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Home My WebLink AboutDTS-09-109 - Kingswood Dr Traffic Calming - One Year ReviewJ KITC~~R De~elopment& Technical5ervrces REPORT T0: Development & Technical Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: August 10, 2009 SUBMITTED BY: John McBride, Director of Transportation Planning PREPARED BY: Cameron Bevers, Traffic Technician (741-2369) WARD(S) INVOLVED: Fairview-Gateway DATE OF REPORT: July 10, 2009 REPORT NO.: DTS-09-109 SUBJECT: KINGSWOOD DRIVE TRAFFIC CALMING -ONE YEAR REVIEW RECOMMENDATION: That the existing traffic calming measures on Kingswood Drive, consisting of six (6) speed humps and two (2) raised crosswalks from Strasburg Road to Block Line Road, remain in place. BACKGROUND: As per the recommendations outlined in Development and Technical Services Committee Report DTS-07-048, Transportation Planning has conducted afollow-up review of the traffic calming measures installed along Kingswood Drive in 2007. The intention of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of the traffic calming measures in order to ensure that the measures have successfully moderated traffic speeds and discouraged cut-through traffic on Kingswood Drive. In addition, a survey was sent to neighbourhood residents in early 2009, in order to determine if the traffic calming plan is generally supported by the residents of the community. The City of Kitchener initiated a Traffic Calming Review for Kingswood Drive in April 2005. Under the terms of the Environmental Assessment Act in effect at that time, the project fell under the requirements of a formal "Schedule B" Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process. In early 2005, Transportation Planning hired a consultant, Paradigm Transportation Solutions Limited, to complete the Kingswood Drive Traffic Calming EA. The first public meeting was held on May 17, 2005. Residents were invited to review the speed and traffic volume data collected by the study team, and to provide their input about the traffic issues in the neighbourhood. The majority of residents who attended the meeting and submitted comment sheets expressed concerns about traffic volumes and high vehicle speeds. On July 26, 2005, a second public meeting was held to present four design options to the 4-1 community. A preferred alternative was identified and feedback was requested from residents in order to determine if the community as a whole supported the recommendations. In DTS Report 05-193, Council was advised of the completion of the Kingswood Drive EA. On December 13, 2005, the EA was filed for the 30-day public review period, as required under the Environmental Assessment Act. During this period, a "Part II" Order was filed by a concerned resident, and the EA was subsequently referred to the Ministry of Environment for further review. During the Ministry of Environment's review of the Kingswood Drive EA, a provincial legislative change took place which removed the obligation of a municipality to conduct a "Schedule B" Class EA for traffic calming reviews. This legislative change allowed the City of Kitchener to proceed with the Kingswood Drive project, despite the "Part II" Order filed by the resident. On March 6, 2007, Transportation Planning staff held a third public meeting, during which a revised traffic calming plan was presented to neighbourhood residents. The initial EA conducted by Paradigm recommended the installation of chicanes along Kingswood Drive. Similar chicanes had been installed on Greenbrook Drive in 2006, and were overwhelmingly rejected by the neighbourhood as being an unacceptable traffic calming solution. Accordingly, Transportation Planning staff decided to replace the chicanes with other traffic calming devices, which included six speed humps and two raised crosswalks. This modification was well- received by the residents at the meeting. A final traffic calming recommendation, based on the modified plan, was submitted to Council in May 2007 (DTS Report 07-048). The recommended traffic calming measures were installed in the summer of 2007. REPORT: As part of the review of the traffic calming measures along Kingswood Drive, Transportation Planning has compared speed, volume and collision data for the Alpine Village Community based on conditions observed both before and after the traffic calming installation. The results are as follows: Kingswood Drive Speed and Volumes Traffic Volumes 85 Percentile Speeds ~kmlh) Count Station Locations Date WB EB Total Change WB EB Avg. Change R b t C t 2005 1200 957 2157 17 5% 53.2 53.5 53.4 18 3% er rescen o s 2008 989 791 1780 . . 41.5 45.7 43.6 . . A l hi C t 2005 1145 522 1667 28 8% 69.2 62.7 66.0 27 1% ppa an rescen ac 2008 633 554 1187 . 50.0 46.2 48.1 . . fi ld C G t 2005 2301 2361 4662 241 % 49.2 49.2 49.2 1 0 race rescen e 2008 1862 1676 3538 . 50.6 47.7 49.1 - . Note: 85t" percentile speed is the speed at which 85% of vehicles are travelling at or below. Based on this data, it can be concluded that traffic volumes on all sections of Kingswood Drive have fallen dramatically since the traffic calming installation in 2007. Traffic speeds have also 4-2 declined dramatically, except in the vicinity of Gracefield Crescent, where only a nominal decline in 85t" percentile speeds was observed. As part of the Kingswood Drive follow-up review, Transportation Planning investigated the number of collisions reported to police both before and after the installation of the traffic calming measures. Between 2003 and 2006, there was an average of six (6) collisions per year on Kingswood Drive. In 2008, only three (3) collisions were reported. This preliminary collision analysis suggests that the traffic calming measures have helped to reduce the overall collision experience on Kingswood Drive, although it should be noted that alonger-term analysis of collision trends on the street over the next few years will be required in order to confirm these preliminary findings. Transportation Planning conducts afollow-up neighbourhood survey as part of our traffic calming reviews. In January 2009, a survey package was mailed out to all residents in the Alpine Village neighbourhood, in order to gauge community support for the traffic calming installation. The survey package included the results of the traffic studies performed both before and after installation, as discussed above. A total of 251 responses were received from the 1,162 surveys that were mailed out, and the results are as follows: Total Survey Results: Residents in support of maintaining the existing traffic calming 205 (81.7%) Residents not in support of maintaining the traffic calming 45 (17.9%) Residents that are undecided 1 (0.4%) Tota1251 of 1,162 (21.6% response rate) Based on the results above, it appears that there is widespread neighbourhood support to maintain the existing traffic calming measures on Kingswood Drive. It should also be noted that Transportation Planning has not received any negative comments regarding the traffic calming installation on Kingswood Drive from either Alpine Public School or Our Lady of Grace Catholic School. Accordingly, Transportation Planning recommends that the existing traffic calming measures be retained on the street. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no additional costs to maintain the existing traffic calming measures. Any future maintenance costs would likely be incorporated into a roadway reconstruction. CB ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Interim General Manager Development and Technical Services Department 4-3