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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSD-2023-371 - Council Motion DSD-2023-286 - Bingemans Centre Drive Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole DATE OF MEETING: August 28, 2023 SUBMITTED BY: Barry Cronkite, Director, Transportation Services, 519-741-2200, ext. 7738 PREPARED BY: Aaron McCrimmon-Jones, Manager, Transportation Safety & Policy, 519-741-2200 ext. 7038 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Wards (1-10) DATE OF REPORT: August 22, 2023 REPORT NO.: DSD-2023-371 SUBJECT: Council Motion DSD-2023-286 Bingemans Centre Drive RECOMMENDATION: That Council receive this report for information regarding areas of concern with an increased speed limit on Bingemans Centre Drive from 50km/h to 60km/h; and further, That Council approve changing the priority of a boulevard multi-use trail along Bingemans Centre Drive from medium-term to short-term in the Cycling and Trails Master Plan. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: The purpose of this report is to: o Highlight areas of concern with an increased speed limit from 50km/h to 60km/h on Bingemans Centre Drive; The key finding of this report is: o Considering the existing conditions of Bingemans Centre Drive, including on- road cycling facilities, high operating speeds, transit service, business community concerns regarding speeding and safety, and a history of collisions, staff recommend maintaining the speed limit of 50 km/h for this road until a boulevard multi-use trail is installed; o Within the City of Kitchener the majority of roads in built up areas with a 60km/h speed limit have separated facilities for active transportation users; These recommendations have no expected financial implications; however it may change the implementation plan for active transportation infrastructure for other parts of The City; This report supports the delivery of core services; *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. BACKGROUND: At the August 14 Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting Council received staff report DSD-2023-286 Speed Limit Review School Zones and Bingemans Centre Drivewhere the following motion was passed: That staff be directed to report back at the next Council meeting with an increased speed limit on Bingeman Centre drive to 60 km/hr considering any suggested signage changes or other measures to reduce hotspot areas of concern. REPORT: Through staff report DSD-2023-286 Staff recommended maintaining the current posted speed limit of 50 km/h given the existing conditions on Bingemans Centre Drive. This approach prioritizes safety for street users and helps address concerns expressed by businesses and other stakeholders in the area. Bingemans Centre Drive is classified as a major collector roadway with a posted speed limit of 50km/h and services a range of businesses, vehicles, and street users. Currently the road is a transit corridor with on-road painted bike lanes and a sidewalk on the north side only. The south side of the road does not have sidewalk facilities and the corridor does not have any controlled mid-block crossings. Staff reviewed other comparable roads across The City of Kitchener with 60km/h posted speed limits including Regional of Waterloo roads. The majority of roads with 60km/h posted speed limits in built-up areas currently have separated facilities for vulnerable street users. -use trail along Bingemans Centre Drive from Victoria Street to Riverbend Drive as a medium-term priority. Medium-term priority generally indicates a 12-15 year time frame. To address areas of concern for vulnerable street users staff recommend changing the priority for this boulevard multi-use trail to a short-term time frame, and to fund the installation of this facility before the posted speed limit is increased to 60km/h. The order of magnitude cost to install a 3- meter boulevard multi-use trail from Victoria Road to Riverbend Drive is estimated at $400,000. This order of magnitude cost does not include possible curb realignment, drainage impacts, retaining walls or land acquisition. Bingemans Centre Drive was the highest-ranking location in the Vision Zero network modelling completed through a partnership with the University of Waterloo. As a result Bingemans Centre Drive was prioritized for safety improvements including two pedestrian refuge islands which were installed in June 2023. Other forms of traffic calming such as raised measures are not suitable along Bingemas Centre Drive given the cross section, road classification and traffic data. The most recent traffic data for Bingemans th Centre Drive from 2017 shows an 85 percentile speed of 75 km/h with average daily traffic volume of 11,292 vehicle trips. Between 2013 and 2023, a total of 28 collisions occurred on this road. Among these collisions, two involved pedestrians and one involved a cyclist. Of the 28 collisions, seven resulted in injuries. The travel time impact for a driver traveling 2km from approximately Victoria Street to Riverbend Drive at 50km/h versus 60km/h is approximately 24 seconds. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: This report supports the delivery of core services. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Capital Budget The recommendation included in this report has no impact on the Capital Budget. However, should Council approve an increased speed limit along Bingemans Centre Drive and change the priority of a boulevard multi-use trail to a short-term priority, the order of magnitude cost to install a 3-meter boulevard multi-use trail from Victoria Road to Riverbend Drive is estimated at $400,000. This order of magnitude cost does not include possible curb realignment, drainage impacts, retaining walls or land appropriation acquisition. It is recommended that this be funded separately so that other short term priority projects are not adversely impacted. Should Council choose to increase the posted speed limit to 60 km/h then staff will report back with an issue paper as part of the 2025 budget. Operating Budget The recommendation included in this report has no impact on the Operating Budget. However, should Council approve an increased speed limit, there will be a $2000 impact on the Operating Budget for sign installations. These costs will be charged to the existing Sign Maintenance budget. Additionally, once constructed, winter maintenance of a multi-use trail along Bingemans Centre Drive will be approximately $20,000 annually. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM the council / committee meeting. PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES: Report DSD-2023-286 - Speed Limit Review School Zones and Bingemans Centre Drive APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services Department ATTACHMENTS: None