Report to: General Committee Date of Meeting: May 15, 2006

SUBJECT: Main Street Markham Truck Prohibition

PREPARED BY: Arup Mukherjee, Ext. 8120

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report entitled “Main Street Truck Prohibition”, dated May 15, 2006 be received;

And that a by-law be passed to prohibit trucks on Main Street Markham from Princess Street to 16^th Avenue effective June 1, 2006;

And that the Region of York be requested to extend the current truck prohibition on Ninth Line from 16^th Avenue to Hwy 7, to include a truck prohibition on Ninth Line from Hwy 7 to Steeles Avenue in the interim and from Highway 7 to Markham By-pass upon completion of the Markham By-pass;

And that York Regional Police be requested to prioritize truck prohibition enforcement on Main Street Markham by conducting a week long targeted enforcement plan upon installation of the truck prohibition signs in early June followed by regular enforcement thereafter;

And that the Engineering Department 2006 Capital Budget be amended to include an allowance of $25,000 for installation of regulatory and advisory signs on adjacent roads under the jurisdiction of the Town, MTO, Region of York and Highway 407 ETR.

THAT the tendering process to retain a sign installation contractor be waived in accordance with Purchasing By-Law 2004-341, Part II, Section 7 (1);

And that staff monitor the truck volumes and enforcement levels and report back to Council on the results.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

In addition to the regulatory signs on Main Street Markham, additional advisory signs will be required on adjacent roadways to inform truck drivers of the prohibition on Main Street Markham so that they may chose alternative routes. These advisory signs will need to be installed on roads under the jurisdiction of the Region of York, Ministry of Transportation and Highway 407 ETR. As a result, additional funding will be required to retain a contractor to install these signs and coordinate approvals as required. An allowance of $25,000 is recommended for the preparation and installation of regulatory and advisory signs.

1. Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial 5. Environmental

6. Accessibility 7. Engage ^21st 8. Affected Units 9. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

This report seeks Council’s endorsement of a truck prohibition on Main Street Markham (Highway 407 to 16^th Avenue) and the related funding to implement the signage plan.

BACKGROUND:

The Connecting Link Agreement

A Connecting Link Agreement is an agreement that the Ministry of Transportation signs with local municipalities for strategic local road sections to provide for an integrated Provincial road network in an area. This agreement outlines the conditions under which the local road section will be operated including maintenance and operational issues. As part of this agreement, the Ministry of Transportation must approve various changes to the roadway including but not limited to traffic by-laws. In 1964 the Ministry of Transportation signed a Connecting Link Agreement with Markham for the portion of Main Street Markham from Princess Street to 16^th Avenue. As a result of this agreement, the Ministry of Transportation refused to prohibit trucks on Main Street Markham until such time as a viable alternative route was built.

Cancellation of the Connecting Link Agreement

The interim Markham By-pass was completed in 2005. After several discussions with the Ministry of Transportation and the Region of York, on March 31, 2006, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) cancelled the Connecting Link Agreement for Main Street Markham from Princess Street (north of Hwy 407) to 16^th Avenue. With the cancellation of the Connecting Link Agreement, Markham has the authority to implement a by-law to prohibit trucks.

Council Direction

At the April 24, 2006 General Committee meeting, staff presented the issues and steps required to implement the truck prohibition on Main Street Markham including location of advisory and regulatory signs on various roads. Council directed staff to report back with a by-law to implement the truck prohibition on Main Street Markham (see Attachment A) by June 2006.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Enforcement of Truck Prohibition

The enforcement of a truck prohibition is under the jurisdiction of York Regional Police since the infraction is defined as a moving violation. To ensure access for local businesses and residents (i.e. moving and delivery vans/trucks), the by-law allows for local deliveries in the area. Therefore, only through truck traffic will be in violation of the prohibition. Given the nature of the by-law, police enforcement will be a critical issue in the effectiveness of the prohibition.

Advisory Signs and Notification

To improve compliance with the truck prohibition, advisory signs will be installed on roads approaching Main Street Markham. This will advise truck drivers of the prohibition before they enter Main Street Markham and allow them to make alternative route choices. Ideally, the advising signs should be installed in conjunction with the regulatory signs. However, given the approvals required from other jurisdictions, by June 1^st. In order to reduce the delays to install the advisory signs, it is recommended that the sign installation contractor be retained in accordance with Purchasing By-law 2004-31, Part II, Section 7(1). This clause allows the CAO to authorize the retention of a contractor without a competitive bid when it is in the best interest of Council. Staff will review the quote to ensure it reflects typical prices for sign installation. The recommended locations for the advisory signs are shown in Attachment B. In addition to the advisory signs, staff will place notices in the local paper to inform residents and businesses of the truck prohibition on Main Street Markham.

Ninth Line Issues

There is currently a truck prohibition on Ninth Line from 16^th Avenue to Highway 7. Residents south of Highway 7 have raised concerns about the potential diversion of trucks along this section of Ninth Line as a result of the prohibition on Main Street Markham. Ninth Line is a Region of York roadway and Council at its April 24, 2006 meeting recommended that the Region of York be requested to extend the existing truck prohibition from Highway 7 to Steeles Avenue in the interim. Once the Markham By-pass is constructed, the truck prohibition should be modified accordingly to prohibit trucks on Ninth Line from 16^th Avenue to the Markham By-pass.

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (Separate Attachment):

Not applicable

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable

ENGAGE 21^ST CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The Operations Department will coordinate the installation of the regulatory and advisory signage plan in consultation with the Region of York, Ministry of Transportation and Highway 407 ETR.

RECOMMENDED BY:

________________________ ________________________

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

Director, Engineering Commissioner, Development Services

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A: Council Resolution

Attachment B: Truck prohibition signs

Attachment C: By-law