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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-08-197 - 2009 Sidewalk Infill ProgramDevelopment& Technical Services Report To: Development & Technical Services Committee Date of Meeting: December 01, 2008 Submitted By: K. Grant Murphy, Director, Engineering Services Prepared By: Greg McTaggart, Manager Of Infrastructure Asset Planning Ward(s) Involved: Wards 1, 2, 3, 5 Date of Report: November 18, 2008 Report No.: DTS 08-197 Subject: THE 2009 NEW SIDEWALK INFILL PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS: That the following locations be approved for installation of new sidewalk in the 2009 New Sidewalk Construction program: 1) Arnold Street: from Lancaster Street to Oxford Street 2) Bruce Street: from Victoria Street to Fife Avenue 3) Doon Valley Drive: from 200m. east of Old Mill Road to end 4) Heritage Drive: from Ottawa Street to Shaftsbury Drive 5) North Drive: from Queens Boulevard to Spadina Road 6) Rockway Drive: from Floral Crescent to Doon Road BACKGROUND: For many years the City has operated an annual program whose purpose is to install sidewalks in locations within the urbanised portion of the city where no sidewalks currently exist. The program is in support of the overall objective of providing a walking environment that is as safe as is possible for all of the city's pedestrians, by striving to provide sidewalk availability for all citizens to use where ever they may choose to walk within the public right-of-way. Specifically, this program is in support of several corporate goals, objectives, and guiding principles which are listed below: 1) The Pedestrian Charter For The City Of Kitchener (report CRPS-05-051) has been adopted as a guiding principle on issues related to pedestrians and related transportation matters in the city on a broad scale. Action points in the charter that specifically pertain to providing sidewalks where possible in the city include: • Uphold the right of pedestrians of all ages and abilities to safe, convenient, direct, and comfortable walking conditions • Provide a walking environment within the public right-of-way and in public parks that encourages people to walk for travel, exercise, and recreation. • Support and encourage the planning, design, and development of a walking environment in public and private spaces that meets the travel needs of pedestrians • Provide and maintain infrastructure that gives pedestrians safe and convenient passage while walking along and crossing streets In the body of the Pedestrian Charter report, it is stated: "Improving walkability and accessibility will require focus on new development, as well as retrofitting existing development where possible, and collaboration with the development industry. " 2) The Strategic Plan For The Environment (report DTS-08-060), has a mission intended "to ensure an environment that is ecologically sound and supportive of health, safety, and well- being of its residents by identifying policies and practices which reflect community values and impact positively on the environment" Action points in the plan that specifically pertain to providing sidewalks where possible in the city include: • To improve air quality by contributing to reducing motor vehicle emissions (part 3: air quality, priority #2), through encouraging walking as an alternative mode of travel. • To implement air quality management programs at a local level (part 3: air quality, priority #3). • To promote, and where possible introduce, cooperative education and public awareness programs aimed at the development of an environmentally healthy lifestyle (part 7: environmental education & public awareness, priority #3). 3) A Plan For A Healthy Kitchener (P4HK) prepared by Compass Kitchener (report CAO-06- 050), has a mission intended "to provide a single strategic approach to delivering results in key areas that are essential to the health and vitality of our city, now and into the future" On the issue of diversity and inclusiveness, 85% of citizens who participated indicated their willingness to spend the same or more funding on increasing physical accessibility, such as wheelchair access. Two-thirds of citizens wanted Kitchener to be known as a city that provides a common set of services for all. Specifics in the plan that would pertain to providing sidewalks where possible in the city include: • That staff continues to oversee priorities for physical accessibility improvements in City facilities... (including) An audit of facilities to determine any existing barriers to persons with disabilities so that a priority plan can be developed to address those issues. (Citizen's diversity vision, priority #6 -part #3). The new sidewalk program supports these goals of providing barrier-free access on city streets to citizens of special need. Seniors, and persons using walkers, wheelchairs, or scooters are placed at higher risk of collision with vehicles if forced to traverse a city street because a lack of sidewalk at that location. Sidewalks can provide a smoother travelling surface than roads, lessening the risk of tripping and falling. Lastly, if a special needs pedestrian does fall, they are in place safe of the risk of vehicular traffic striking them while they are on the ground. Selection Process: Five of the six proposed locations for new sidewalk installation in the 2009 season were selected using a process approved by council as described in report DTS-08-036. It must be stressed that this process is intended only to prioritise sidewalk installation work over the years within this particular program, not determine which locations will or will not ultimately get a sidewalk. The overall intent remains to place sidewalks in urbanised locations that currently do not have any when practical to do so, at a pace permitted by the rate of disbursement of program funding. As an example, the prioritisation system will only determine whether a given location in the city receives a sidewalk in, say, year one of the program - as opposed to year three of the program. The subject location will however still be a candidate to receive a sidewalk at some point in time. In a brief description, the system uses the proximity of each location in the city that is currently without sidewalk to pre-determined pedestrian demand features (a school or bus route for example), in order to determine a prioritisation of which locations to install a sidewalk sooner or later over the life of the program. Each demand feature is awarded a point value commensurate with their assessed importance or value to pedestrians. Essentially, the closer that a location is to more demand features, the greater a demand score that location will receive. The City's geographic information system (GIS) is used to perform acity-wide analysis of all locations in the city, and awards a priority value to each location currently without sidewalk. The single location that was not selected for sidewalk installation in 2009 using the above described method is Bruce Street. It has been proposed for sidewalk installation as a result of direct resident requests made several years ago for a sidewalk to be installed there, and a subsequent commitment made at that time by staff to fulfill this request. This is the final outstanding proposed sidewalk location remaining that was derived from this earlier selection process. Exemptions or Deferrals: As currently written, the corporate goals and objectives listed above pertaining to citizen access to sidewalks does not speak to exemptions for any specific locations, or the potential of deferring proposed installation work at any specific locations to a later date. Deferrals of work proposed for specific locations in the near future years could be granted if so desired by council, directing that the proposed work instead be performed in later years in the program. However, any deferral time period chosen would be purely subjective, and questions might then arise if such a deferral could be renewed when the defined deferral period had expired -such a renewable deferral in essence becoming a "rolling exemption". Providing exemptions may place at risk some aspects of the objectives and intended benefits of sidewalk installation throughout the city, such as universal access for pedestrians to sidewalks. In a related policy, the City's policy regarding the placement of sidewalks in new developments (policy I-1120 is fairly stringent (both sides of any road 16 metres or greater. The only stated exceptions in that policy are designated scenic roads and heritage districts. This policy does acknowledge the potential for unspecified rare exceptions where the City may grant an exemption to a specific location when alternatives to nominal sidewalks might be provided. Lastly, granting an exemption to, or deferral of, a proposed sidewalk installation may generate the impression in the minds of the public that once the precedent of granting exemptions or deferrals for new sidewalks has been established, any location in the city identified for sidewalk installation in the future may also then eligible for the granting of an exemption or a deferral of that proposed work upon the request of a significantly large enough contingent of directly affected residents. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The funding for this annual program is budgeted for and allocated annually. There are no further financial implications beyond the currently budgeted funding for the program as per the 10-year capital forecast. The city's current 10-year capital budget projection is to allocate $409,000 in 2009, rising to $486,000 by 2018 for this program. COMMUNICATIONS: In response to the new sidewalk infill program becoming a matter of increasing public interest in recent times, a public information centre (PIC) was held on October 30, 2008 concerning the candidate locations for new sidewalk installation in the 2009 new sidewalk infill program (those locations listed in the recommendation). Directly and indirectly affected residents of each street, as well as councillors whose wards the proposed work is situated in were invited. Of the six streets, 28 residents representing 21 of the invited 56 properties from three of the six candidate streets attended. Representatives of the Community Services Department speaking on behalf of the City's two affected golf courses (boon & Rockway) were consulted at a separate time. Of the residents that attended, responses ranged from: • Support for a new sidewalk on their street. • Concerns regarding untoward effects that construction might have on their property or services. • Opposition to having a sidewalk constructed on their specific street. • Opposition to the larger goal of providing sidewalks where possible for all residents to use. A detailed breakdown of resident responses from the three streets from the PIC is contained in Appendix "A". CONCLUSION: The locations proposed for installation of new sidewalk are consistent with, and in support of, the stated goals in the City's Pedestrian Charter, Strategic Plan For The Environment, A Plan For A Healthy Kitchener, and in providing barrier-free pedestrian facilities for all of its citizens. Grant Murphy, P. Eng. Director, Engineering Services Greg McTaggart, C.Tech. Manager, Infrastructure Asset Planning Appendix "A" PIC Resident Comments & Concerns And Location Background Information Public Information Centre Session: New Sidewalk Infill Program Rockwav Drive Proposed New Sidewalk. The block of Rockway Drive between Floral Crescent and Doon Road currently has no sidewalk. It is proposed to construct a sidewalk on the south/west side of the street as part of the 2009 new sidewalk program. The north/east side of the street is more impractical to construct a sidewalk due to grading issues and the presence of utility poles. Pedestrian counts conducted on October 23rd 2008 found 18 pedestrians traversed the street in an 8 hour period, and 17 additional persons (mostly students) travelled a portion of the street prior to taking a short cut to school through the Rockway golf club parking lot over the same period of time. Extrapolating these figures, it could be conservatively estimated that at least 5,000 pedestrian trips are taken down this length of street in a year, and an additional approximately 3,000 partial pedestrian trips that are taken on the street prior to those pedestrians shortcutting through Rockway golf course to their destination. This would result in a conservative estimate of a total of 8,000 full or partial pedestrian trips per year taken on this section of road annually. Residents of the street were invited to the October 30t" 2008 public information centre (P.I.C.) that discussed all proposed locations for new sidewalk to be constructed under the 2009 program, including the Rockway Drive location. Rockway Drive resident comments and concerns were solicited and are summarised below. Description: The block of Rockway Drive proposed for new sidewalk contains 32 properties that abut the whole of the street. Of those 32 properties, l 6 are on the side of the street that the sidewalk is proposed for installation and are directly affected, and 16 properties are on the opposite side of the street. Residents from both sides of the street were invited to the public open house at the request of the residents who were directly affected, as they felt that this matter had the potential to hold broader implications for the street as a whole. 23 people representing 19 of the 32 properties attended the P.I.C., or expressed opinion through other means. The breakdown of the input was as follows: Resident Input: o Attended and/or provided input = 19 of 32 properties (59%) o Did not attend or provide input = 13 of 32 properties (41 %) o Proposed sidewalk side of the street represented = 11 of 16 properties (75%) o Opposite side of the street represented = 8 of 16 properties (50%) One additional resident from Plymouth Road was in attendance. Opinion: o Opposed asidewalk = 13 of 32 properties (41 %) o Expressed concerns about sidewalk construction = 2 of 32 properties (6%) o No opinion given = 2 of 32 properties (6%) o Were in favour of asidewalk = 2 of 32 properties (6%) o Did not attend or provide input = 13 of 32 properties (41 %) Reasons against a sidewalk: Of the properties who expressed opposition to a sidewalk being installed, their reasons generally fell into a number of common themes. Below is listing of those themes, and the number of properties that considered them as reasons against a sidewalk on their street: • Perceived insufficient pedestrian demand currently or in the future for a sidewalk at this location (9 properties) • Belief that the addition of a sidewalk would be damaging to the aesthetics of the existing streetscape (7 properties) • Funding currently allocated to this program would be more effectively spent if it were redirected towards more important municipal priorities (5 properties) • Concern that a new sidewalk could negatively affect the appearance of the landscaped street right-of-way in front of their specific properties (4 properties) • Concern for pedestrian safety near the Rockway Golf Course 10th tee (3 properties) • Concern by residents for having to bear responsibility for snow removal of any new sidewalk, and the availability of snow storage space (3 properties) • Vehicular traffic volumes are perceived to be insufficient to be deemed a current danger to pedestrians walking on the street (3 properties) • Concern that adjacent trees could be damaged by construction work (2 properties) • Anew sidewalk could reduce currently available driveway parking spaces (2 properties) • The installation of a sidewalk would have negative environmental impacts (1 property) • Could make garbage collection difficult (1 property) It was suggested by some in opposition to a sidewalk that methods other than the installation of a sidewalk would better enhance pedestrian safety and would be preferred to that of a sidewalk. These included: • Lower the traffic speed limit to 30 km/hr for the entirety of Rockway Drive • Installation speed humps to slow down vehicular traffic • Closure of the street at one end to curtail drive-through vehicular traffic. Reasons supporting a sidewalk: Of the properties who expressed support for a sidewalk being installed, their reasons generally concerned what was perceived to be a sufficiently large pedestrian need that currently exists on the street, and safety concerns regarding pedestrians currently having to walk on a street that has no sidewalks. Current pedestrian users that were mentioned included students, users of the Rockway golf course, employees of the Rockway golf course, tourists who were visiting the nearby Rockway Gardens, and general pedestrian traffic from both residents of the street and the broader neighbourhood. Expressing Concerns: Of the properties who expressed concerns about a sidewalk being installed, their matters generally related to construction issues, the potential negative effects that such work might have on other infrastructure, the effect of construction on private lawn irrigation systems or private stormwater drainage, and the quality of restoration work at the conclusion of construction. Public Information Centre Session: New Sidewalk Infill Program Bruce Street Proposed New Sidewalk. The section of Bruce Street between Victoria Street and Fife Avenue currently has only a 100 metre section of sidewalk along the 500 metre total length of the south/west side of this stretch of the street. Of the proposed 400 metres of new sidewalk, approximately 120 metres abut commercial properties, and the remainder abut residential or mixed use properties. This proposed work is part of the 2009 program due to a commitment made in 2006 by Engineering Division staff to a request made by two property owners on Bruce Street for a sidewalk to be installed. The primary concern by the requesters was a perceived danger to pedestrians due to traffic volumes on the street. At that time, the process for selection of locations for new sidewalk installation was less formalised than today, and did not use the prioritisation system currently in use. Under the prioritisation system in use now, this location would not have a sidewalk installed for several more years into the future. This proposed work is considered "legacy work" from an earlier era in the program, and work prioritization in this manner is not anticipated in the future. Approximately one half of this proposed sidewalk is on a section of Bruce Street that falls under the jurisdiction of the Region of Waterloo, and as such the Region will fund that portion of the work. Residents of the street were invited to the October 30t" 2008 public information centre (P.I.C.) that discussed all proposed locations for new sidewalk to be constructed under the 2009 program, including the Bruce Street location. Bruce Street resident comments and concerns were solicited and are summarised below. Description: The portion of Bruce Street proposed for new sidewalk contains 15 properties that abut the proposed location of the sidewalk on the street. Residents from the affected side of the street were invited to the public open house. 3 people representing 2 of the 15 properties attended the P.I.C. Both properties were opposed to a sidewalk being installed. Reasons for opposition were as follows: • Perceived insufficient pedestrian demand currently or in the future for a sidewalk at this location • Funding currently allocated to this program would be more effectively spent if it were redirected towards more important municipal priorities • Concern by residents for having to bear responsibility for snow removal of any new sidewalk • Concern that increased foot traffic resulting from a sidewalk will increase the amount of refuse and litter left behind by pedestrians on resident's yards • The inconvenience of construction will result in loss of resident's vehicular access to their homes and businesses, create parking and traffic flow issues, and force residents to temporarily park their vehicles away from their driveways -resulting insecurity concerns. • The installation of a sidewalk would have negative environmental impacts Public Information Centre Session: New Sidewalk Infill Program Arnold Street Proposed New Sidewalk. The section of Arnold Street between Lancaster Street and Oxford Street currently has no sidewalk along the north/west side of this stretch of the street. The proposed work is approximately 175 meters in length, and 6 properties abut the location. Residents of the affected portion of the street were invited to the October 30t" 2008 public information centre (P.I.C.) that discussed all proposed locations for new sidewalk to be constructed under the 2009 program, including the Arnold Street location. Three persons representing one property attended. No written comments were submitted at that time.