
Mid-Block
3:003:153:303:003:153:30
Traynor -Woodhaven
010030
th
Woodhaven -8
68111101
thth
8-5
65010101
th
5-end of Wilson
000000
During the field observations it was observed that during the busiest time for on-street
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parking, there were 11 vehicles parked on 8 Avenue between Wilson Avenue and
Greenfield Avenue and 19 vehicles parked on Byron Avenue between Woodhaven
Road and Harber Avenue. The images on the following provide further illustration of the
on-street parking in front of Wilson Avenue Public School during the field observations.
Parking studies conducted have indicated that the observed parking demand can easily
be accommodated with the proposed removal of parking on the north side (even
numbered houses) of Wilson Avenue.
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Image 1 - Wilson Ave in front of Wilson Avenue Public School; taken from 8 Ave
towards Franklin St
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Image 2 - Wilson Ave between 5 Avenue and Wilson Avenue Public School; taken
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from 5 Ave towards Franklin St
Volume and Speed
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Count AADT 85 Percentile
Location AADT*
Date Combined Speed (km/h)**
th
Wilson Avenue between 9
May Eastbound: 1,570
Avenue and Woodhaven 3,802 57
2009 Westbound: 2,232
Road
Wilson Avenue at Kingsdale July Eastbound: 374
713 50
Community Centre 2014 Westbound: 339
*Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT); **85% of vehicles are traveling at or below this
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speed (85 percentile speed).
Traffic volumes and speeds for Wilson Avenue are within what is expected for that
type of roadway.
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Collision History
A three year collision history was completed for Wilson Avenue which shows a total of
24 reported collisions. The table below is a summary of the combined collisions
categorized by initial impact type:
Initial Impact Type
YearTotal
SMVRear Turning Side-SMV
AngleApproachingOther
otherEndMovementswipeUnattended
2013011011116
2014203010129
2015212111019
Total4261322424
The reported collisions along Wilson Avenue indicate the majority of collisions
occurring at the Traynor Avenue intersection. Further analysis will be conducted to
identify preventative measures for these collisions prior to implementing pavement
markings and parking restrictions.
Roadway Design and Pavement Markings
While Wilson Avenue is classified as amajor collector roadway,it is also part of the
Regional cycling network and is identified as a proposed on-road bikeway within the
CMP. As a result, bike lanes are being recommended on Wilson Avenue from
Kingsdale Community Center to Traynor Avenue.
Transportation Services staff will be reviewing Wilson Avenue from Traynor Avenue to
Wabanki Drive in the future for implementation of on-road cycling facilities. The
proposed design along Wilson Avenue, would provide a full connection of cycling
infrastructure from Wilson Park to Homer Watson Park.
Wilson Avenue between Kingsdale Community Center and Traynor Avenue is a two
lane road with a pavement width of approximately 11.2 meters, currently allowing for
5.6 meter lanes in each direction which includes on-street parking on both sides. The
proposed cycling design would consist of a 2.0 meter parking lane on the south side
(odd numbered houses), 3.1 meter travel lane in each direction and 1.5 meter bike
lane in each direction, as shown on the following page.
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Wilson Avenue Proposed Pavement Marking Design
It should be noted that in front of Wilson Avenue Public School, the existing school
bus loading zone will remain with the proposed changes to Wilson Avenue.
By providing cycling facilities on Wilson Avenue it is anticipated that adecrease in
speeds would result, while providing a safe place for cyclists to ride alongside vehicles
in a connected network.
Public Input
Transportation Services staff held a drop-in format public information center on May 4,
2016 at Howard Roberston Public School on Morgan Avenue.Affected citizens who
attended where provided information regarding the review, including the proposed
design for Wilson Avenue. The meeting was attended by approximately 15 citizens as
well as the ward Councillor. There was one (1) comment sheet submitted as well as
an email form the same resident, following the meeting. Below is a summary of the
comments received:
opposed to the removal of on-street parking on Wilson Avenue, in order
to accommodate the bike lanes; does not feel the usage of the bike lanes
warrant the loss of 57 on-street parking spaces
the condition of the roadway is in poor condition in sections of Wilson
Avenue and will create a danger to cyclists
enforcement of speed limit and no heavy truck prohibition would be
preferred over implementing bike lanes
suggestion to utilize Greenfield Avenue for cyclists as it is less busy and
asphalt is in better condition
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Wilson Avenue is proposed to be reconstructed in 2022 (as outlined in the 10 year
capital forecast) from Kingsdale Community Center to Fairlawn Road. Based on
comments received, Transportation Services inquired as to the possibility of
accelerating the reconstruction timeline and aligning both projects together. However, it
was determined that Wilson Avenue will not be completed prior to 2022 and that cycling
improvements should be completed prior to the reconstruction. It should be noted that
changes to the roadway may be possible at the time of reconstruction, which could
allow for a review of on-street parking along Wilson Avenue or providing a buffer
between parked vehicles and the bike lanes, while still accommodating the proposed
bike lanes.
Franklin Street South was originally proposed to see cycling improvements with the
implementation of roadway edge lines from Wilson Avenue to Kingsway Drive. During a
recent Kitchener Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee meeting, it was suggested that
staff revisit Franklin Street South and provide an alternative to the proposed roadway
edge lines. Transportation staff will be reviewing Franklin Street South to determine
what other infrastructure would be more appropriate and will report back to the
Kitchener Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Priority: 4: Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure
Strategy: 4.4: Develop a network of safe, comfortable and linked
pedestrian and cycling facilities and improve year-round
maintenance on priority routes
Strategic Action: SE13: Implement the Cycling Master Plan
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
The proposed pavement marking changes and on-street parking changes will come
from the cycling capital budget, with an approximate cost of $20,000.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM
advance of the council / committee meeting. Residents were notified regarding this
report to recommend the implementation of cycling facilities.
CONSULT One drop in format public information centre was held in May 2016 at
Howard Robertson Public School. Also, The Kitchener Cycling and Trails Advisory
Committee were presented with theproposed plan during a meeting in May 2016 for
comments and feedback. The proposed final design was presented during a March
2017 meeting where the following motion was made:
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On a motion by Mr. Mollison
It was resolved and carried
report back on alternatives for Franklin Street South, including sharrows, contra-flow
lanes and the removal of right turn storage from Franklin Street onto Kingsway
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Justin Readman, Interim Executive Director
Infrastructure Services Department
Attached:
Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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Appendix A - Proposed Pavement Marking Plan
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