General Committee
	TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
	FROM:	Alan Brown, Director of Engineering
	PREPARED BY:	Parveen Kalia, Engineering Technician
	DATE OF MEETING:	2005-Mar-21
	SUBJECT:	Reesor Road at Camp Robin Hood - Bus Loading Zone

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT Schedule 21 of By-law 106-71 pertaining to school bus loading zones be amended to rescind the By-law 209-84 provisions for Reesor Road at Camp Robin Hood;

AND THAT Management at Camp Robin Hood be advised that the bus loading zone on Reesor Road will not be permitted starting with the 2005 camp season;

AND THAT the Operations and Asset Management Department be directed to remove the existing Bus Loading Zone signs upon approval of the attached by-law.

PURPOSE:

This report summarizes the traffic operations on Reesor Road, fronting Camp Robin Hood, and recommends mitigation measures.

BACKGROUND:

The Engineering Department received a request from the Operations and Asset Management Department to review the Camp Robin Hood school bus loading zone operation located on the east side of Reesor Road and north of Major Mackenzie Drive. Specifically, concerns were expressed about the number of buses parked on Reesor Road, the impact to traffic flow on Reesor Road and the safety of children loading and unloading on these buses.

Reesor Road, north of Major Mackenzie, is a rural road with an 8.0 meter pavement width, gravel shoulders and ditches on either side. The operating speed is 86 km/h with average daily traffic of 3579 vehicles. The posted speed limit is 60 km/h.

Camp Robin Hood is a large well established summer day camp for children in the agricultural area of Markham. The camp operates every year for a period of eight weeks during the months of July and August and on any one day the facility can accommodate approximately 1000 children.

DISCUSSION:

In response to the concerns raised by the Operations and Asset Management Department, staff undertook an investigation to determine the extent of traffic operational concerns on Reesor Road, fronting Camp Robin Hood.

On-Site Observations - School Bus Operation

Camp Robin Hood operates every year for eight weeks during the months of July and August. Site observations were recorded on July 14 and August 12 of 2004. Camp Robin Hood was in operation at the time of taking the observations.

During the morning operation, school buses arrive at Camp Robin Hood at approximately 8:45 am and stop on the east side of Reesor Road to unload children. Due to the rural road cross-section, more than half of the bus width encroaches on the northbound travelled portion of the road (Attachment ‘A’)

This encroachment does not permit two way free flow conditions on Reesor Road (Attachment ‘D’). As a result, approximately 180 meters of Reesor Road is reduced to a single lane roadway when buses are parked (Attachment ‘B’ and ‘C’). This approximately equals 17 school buses, at any one time, that are stopped on the east side of Reesor Road, fronting Camp Robin Hood. To mitigate this traffic operational condition, camp staff have been observed controlling traffic flow on Reesor Road which does not comply with the Highway Traffic Act.

The afternoon school bus loading operation takes place within the camp property. Hence, there is no traffic operational problem on Reesor Road during the afternoon period.

Mitigating Measures

As mentioned above, the existing traffic operations on Reesor Road in July and August, fronting Camp Robin Hood, are unsafe due to the morning school bus unloading operation. Hence, the Engineering Department has provided 3 options for Camp Robin Hood Management to consider.

For all three options, all associated costs, including design, administration and construction related activities are to be borne by Camp Robin Hood. Town Staff are also open to considering any additional options provided by Camp Robin Hood Management or Engineering consultants.

Option 1 – Relocate Morning Operations On-site

Relocating morning school bus operations on-site is the most desirable since all the bus loading/unloading will be completely removed. It is recognized that unloading operations result in some conflicts on the site. The camp has been requested to review their site and develop an appropriate system.

Option 2 – Reesor Road Formal Lay-by

A lay-by, on the east side of Reesor Road, fronting Camp Robin Hood, can be constructed to mitigate the current unsafe traffic operations. The lay-by would involve road and drainage modifications. The lay-by length would be approximately 180 metres, to accommodate the existing conditions. The design elements for a lay-by would include widening Reesor Road, modifying existing drainage, pavement marking and traffic signs.

Option 3 – Paid Duty Officer

Paid Duty police officers would control traffic flow for the morning school bus operation only. Given the 180 meter length of the bus loading area, an officer would be stationed at either end of the school bus area to ensure opposing traffic does not create conflicts.

Discussion with Camp Robin Hood Management

Three meetings were held between Camp Robin Hood Management and Town Staff; the first meeting was held at Camp Robinhood on August 12, 2004 while the second and third meetings were held at the Town office on January 18 and February 7 of 2005. The purpose of these meetings was to review the traffic operational concerns and pursue potential mitigation measures identified by the Engineering Department.

At the third meeting, cost estimates to implement the various options were presented to Camp Robin Hood Management. The following discusses cost estimates for each option:

Option 1 – Relocate Morning Operations On-site: Given that this option affects the camp grounds, the Engineering Department could not provide a cost estimate for this option. In response, Camp Robin Hood Management was requested to provide cost estimates however, at the third meeting the cost estimates were not finalized.

Option 2 - Reesor Road Formal Lay-by: The cost estimate provided by the Engineering Department for constructing a bus bay is approximately $60,000. This cost estimate is inclusive of all activities relating to the construction of the bus bay including consulting fees and applicable taxes. Note however, pending the implementation of this option, detailed costs will be carried out by the Engineering Consultant and may vary from Staff’s cost estimate.

Option 3 - Paid Police Duty Officer: York Regional Police provided the cost estimate for this option. The cost to employ two officers sums to $18,500 per camp season which is about 38 days. This cost estimate includes a standard 4 hour minimum per morning period and York Regional Police administrative fees and taxes.

Following the third meeting and reviewing the cost estimates, Camp Robin Hood Management stated that they do not support any of the Town’s options and that they would like to maintain the status quo of unloading buses on Reesor Road. Hence, the above options will not be pursued. Camp Robin Hood Management stated that they will make a deputation on this matter at the March 21, 2005 General Committee meeting.

Summary – Rescind the Bus Loading Zone

Town Staff recommends the existing bus loading zone on Reesor Road, fronting Camp Robin Hood, be rescinded. However, as mentioned earlier, Town staff are open to any additional options provided by Camp Robin Hood Management in efforts to mitigate the traffic operational concerns.

Pending Council approval to rescind the bus loading zone, police will be notified to enforce the subject area. If either Option’s 2 or 3 are selected by Camp Robin Hood Management, Town staff will report back to Council to reinstate the existing bus loading zone, subject to the necessary mitigation measures.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

No financial cost is associated with this report.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Operations and Asset Management concur with these recommendations

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment ‘A’ - Location Map

Attachment ‘B’ – Photo 1

Attachment ‘C’ – Photo 2

Attachment ‘D’ – Road Cross Section

Attachment ‘E’ – By-law

Alan Brown, C.E.T. Director of Engineering

Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner of Development Services

Q:\Development\Engineering\REPORTS\2005\March\Camp Robin Hood (Reesor Rd) BUS LOADING ZONE\Reesor Road at Camp Robinhood Bus Loading Zone Draft 2 - Report.doc