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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Alan Brown,
Director of Engineering |
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PREPARED BY: |
Arup Mukherjee - Manager of Transportation Phoebe Fu - Senior Transportation
Engineer |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2005-Jan-24 |
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SUBJECT: |
Regional Road
Assumption Criteria |
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RECOMMENDATION:
That the criteria for assumption of roads by the Region of York be
endorsed by Council;
And that, in the event a road is transferred to the Region, The Region
and the Town develop an agreement to establish and maintain the appropriate
streetscape and urban design standards to reflect the Town’s objectives;
And that the transfer of any Regional roads to the local municipality will be subject to appropriate consultation with local staff and approval by local council;
And that Kees Schipper, Region of York Commissioner
of Transportation and Works be advised accordingly.
PURPOSE:
To review the proposed criteria to be utilized
by the Region of York to determine if they will accept jurisdiction of local
roads.
BACKGROUND:
The Region’s Official Plan identifies the
long-term road network required to support growth in the Region. Some of these
roads are currently under local municipal jurisdiction and are anticipated to
be transferred to the Region as growth occurs.
In the past, the Town of
Avenue, 9th Line) without specific
criteria. The Region has now developed
formal criteria to quantify and identify if a roadway should be transferred to
the Region.
The Council of the Regional Municipality of
York adopted Clause No. 4, report No. 10 (Attachment A) of the Transportation
and Works Committee that authorized “copies of this report proposing Regional
Road Assumption Criteria be circulated by the Regional Clerk to the Clerks of
each of the local municipalities with a request for review and comments by
Comments from local municipalities will be
considered by the Region prior to formal adoption of the Regional Road
Assumption Policy expected this Spring.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
In discussion with Regional staff, they
confirmed that the Region will not assume a road unless the local municipality
formally makes a request for assumption. Should the Town wish to transfer a
local road to the Region, the Region will consider this request based upon the
criteria noted in the Region’s report. It should also be noted that the Region
may also use these criteria to determine if a Regional road should be
transferred to a local municipality. Prior to the downloading of a Regional
road to local jurisdiction, staff recommend that discussions be undertaken with
Regional staff with respect to the traffic implications, costs, streetscaping,
urban design stands, and any other local issues. Acceptance of a Regional road will be subject
to Council approval.
The proposed Regional Criteria for assumption
of roads is broken into two categories, rural and urban roads. For each
category, a number of criteria were identified to determine if a road meets the
requirements for assumption by the Region.
Rural
Roads
Rural roads were defined as roads that falls outside of urban areas as
defined in the Region’s Official Plan Map 5.
The criteria for assumption by the Region are noted as follows:
1. Connects
designated rural settlements, having existing major commercial/industrial
development or more than 150 persons, to each other and a Regional road or
2. Connects
a
a. Provincial Highway.
b. Major commercial and
industrial areas.
c. Major Institutional complexes
such as colleges, hospital, etc.
3. Provides
service close to consistent major attractors or generators of heavy vehicles.
4. Provides
service parallel to and, where justified, crossing major barriers to free
traffic movement.
5. Provides
service on those roads which are extensions of roads designated as Regional
roads in urban areas and then to a Regional road or a
6. Provides
service on those roads which are extensions of roads designated as Regional or
County Roads in neighbouring jurisdictions and, then, to a Regional road or a
7. Roads
should have a current traffic volume greater than 4,000 annual average daily
traffic (AADT).
8. Roads
should be part of the original concession road grid.
In order for a rural roadway to be assumed by the Region, the roadway
must satisfy criteria #7 and #8 along with one of the first six criteria.
Town staff generally agree with the eight criteria proposed by the
Region to designate a Regional road in rural areas.
Potential candidates that may meet, in whole or in part, the above
criteria now or in the future are:
·
·
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Urban Roads
Urban roads were defined as roads that fall within urban areas as
defined in the Region’s Official Plan Map 5. The criteria for assumption by the
Region are noted as follows:
1. Provides
the necessary arterial capacity in a major travel corridor and in general,
should be used for inter-municipal traffic.
2. Comprises
a reasonable direct and unbroken major traffic route or corridor which connects
with major arterial roads or to one or more existing or proposed Provincial
Highways at a grade-separated interchange.
3. May
include a linkage, existing or proposed, required to cross or circumvent a
physical barrier that breaks the logical continuity of the route.
4. Roads
should have a current traffic volume greater than 5,000 AADT.
5. Roads
should be part of the original concession road grid.
In order for a road to be assumed by the Region, criteria #4 and #5 must
be satisfied along with one of the first three criteria.
Staff generally agrees with the five criteria proposed by the Region to
designate a Regional road in urban areas.
Potential candidates that may meet, in whole or in part, the above
criteria now or in the future are:
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Staff recommend
Streetscaping and urban design are important aspects that enhance and define the function of a roadway. These elements help to promote alternative modes, encourage a pedestrian-friendly environment and link the adjacent community with the street. The Town makes a significant investment to ensure our roads incorporate good streetscape and urban design. On some roads, these elements are an important aspect of the existing community. In the event that a roadway is considered for transfer to the Region, it is important that there is an agreement to ensure that an acceptable level of streetscape and design is maintained on the road.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The Regional report also outlined
the financial implications as a result of assumption. The report states that municipalities will
have a corresponding reduction in the maintenance costs, thus creating some tax
room, which should be transferred to the Region. Further analysis by Town staff
is required to determine the financial implications for the transferring of
road to/from the Region at the appropriate time.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
The Operations Department was
consulted and provided their consent on this report.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A –
Attachment B – Road Ownership
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Alan Brown, C.E.T. Director of Engineering |
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Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner of Development Services |
Q:\Development\Engineering\REPORTS\2005\Jan\Regional
Road Assumption Criteria.doc
