The Case For Traffic Mitigation Measures In Danforth Gardens
Over 26,000 units are projected in the Scarborough Junction Community in the coming years which will bring and increase in traffic congestion and infiltration. Measures must be taken to prevent our residential streets from becoming thoroughfares.
Reasons for Traffic Mitigation for DGNA
1. These buildings all have addresses on major roads so
their vehicle access should be on these major roads. If parking accesses are
put on local side streets, then the impact on local neighbourhoods must be
considered.
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3431 St. Clair With 257 Car Garage |
2. City planners are tasked with many things including
maintaining the integrity of current neighbourhoods. Elfreda Blvd. and the streets of the Danforth
Gardens Neighbourhood were designed as residential streets not thoroughfares
and should be maintained as such.
Children play, ride their bikes and walk to school on these residential streets
that were not designed as thoroughfares.
3. Elfreda Blvd, Newlands Ave. and the streets of the
Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood are major pedestrian routes for school
children. Increasing traffic on these
routes will have a negative impact on the safety of students walking and
cycling to both Danforth Gardens P.S. on Santamonica Blvd. and St. Joachim’s
Catholic School on St. Clair Ave.
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Newlands and Elfreda |
4. Elfreda Blvd. is already used as a route to avoid
congestion at St. Clair Ave. and Birchmount Rd. Letting 257 cars from 3431 St.
Clair turn up Elfreda Blvd. will worsen already problematic traffic issues on
Elfreda Blvd, Newlands Ave., the streets of Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood and
the other access points to our neighbourhood at Newlands/Birchmount and
Santamonica/St. Clair.
5. The sheer volume of vehicles from new developments
adjacent to the Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood and in the Scarborough Junction
Community will put unprecedented pressure on our neighbourhood as a thoroughfare
and a route to avoid congestion on major routes. These developments are on
major thoroughfares designed for high traffic volume and transit vehicles and
this is where the vehicls from these buildings should be directed.
The Solution
The Danforth Gardens residents are asking for the following
traffic infiltration measures for the 3431 St. Clair Ave. East development:
1. We understand the reasons behind wanting to put the
parking garage access on Elfreda Blvd. and we do not oppose that.
2. We are asking that no left turn up Elfreda Blvd. be
allowed out of the parking garage forcing vehicles to the right to St. Clair
Ave. E. This would be accomplished by:
a) Erecting a No Left Turn or Right Turn Only Sign at the garage entrance.
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b) Curving the parking garage entrance to the right.
c) Placing a curb bump out or “lamb chop” as a physical barrier
on Elfreda Blvd. to deter vehicles from the parking garage turning left on
Elfreda Blvd.
Please note that similar measures were taken on Scotia Ave
and Danforth Ave. to allow access for the building residents to their parking
garage from Danforth Rd. onto Scotia Ave. The distance from Danforth Rd. to the
driveway is like the situation at Elfreda and St. Clair. The section of Scotia Ave. up to the parking
garage driveway was made two-way up to the parking garage entrance and a
traffic obstruction and signage was constructed to physically deter vehicles
from going up Scotia Ave. the wrong way. Scotia Ave. remains one way south to
prevent traffic infiltration into the neighbourhood.
3. We are asking for a traffic signal light to be installed at the intersection of Elfreda Blvd. and St. Clair Ave. E. to allow for cars exiting the parking garage safe and timely access to St. Clair Ave. E. It is already quite difficult for local residents to exit at this access point to our neighbourhood and a traffic light there is long overdue particularly with the added traffic from 3431 St. Clair and other planned developments in the area. This traffic light would be 150m from the intersection of Birchmount and St. Clair which is consistent with traffic signal spacing at Kennedy/St. Clair/Danforth and other parts of the city.
These measures would help maintain Elfreda Blvd., Newlands
Ave. and the Danforth Gardens neighbourhood streets as safe residential streets
while giving the new residents at 3431 St. Clair Ave. safe and easy access to
St. Clair Ave.
We understand that there is a formula for projecting the
number of cars leaving a parking garage but we do not believe that this formula
should be used in isolation, rather, it should be considered in the context of
the local situation which we have described.
We look forward to discussing this matter with our local councillor
and city planners and integrating the measures into to Final Site Plan to
insure the development at 3431 St. Clair is a net benefit to everyone.