HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-06-143 - Traffic Operations - Glasgow Street
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KITCHENER
Development &
Technical Services
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Report To:
Date of Meeting:
Submitted By:
Prepared By:
Ward(s) Involved:
Date of Report:
Report No.:
Subject:
Mayor Zehr and Members of Council
2006 September 25
John McBride
Barry Cronkite
West - Victoria Park Ward - 6
2006 September 21
DTS 06-143
TRAFFIC OPERATIONS - GLASGOW STREET
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That no action be taken on the request to lower the speed limit on Glasgow Street between
Highland Road and West Hill Drive from 50km/h to 40km/h, and further
That the Waterloo Regional Police Services be requested to undertake speed enforcement on a
regular basis, and further
BACKGROUND:
That traffic conditions on Glasgow Street be reviewed upon completion of Ira Needles Boulevard
Transportation Planning has been requested by the Development and Technical Services Committee to
review the existing traffic conditions on Glasgow Street from Highland Road to University Avenue, based
on a concern raised by a local area resident.
Glasgow Street, within the City limits is constructed to a rural cross section, with residential and some
commercial/institutional frontage. At the present time, the maximum speed limit is 50km/h, as outlined in
the City of Kitchener Uniform Traffic By-law No. 2000-159.
REPORT:
Glasgow Street operates as a major collector roadway, serving as an alternate east-west route to
Fischer Hallman Road in west Kitchener for travel between Erb Street West in the City of Waterloo and
Highland Road.
In order to quantify the existing traffic conditions on Glasgow Street, Transportation Planning collected
and reviewed collision, speed and volume data.
COLLSIONS
The collision history was reviewed for Glasgow Street between Highland Road and the railway tracks
through the area with adjacent land development. There have been three reported collisions from
January 2002 until present. Of the three collisions, one was a rear end collision, one was an illegal
passing manouvre and one was vehicle/train collision, none of which was correctable by the installation
of any form of traffic calming, nor does it indicate a clear collision trend at anyone particular location.
There were 24 recorded collisions at the intersection of Glasgow Street and Highland Road between
January 2001 and December 2005, 15 of which were rear end collisions, resulting from vehicles waiting
to turn onto Glasgow Street from Highland Road.
AUTOMA TED SPEED/VOLUME STUDIES
From August 16th to August 20th, 2006, volume and speed studies were conducted on Glasgow Street
between Highland Road and the railway tracks. The AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic) for Glasgow
Street was 7422 vehicles per day, typical of a major collector roadway.
Speed studies were also performed on Glasgow Street during the same time period. The results are as
follows:
I Location on Glasgow Street
Between Highland Road and the
railway tracks
I Direction
Eastbound
Westbound
I 85tn Percentile Speed
65 km/h
65 km/h
The 85th percentile speeds (the industry standard by which speeding is measured) are higher than
should be expected. This can at least be partially attributed to the rural nature of Glasgow Street
between Highland Road and West Hill Drive.
Reducing the speed limit, however, would have no impact on the recorded speeds on Glasgow Street.
Industry studies repeatedly show that lowering the speed limit does not reduce the overall operational
speed, as drivers will drive to their comfort level. This is further supported by before and after studies on
other streets within the City of Kitchener where the speed limits have been lowered, showing that there
is no change in operational speeds except when police are present to perform speed enforcement. In
this regard, Transportation Planning will request regular enforcement of the existing speed limit on
Glasgow Street.
When compared to other major collector roadways being considered for traffic calming, Glasgow Street
ranks fourth, behind the following Streets:
· Doon Village Road
· Franklin Street
· Westheights Drive
In order to implement any type of traffic calming an environmental assessment would be required and
would take approximately eight months to complete. Given the fact that substantial changes in traffic
patterns are expected with the opening of Ira Needles Boulevard, it would be premature to undertake a
traffic calming environmental assessment at this time.
Ira Needles Boulevard (as shown in the map below) will be a major east/west arterial roadway that is
scheduled to reach completion at the end of the 2007 construction season, with the final stage to be the
portion of roadway from Victoria Street to West Hill Drive. The completion of Ira Needles Boulevard is
expected to significantly impact travel patterns in the west end of the City of Kitchener, and more
particularly along Glasgow Street. Traffic forecasts shown in Regional Report E 06-090, dated August
22, 2006, regarding the installation of traffic signals at Glasgow Street/Highland Road, indicate that
traffic volumes on Glasgow Street should decrease considerably as Ira Needles Boulevard is extended
from West Hill Drive in Waterloo to Trussler Road in Kitchener. According to the report, it is anticipated
that traffic volumes on Glasgow Street will be reduced by as much as 70%, which will have a
considerable impact on traffic safety and concerns in this area. Ira Needles Boulevard will serve as a
by-pass to Glasgow Street, and provide for a direct connection from Erbsville Road to Trussler
Road/Highway 7/8. It is anticipated that volumes on this portion of Glasgow Street will be partially
impacted in the summer of 2007 as Glasgow Street/West Hill Drive is reconstructed to incorporate the
Ira Needles Boulevard alignment.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no financial implications at this time.
John McBride, Director
Transportation Planning
Ken Carmichael, C.E.T.
Supervisor of Traffic and Parking
Transportation Planning
Barry Cronkite
Traffic Technologist
Transportation Planning
BC