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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Paul Ingham, General Manager,
Operations |
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PREPARED BY: |
same as above |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
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SUBJECT: |
Boulevard Maintenance on Regional
Roads – Update Report |
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RECOMMENDATION:
That the Report titled ‘Boulevard Maintenance on Regional Roads – Update Report’ be received;
AND THAT Council approve a service level modification for 2004 to reduce the number of boulevard grass cuttings on Regional Roads from 14 to 12 and to utilize the resources from the remaining two cuts to perform additional boulevard and median maintenance.
AND FURTHER THAT staff prepares a report in the fall on the status of the Regional boulevards and the impacts of this service change.
PURPOSE:
This report has been prepared to advise Committee and Council on the Region of York’s current policy on boulevard debris pick up and to identify gaps in the levels of service provided by both the Town and the Region.
BACKGROUND:
At the meeting of Council of the Regional
Municipality of York held on
1.
The current policy for boulevard debris pick up maintenance be maintained.
2.
A
copy of this report be sent by the Regional Clerk to the Clerk of the Town of
The purpose of this report
was to respond to a request from the Town of
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
Region’s policy on boulevard debris pick up
The Region of York’s policy on standards in roadside clean up and garbage removal is as follows:
The
Region undertakes a right-of-way clean up once per year, during the spring, to
remove and dispose of debris that has accumulated during the winter
months. For the remainder of the year,
debris pick up is undertaken by the Town’s contractor prior to each of the 11
annual boulevard grass cuts with spot clean ups performed on an “as needed’
basis.
Actual levels of service provided on Regional Roads
The Operations Department staff has determined that the Region has employed a single 2-man crew to undertake spring clean up on all Regional boulevards throughout the Town (approximately 120 lineal km.). As this crew receives calls regarding other road maintenance activities (i.e. asphalt patching, spills, etc.) the crew abandons their boulevard cleaning duties to respond to the respective call. Considering the resources dedicated to this task, the spring clean up of Regional boulevards may not be complete until late June or early July.
Over the past two years, the Region has not responded to complaints associated with debris on Region roads. Operations Department staff has been advised by the Region that they do not have the resources to meet current demands for all roads maintenance activities. As a result, boulevard maintenance (including debris pick up and care of median islands) is considered a very low priority by the Region’s Works Department. At the request of Councillors and Senior Management, the Town’s crews are often dispatched to clean these areas to respond to resident’s concerns.
Current Service Provided by the Town, on Regional Roads
In June 2003, Markham Council approved an increase in the level of service for boulevard grass cutting on Regional roads from 11 to 14 times annually. The contract for boulevard grass cutting includes the requirement for the Town’s contractor to clean up litter prior to each cut.
Although this increased frequency of grass cutting, with associated debris pick up, may address some of the problems we currently face with respect to waste on Region roads, there are extended periods of time between cuts, during slow growth periods throughout the summer months, when waste will continue to accumulate. Litter that appears immediately following a boulevard cut often remains until crews return to the site (in approximately two weeks) for the next cut.
In addition, there is an inventory of
approximately 35 km of Regional boulevard, within the
Town’s urban areas, that do not require turf maintenance (i.e.
Street Sweeping and Care
of Median Islands
The Town’s Operations Department
completes spring sidewalk sweeping on Regional roads by the end of April each
year. As of April 23rd clean
up was complete on all sidewalks on Regional Roads. Operations staff has been advised by the
Region that as of May 3rd spring street sweeping operations have
been completed on Yonge, Bayview, Leslie, Woodbine and
In 2003, the Town received several
complaints with respect to street sweeping on Regional roads. The initial spring street sweeping operation
for Highway 7,
The Region’s policy on boulevard
clean up does not address intersection median islands. In previous years Regional staff have
undertaken median clean up and weed removal/cutting once in the spring in
coordination with the spring boulevard clean up. There is no evidence of any follow up
maintenance on median islands throughout the year. As a result of the long drought through July
of 2003, the Operations Department was able to eliminate one boulevard cutting
and utilize these savings to pay for weed removal on Town and Region median
islands in September 2003.
In order to provide improved level
of service on Regional roads, the Operations Department recommends that the
Town undertake two intersection median clean ups through 2004 and cut
boulevards a total of 12 times. Decreased
demand on boulevard cutting during extended periods of drought through the
summer will allow the Town to make these modifications to the boulevard
maintenance program. These adjustments
to service levels will significantly enhance the aesthetic appearance of median
islands while not noticeably compromising the standard of care for boulevards
on Regional roads.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
None.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment ‘A’ – Region
of York report in response to Town of
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Paul
Ingham General
Manager, Operations |
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Peter
Loukes, P.Eng. Director
of Operations and Asset Management |
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Jim
Sales Commissioner
of Community and Fire Services |
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Q:\DATA\WORD\ADMIN\Rpt_
2004\Roads\Region Road Boulevard Maintenance - Update Report.doc