Transportation Committee
	TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
	FROM:	Alan Brown, Director of Engineering
	PREPARED BY:	Arup Mukherjee, Manager of Transportation Domenic Smarrelli, Traffic Operations Supervisor
	DATE OF MEETING:	2004-Sep-27
	SUBJECT:	Markham Safe Streets Task Force - 2004 Report

RECOMMENDATION:

That the attached final report entitled “Markham Safe Streets Task Force – 2004 Report to Council” be received and approved;

And that the Clerks Department submit a copy of the final report to the Minister of Transportation, highlighting the Town’s support for photo radar legislation;

And that the Clerks Department circulate copies of the final report to the Region of York – Transportation and Works Department, York Regional Police, York Regional Transit and all Ratepayer Associations in Markham.

And that the members of the MSSTF be thanked for their participation.

PURPOSE:

This report outlines the key elements of the Markham Safe Streets Strategy and seeks Council approval of the attached document.

BACKGROUND:

Traffic calming by itself is not sufficient to address community safety concerns

In 1999, the Neighbourhood Transportation Committee was initiated to addresses traffic operational safety concerns on local roadways, specifically speeding. Virtually all solutions to address the vehicular operational concerns were through physical traffic calming measures, predominantly the use of speed humps. While the use of speed humps has been successful in reducing speeds, physical measures alone cannot respond to the broader community concerns about safety on local roads. The requirements of the Environmental Assessment process and limited staff resources restrict the number of projects that can be delivered on an annual basis. This limited approach cannot keep pace with the growing concerns about safety on our local roads. Furthermore, the proliferation of physical measures will ultimately have an impact on emergency response times and long term maintenance costs. Given these concerns, a more comprehensive sustainable strategy was required.

Formation of Markham Safe Streets TaskForce (MSSTF)

In response to the concerns noted above, Council initiated a task force on December 17, 2003 called the Markham Safe Streets Task Force (MSSTF) to develop a more diversified solution in improving traffic safety on local roadways. On January 26, 2004, the Transportation Committee approved the Markham Safe Streets Task Force terms of reference. The task force mandate was to develop a multi-faceted strategy to affect driver behaviour and improve safety on our local roads. The task force was composed of a resident from each of the eight wards, four members of Council, members from York Regional Police, the Canadian Automobile Association, Insurance Bureau of Canada, both school boards and, staff from the Town’s Engineering Department.

Task force members received input from various sources

The task force invested considerable time and effort in developing the Markham Safe Streets Strategy Report. In total, the task force held over 10 meetings between February and June to develop the strategy. The meetings included presentations by various groups such as York Regional Transit, York Emergency Services, York Regional Police and the Town’s Fire Department and Operations and Maintenance Department. Additional information was presented by City of Toronto staff who are the leaders in implementing the Red Light Camera Pilot Project.

Based on the input noted above, the MSSTF developed the draft Markham Safe Streets Strategy which was presented to Transportation Committee on May 17, 2004. Transportation Committee endorsed the strategy in principle and directed:

w That a copy of the final report be sent to the Provincial Government to demonstrate efforts being taken at the local level and request them to approve the use of photo radar on local roads

w Ensure that the branding of the Safe Streets Strategy is consistent with other Town branding initiatives

w Staff was directed to hold public meetings and report back with a final report.

DISCUSSION:

The MSSTF developed a 3-point strategy to address safety on local roads

To date, concerns about safety on our local roads have been addressed through the Town’s traffic calming programme with input from the Neighbourhood Transportation Committee. This “reactive” approach does not address the root problem which is individual driver behaviour. The MSSTF recognized that relying on physical measures alone did not provide a sustainable strategy. It was determined that a multi-faceted approach was required to affect driver behaviour. On this basis, a 3-point strategy was developed to provide a more diversified approach to improving safety on our local roads. The 3-point strategy includes the following elements:

1. Education – Implementation of Town-wide and community marketing to reinforce the message to drive safely in our community

2. Enforcement – Working with York Regional Police to develop more efficient allocation of existing resources, and develop plans to support and lobby for additional enforcement options such as photo radar, red light cameras and examine opportunities for Special Constables

3. Engineering – Identify appropriate traffic calming measures recognizing the impact to York Regional Transit, Fire Department and Emergency Services. Working pro-actively with developers to design safe communities for new developments

Public Input was sought in finalizing the strategy

Following Council approval on May 25, 2004, staff initiated the public consultation. The consultation consisted of a focus group meeting with past representatives of the Neighbourhood Transportation Committees, posting of the draft strategy on the Town’s website and a public meeting held at the Town’s Council Chambers. Notification for the meeting was delivered in the following manner:

1. Local News Paper Notification – Advertised on the Town page – June 1, 8, 15, 2004

2. Flyer Distribution at Town facilities, e.g. libraries and recreation centers, May 31, 2004

3. Flyer distribution at Unionville Festival June 5 and 6 and Markham Festival June 19

4. Town’s Website – Advertised on MSSTF’s web link – June 18, 2004

The public input meeting was held on June 21, 2004 and staff received several comments from the public. Many members of the public identified specific concerns in their community and several members expressed the need to implement measures to address their safety concerns. It was clear that the strategy would offer a more diversified approach and respond quickly to these specific issues. Overall, the draft strategy was well received by the public and they were eager to see the implementation of the specific programmes to improve safety in their community.

SUMMARY:

The Town’s traffic calming programme delivered by the Neighbourhood Transportation Committees has served the community well to date. However, the growing traffic safety concerns on local roads require a more diversified town-wide approach. The MSSTF was formed and has delivered a 3-point strategy to address safety on our local roads consisting of Education, Enforcement and Engineering. The strategy provides the framework to deliver the specific programmes needed to combat issues such as speeding and safety in local communities. Given the preliminary endorsement of the strategy by Council, staff have presented a complementary report entitled “Markham Safe Streets Strategy – Implementation Plan” that outlines the specific programmes and key steps to initiate the Safe Streets Strategy.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment 1: Markham Safe Streets Strategy – Final Report

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\2004\September\Markham Safe Streets Strategy - Final Report\Markham Safe Street Strategy Final Report Draft 4.doc