Transportation Committee

 

 

 

 

 

TO:

Mayor and Members of Council

 

 

 

 

FROM:

Alan Brown, Director of Engineering

 

 

 

 

PREPARED BY:

Arup Mukherjee, Manager of Transportation

 

 

 

 

DATE OF MEETING:

2004-Jan-26

 

 

 

 

SUBJECT:

Milliken GO Station

 

 

 

 

RECOMMENDATION:

 

THAT the Environmental Assessment study prepared for GO Transit for the proposed new GO Station south of Steeles Avenue in the Milliken area be endorsed;

 

THAT the proposed traffic signals at Redlea Avenue/Steeles Avenue, provided by GO Transit and the City of Toronto, be aligned with the westerly entrance to Pacific Mall to provide a full movements signalised access for Pacific Mall;

 

THAT the three land owners within the Pacific Mall complex in Markham (north-east of Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue) be requested to renew their commitment to contribute $100,000 for the new traffic signal at Steeles Avenue/Redlea Avenue-Pacific Mall driveway;

 

AND THAT GO Transit be advised of Council’s decision

 

 

PURPOSE:

 

This report seeks Council’s endorsement of the Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared for GO Transit for the new Milliken GO Station as shown in Attachement A.

 

BACKGROUND:

 

The existing Milliken GO Station is located on the east side of the Stouffville GO line north of Steeles Avenue in the Town of Markham.  Due to the curvature in the track and resultant limited visibility at this location, only the last two cars of the train can be opened for boarding and alighting.  This physical constraint prevents GO Transit from improving service at this station.  Furthermore, commuter parking is not available at this location.  In response to these key limitations, GO Transit initiated an EA study to evaluate options to improve service at this location. 


On October 28, 2002,  GO Transit made a presentation to Transportation Committee identifying the constraints and informing Committee about the proposal for a new station location on the south side of Steeles Avenue in the City of Toronto. The EA study has now been completed and is currently placed on the public record for comments.

 

 

DISCUSSION:

Existing Milliken station has a number of operational concerns

The existing Milliken station does not provide any commuter facilities such as parking or pick-up drop-off areas.  Commuters often park in inappropriate places resulting in conflicts with adjacent property owners.  Pick-up drop-off activity along Steeles Avenue also affects traffic and transit operations adjacent to the station.  The lack of formal commuter facilities also results in a poor environment for pedestrians who must cross the railway tracks or access the station without proper sidewalk connections.  The combination of the limited use of this stop and the lack of formal commuter facilities results in a poor level of service for residents at this station.

 

Proposed site meets operational needs

The EA study evaluated alternative solutions such as investing in improvements at the current location and alternative sites in the area.  Based on the review of various options, GO determined that a new station was the preferred solution.  The search for a suitable candidate site was based on the following principles:

 

·        Within general vicinity of existing station to minimize disruption for existing patrons

·        Immediately adjacent to rail corridor

·        Parcel size large enough to accommodate all amenities

·        Ability to provide community parking

·        Vacant land to reduce overall property costs to avoid impact to existing businesses

 

Based on these criteria, the proposed site south of Steeles Avenue was selected as the preferred site.

 

New Station will provide better commuter facilities

The primary benefit of the new station is that it will allow all cars on the train to be utilized at this stop.  Additional cars can be added to further increase service.  The proposed station will include the following facilities:

 

  • 500 parking stalls
  • Kiss and Ride area
  • Bus bays for both YRT and TTC services
  • A new station building with telecommunications, ticket sales, washrooms and comfortable waiting area

 

These facilities will enhance the level of service for both existing and future commuters at this station location.  The additional parking spaces will also help to reduce the demands at Unionville Station.  This will help to reduce congestion and improve service.

 

 

 

 

 

New traffic signal proposed at Pacific Mall driveway

Redlea Avenue will provide access to the new station.  In order to accommodate the traffic demands associated with the new station, Redlea Avenue is proposed to be aligned opposite the existing Pacific Mall driveway with a full movements signalized intersection.  This signal was also identified as a potential improvement in a study (URS Cole Sherman, October, 1999) undertaken on behalf of the three land owners to respond to concerns about access to this retail facility.  This retail facility is owned by Kennedy Holdings, Market Village and Pacific Mall. 

 

The three land owners agreed to contribute $100,000 towards the signalization of this driveway.  This agreement was based upon the signals being installed by December, 2003.  Although the deadline has passed, the owners should be requested to renew this agreement and contribute to the signal installation.   All remaining costs to signalize the intersection, re-align Redlea Avenue and construct it to public road standards are being shared between City of Toronto and GO Transit.

 

This signal will provide a significant improvement for access to and from the retail facility.  The signal will also improve safety for all users at this location.

 

New station offers opportunities for Milliken Mills Main Street area

The Town is currently undertaking a Milliken Mills Main Street study to revitalize the area along  Old Kennedy Road between Steeles Avenue and Denison Street.  The current conceptual plans envision a mixed-use community with retail, commercial and residential uses.  An improved station for GO transit will offer increased capacity for future users in this new community.  The station will offer more transit opportunities for residents in this area.  The close proximity of the station to the current location makes it amenable to walking, cycling or using local transit services for Markham residents thereby reducing auto use and encouraging transit use. 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

The proposed relocation and expansion of the Milliken GO Station will provide an overall benefit to the Town.  The station will immediately increase capacity for residents in this area.  GO Transit will also be able to expand capacity by adding more cars to their existing train as needed.  The new facilities will also enhance passenger convenience and comfort and offer greater opportunity for transit integration.  The proposed location allows implementation of all these facilities within 300m of the existing station.

 

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

 

There are no financial implications for the Town.

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENTS:

 

Attachment A – Proposed Station Location

Attachment B  – Excerpts from GO EA Study

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Brown, C.E.T.

Director of Engineering

 

Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.

Commissioner of Development Services

 

 

 

P:\Development\Engineering\REPORTS\2004\Jan\Milliken GO Stn.doc