Report to: Development Services Committee                                  Report Date: April 22, 2008

 

 

SUBJECT:                          Pomander Road Parking Prohibition

 

PREPARED BY:               Domenic Smarrelli, Traffic Operations Supervisor, ext. 4055

                                            David Porretta, Engineering Technician, ext. 2040

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report entitled “Pomander Road Parking Prohibition” dated April 22, 2008, be received;

 

And that Schedule ‘C’ of Traffic By-law 2005-188 be amended to prohibit parking on the north side of Pomander Road, as outlined in this report;

 

And that the Operations Department be directed to install the appropriate signs at the subject location, funded through the 2008 Engineering Department budget, account #8402;

 

And that on-going maintenance costs for these signs be included in future Operations Department budgets;

 

And that the Parking Control Department be directed to enforce the parking prohibition upon installation of the signs;

 

And that staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

1. Purpose                     2. Background                      3. Discussion                        4. Financial        

 

5. Others (Environmental, Accessibility, Engage 21st, Affected Units)             6. Attachment(s)

 

PURPOSE:

This report recommends a parking prohibition on the north side of Pomander Road to address ongoing vehicular and pedestrian safety concerns.

 

BACKGROUND:

Need to address parking concerns on Pomander Road

Residents of Pomander Road have contacted Engineering staff with concerns about the frequent on-street parking occurring on Pomander Road.  There are concerns that the parking activity is occurring on both sides of the street, creating unsafe conditions for through traffic and pedestrians.  This activity is predominantly occurring on weekday afternoons, evenings and weekends.

 

Pomander Road is an eight meter wide local residential road with an average of 882 vehicles per day and an operating speed of 56 km/h.  Pomander Road is within walking distance of various public attractions such as Crosby Park, Toogood Pond and Main Street Unionville.  There are no sidewalks on either side of the street.  Fire hydrants are located on the north side of the street requiring a six-metre horizontal clearance at all times.  See Attachment ‘A’ for details.

 

Engineering staff have confirmed that parking activity is occurring on both sides of Pomander Road which is restricting two-way flow of traffic and creating a safety issue.  Users of Crosby Park, Toogood Pond and Main Street Unionville have been identified as the primary generator of the parking activity on Pomander Road.

 

November 5th community consultation

Due to the number of resident concerns received, a community meeting with the residents of Pomander Road was held by Town staff on November 5, 2007 to discuss the parking concerns.  A total of 18 out of 56 households (23%) attended the meeting.  Following consultation with the public and in consideration of the safety concerns, Engineering staff recommended that a parking prohibition be provided on the north side of Pomander Road to address the safety concerns.  Notices were subsequently sent to all 56 households of Pomander Road on January 4, 2008, advising of the recommendation.

 

Resident petition & March 27th community consultation

In February 2008, Town staff received a petition from the residents of Pomander Road.  The petition had requested that parking be provided on an alternating side basis to create equity among residents living on both sides of Pomander Road.  The petition was supported by 35% of Pomander households.

 

In response, Engineering staff held a second community meeting on March 27, 2008 to address the details of the petition, specifically alternating parking.  Of the 56 households invited on Pomander Road, 12 households (21%) attended.  At the meeting, residents re-enforced their support for alternating parking.

 

DISCUSSION:

Purpose of alternating parking

Parking on alternating sides of the street is a practice where parking restrictions are implemented on a rotational basis for either side of a given street.  Hence, when one side of the street prohibits parking, the other side of the street is permitted, and vice versa.  This rotation typically occurs twice a month (i.e. April 1st and April 16th).

 

The purpose of alternating parking is to improve accessibility for essential road maintenance, such as snow removal or street and gutter cleaning.  For alternating parking to be considered, the following conditions are needed:

 

  • High demand for parking on a daily basis.
  • Long-term parking duration.
  • Parking activities are frequently interfering with street cleaning, snow removal and other maintenance activities.

 

These conditions currently do not exist, as Pomander Road does not experience high demand and long-term parking which would affect road maintenance activities.  A preliminary survey of municipalities in the GTA found that only the City of Toronto practices alternating parking, as there is a very high demand for on-street parking and the City needs frequent access to each side for maintenance purposes.

Impacts of alternating parking to the Town

Although alternating parking would share the burden of on-street parking equitably between residents living on the north and south sides of Pomander Road, it will set a precedent where other residents may request alternating parking on their street without proper justification.

 

Alternating parking will create an increased expense to the Town.  Both sides of the street will need to be signed, effectively doubling the quantity of parking signs.  It is also expected that motorist confusion will be created, increasing the number of complaints received by the Parking Control Department.  With respect to Pomander Road, complaints would especially be prevalent during large events or festivals.

 

Engineering staff recommend prohibited parking on the north side only

By eliminating parking on the north side of Pomander Road only, this will effectively:

 

  • Reduce the number of pedestrians walking on, and crossing, Pomander Road.
  • Minimize vehicle-pedestrian conflicts.
  • Ensure the existing fire hydrant by-law, requiring a three-metre horizontal clearance on either side, is upheld.
  • Restrict parking to the south side only where there is greater parking capacity.
  • Provide consistent parking conditions, thereby reducing motorist confusion.

 

Therefore, Engineering staff is recommending that parking be prohibited on the north side only.  With the exception of large events and festivals, sufficient capacity is available on the south side to accommodate any displaced vehicles.

 

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

The cost of materials to install the signs is included for in the 2008 Engineering budget, account #8402. On-going maintenance costs for this installation will be included in future Operations Department budgets.

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The Operations and By-law Enforcement Departments have reviewed this report and are endorsing Engineering staff’s recommendation to implement a parking prohibition on the north side of Pomander Road.

 

RECOMMENDED BY:  

 

 

________________________                                    ________________________

Alan Brown, C.E.T.                                                      Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P

Director of Engineering                                                 Commissioner, Development Services

 

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A – Proposed Parking Prohibition Map

Attachment B – Proposed By-law Amendment