TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
2003-06-23
Meeting
No. 6
Attendance
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J. Livey, Chief Administrative
Officer
J. Sales, Commissioner of
Community
and Fire Services
J. Baird, Commissioner of
Development Services
M. Turner, Commissioner of
Strategy,
Innovation and Partnerships
L. Erskine, Environmental Assessment Co-ordinator, York Consortium 2002
A. Brown, Director of
Engineering
L. Fernandes, Transportation
Engineer
S. Chait, Director, Economic
Development
A. Mukherjee, Manager,
Transportation/
Engineering
C. Raynor, Committee Clerk
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The Transportation Committee convened at the hour of 1:05 p.m. with
Councillor J. Virgilio in the Chair.
DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST
None disclosed.
1. ALL-WAY
STOP CONTROL
ELSON STREET AND SHADLOCK STREET (5.12.3)
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor E. Shapero
That Schedule 12 of By-law 106-71 for an
all-way stop control be amended to include the intersection of Elson Street and
Shadlock Street and that the attached By-law be approved;
And that the Operations and Asset Management
Department be directed to install all-way stop signs at the intersection of
Elson Street and Shadlock Street as soon as the by-law is approved;
And that the York Regional Police be
requested to enforce the all-way stop control upon installation of these signs.
CARRIED
2. HARLECH COURT PARKING PROHIBITION (5.12.4)
**Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor E. Shapero
That schedule 1 of Parking By-law 336-88, be
amended to include a No Parking Prohibition on Harlech Court, from Guardsman
Road to the West property line of #18 Harlech Court;
And that Schedule 1 of Parking By-law 336-88,
be amended to include a No Parking Prohibition on the entire cul-de-sac of
Harlech Court;
And that the attached by-laws be approved;
And that the Operations and Asset Management
Department be directed to install the appropriate signs upon approval of the
by-law.
CARRIED
________________________________________________________________
**Amended by Council at its meeting on June
24, 2003 to delete the entire recommendation and replace with the following
clause:
"That the matter of the proposed parking prohibition on Harlech
Court be deferred
and referred to staff to meet with the Ward Councillor to evaluate the
possible
implications on the community."
3. DANCER’S DRIVE PARKING PROHIBITION (5.12.4)
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor E. Shapero
That Schedule 1 of Parking By-law 336-88, be
amended to rescind the No Parking Prohibition on the west side of Dancer’s
Drive in its entirety;
And that Schedule 1 of Parking By-law 336-88,
be amended in to include a No Parking Prohibition on the west side of Dancer’s
Drive, from The Fairways to Angus Glen Boulevard.
And that Schedule 1 of Parking By-law 336-88,
be amended to include a No Parking Prohibition on the east side of Dancer’s
Drive, from Angus Glen Boulevard to the southerly limit of Dancer’s Drive;
And that the attached By-law be approved;
And that the developer be directed to install
the appropriate signs upon approval of the attached by-law.
CARRIED
4. COCHRANE DRIVE
HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC PROHIBITION (5.12)
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor E. Shapero
That the attached by-law to amend
Schedule 14 of Traffic By-law Number 106-71, by including a Heavy Truck Traffic
Prohibition on the following streets be approved:
- East Valhalla Drive, between Highway #7 and Cochrane Drive
- Cochrane Drive, between Highway #7 and Cochrane Drive
- Perth Avenue, between Woodbine Avenue and Cochrane Drive
- Lanark Road, between Woodbine Avenue and Cochrane Drive
And that the Operations and Asset
Management Department be authorized to install Heavy Truck Traffic Prohibition
signs at the entrances to East Valhalla Drive and Cochrane Drive from Highway
#7, and at the entrances to Perth Avenue and Lanark Road from Woodbine Avenue
upon approval of the by-law;
And that the York Region Police
Force be requested to enforce the Heavy Truck Traffic Prohibition upon approval
of the attached by-law amendment and installation of the appropriate signage.
CARRIED
5. HIGHWAY
48/MAIN STREET
TRANSFER OF JURISDICTION (5.10 & 13.2.7)
Mr. A. Brown was present to provide a brief
overview of the Highway 48/Main Street transfer of jurisdiction. This included
the additional information requested by the Transportation Committee at the
meeting of 26 May, 2003.
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor A. Chiu
That the Ministry of
Transportation be requested to transfer to the Town of Markham, Highway 48 from
16th Avenue to the Markham By-Pass and cancel the Connecting Link
Agreement for Main Street (Hwy 407 to 16th Avenue) upon completion
of the Markham By-Pass in 2005;
And that staff be authorized to enter into
negotiations with the Ministry of Transportation for the road transfer
including a financial settlement for operating and capital costs to the Town of
Markham;
And that the reconstruction of Main
Street/Hwy 48 from 16th Avenue to the Markham By-Pass be included in
the next update of the Town’s Development Charges By-law;
And that staff report back with updates on
this matter;
And that Roger Hamner, Regional Director for
Central Region of the Ministry of Transportation, Kees Schipper Commissioner of
Transportation and Works of the Region of York and the Right Honourable David
Tsubouchi be advised accordingly.
6. HIGHWAY
407 – YONGE STREET
TO 9TH LINE ILLUMINATION STUDY (5.10)
Mr. A. Brown was present to speak to the
issue of the Highway 407 – Yonge Street to 9th Line Illumination
Study. The Committee expressed appreciation of the achievements of staff in
this matter, and confirmed that some local residents have already acknowledged
positive results.
The Committee suggested that shielding should
be looked at in other circumstances where high mast lighting may be used, for
instance at the Box Grove development.
Moved by Councillor A. Chiu
Seconded by Councillor G. McKelvey
That the report entitled Highway 407 – Yonge Street To 9th
Line Illumination Study, dated May 2003 as prepared by Lumentech Engineering
Inc. be received;
And that 407
ETR be requested to install directional and nuisance (80 degree) shields on the
two high mast lights located in the north west quadrant of the McCowan Road/407
interchange and on the two high mast lights located within the 407 centre
median, west of the McCowan Road interchange;
And that 407
ETR be requested to monitor the light levels along the 407 from Yonge Street to
9th Line and the lighting impact on the adjacent residential areas,
and if required, install 80 degree nuisance shields on selected high, mast lights
to minimise the light brightness to specific residences along and adjacent to
the 407 right of way as may be identified in the future;
And that 407 ETR update Markham on their
monitoring program and mitigation work.
CARRIED
Moved by Councillor E. Shapero
Seconded by Councillor J. Heath
And that staff examine the
effect of light pollution in the area of Huntington Park Drive and Lambert Road
and report back.
CARRIED
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other issues considered by Environment and
Transport Committee on June 23, 2003
7. YRTP
– NETWORK CONFIGURATION,
YONGE STREET EA, LANGSTAFF MAINTENANCE YARD (5.7)
Ms. M. Turner, Commissioner of Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships,
and Mr. L. Erskine, Environmental Assessment
Co-ordinator, York Consortium 2002, were present to provide detail on the
matters of the YRTP network configuration, Yonge Street EA, and Langstaff
Maintenance Yard.
It was stated that the Yonge Street Environmental Assessment (EA), in
relation to the proposed bus rapid transit route, should be published for
review in July. Staff stated that they intend to table a report on the EA at
the Development Services Committee meeting on August 25, 2003.
It was noted that left turns and U-turns on the Yonge Street transit
corridor would be limited to lighted intersections only. A traffic report was
taking place to assess the possible impact.
The Committee sought clarification on whether the use of
alternatively-fuelled vehicles would be considered. It was stated that hybrid
vehicles are the current preference, and it was also noted that the use of
wind-powered transit vehicles, such as are in use in Calgary, would be very
difficult to implement here.
There was discussion of the possibility of a subway extension up to
Langstaff Road. The decision on the extension should be made by 2011, and if it
is decided not to proceed, then the Region of York will propose a light rail
rapid transit route.
Moved by Councillor E. Shapero
Seconded by Regional Councillor T. Wong
That the presentation by the YRTP regarding network configuration, the
Yonge Street EA, and Langstaff Maintenance Yard, be received.
CARRIED
8. REGION
OF YORK 10 YEAR CAPITAL PROGRAM (5.10 & 7.5)
Mr L. Fernandes, Transportation
Engineer was present to speak to the matter
Staff reported that they are encouraging the Region of York to
fast-track the Highway #7 portion of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for
completion in 2005/2006, rather than 2007. Staff will provide an update on the
projected completion of the Highway #7 portion at the September meeting of the
Transportation Committee.
The Committee sought information regarding Steeles Avenue. Staff
reported that there were cost-sharing and maintenance issues between the Region
of York and the City of Toronto which had still not been resolved.
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor E. Shapero
That the presentation of Mr. A. Brown regarding the Region of York 10
Year Capital Program, be received.
CARRIED
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Regional Councillor T. Wong
And that the Mayor co-ordinate a meeting
between members of the Transportation Committee, senior staff, and the Chair of
the Regional Transportation Committee to discuss the issues raised by the
introduction of fifth and seventh lanes, and to enable the Transportation
Committee to get updated on other Regional transportation issues missed due to
the absence of Regional Councillor G. Landon.
CARRIED
It was also noted by the Committee that it would be helpful if staff
could provide a list of committees usually attended by Regional Councillor G.
Landon so that replacements could be appointed.
9. ANTI-WHISTLING PROCEDURE - TRAINS
(2.10)
Mr. A. Mukherjee, Manager, Transportation/Engineering, was present to speak to the issue
of anti-whistling in connection with trains. It was stated that there are 26
crossings that potentially need to be tackled. It was clarified that in order
to remove the obligation to whistle at a crossing, a private consultant would
need to be assured that the crossings had been rendered safe by such methods as
automatic gates and appropriate fencing. However, automatic gates are only
required at crossings where train speed exceeds 80km/h. Staff agreed to check
which crossings, if any, would be applicable to this rule.
It was noted that CN already
regard Thornhill as a “No Whistle Zone”, although the Committee requested that
staff get written confirmation of this fact from CN.
Moved by Councillor A. Chiu
Seconded by Councillor E.
Shapero
That the presentation of Mr. A.
Mukherjee, Transportation/Engineering,
regarding anti-whistling procedure – trains, be received.
CARRIED
Moved by Councillor E. Shapero
Seconded by Councillor G.
McKelvey
That staff look
in more detail at crossings 4-17, as referred to in the “Anti-Whistling
Procedure – Trains” report;
And that staff
confirm that Thornhill is a “No Whistle Zone”;
And that staff
ensure the Region of York will be involved in the process, since some crossings
may require infrastructure work to be done on regional roads;
And that staff
assess the overall cost and budget of implementing anti-whistling procedures
and report back to the Transportation Committee in September.
CARRIED
Councillor E. Shapero raised the
issue of toxic waste transportation through the Town of Markham.
Moved by Councillor E. Shapero
Seconded by Councillor A. Chiu
That staff write to CP and CN in order to gather information on the
transport of hazardous waste through the Town of Markham.
CARRIED
10. LETTER
FROM THE REGION OF YORK
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT STUDY
HIGHWAY 404 MID-BLOCK CROSSOVER (5.7)
There was brief discussion of the letter from the Region of York
Environmental Assessment study Highway 404 Mid-Block Crossover Committee was
keen to ensue that the Town of Markham would not be precluded from adding to
further crossings to any EA at a later date.
Staff noted that the crossing referred to in the letter was of
particular importance due to the fact that it may be a crossing point in the
Region of York Rapid Transit proposal.
Moved by Councillor G. McKelvey
Seconded by Councillor A. Chiu
That the letter from the Regional Clerk to the Town Clerk outlining
that the Region of York will be funding one third of the Environmental
Assessment (EA) study for the mid-block crossing of Highway 404 between Highway
#7 and 16th Avenue at an estimated cost of $50,000 to the Region,
from development charges, be received.
CARRIED
11. LETTER
FROM THE REGION OF YORK
UPDATE OF POPULATION FIGURES ON ROAD SIGNS
IN AREA MUNICIPALITIES (5.10)
There was brief discussion of the letter from the Region of York update
of population figures on road signs in area municipalities, in particular the
possibility of erecting more “Welcome to Markham”-type signs. It was also noted
that there is a sign on the 407 ETR that would also need to be updated.
Moved by Councillor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor E. Shapero
That the letter from Bryan Tuckey, Commissioner, Planning and
Development Services, dated June 17, 2003, advising of the intention to update
population figures in area municipalities, and providing the Town of Markham
with the opportunity to make comments, be received and referred to the Communications Committee.
NEW BUSINESS
12. REGION
OF YORK GRADE SEPARATION ON
STEELES AVENUE AND KENNEDY ROAD (5.10)
Councillor A. Chiu informed staff of a meeting on June 24, 2003 to
discuss the proposed grade separation on Steeles Avenue and Kennedy. Staff were
unaware of this meeting.
Moved by Councillor A. Chiu
Seconded by Councillor G. McKelvey
That staff attend this meeting and also confirm that the Region of York
will provide ongoing notices regarding this matter.
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
The Transportation Committee meeting adjourned at the hour of 2:41 p.m.