30 km speed limit plan endorsed
 

30 km speed limit plan endorsed
Sep 07, 2008

City staff are endorsing proposed traffic calming and a 30 km speed limit on most North End streets. However, they recommend blocking similar moves in other parts of the city for what could be several years.

The North End Traffic Management Plan being presented to the public works committee tomorrow morning (September 8) supports 30 km limits on all streets west of Wellington and north of Strachan with the exception of James and Burlington which would remain posted at 50 km.

The plan would also convert John and MacNab to two-way traffic, add about 30 traffic calming structures, and enhance pedestrian crossings at about eight North End intersections. Hughson will be closed south of Guise and partial closures would block northbound traffic on Bay at Burlington, southbound on Ferguson at Burlington and westbound on Simcoe at Wellington. Vehicles would also be prevented from continuing west on Burlington past James.

Some of the road closures are opposed by the Chamber of Commerce and the Waterfront Trust according to the report. On the other hand, the North End Neighbours residents group advocates cutting speed limits to 30 km on James and Burlington Streets to create “a child and family friendly neighbourhood”. They also proposed stopping northbound traffic on Bay and MacNab at Strachan, and narrowing James to two lanes.

Staff argue that the proposed plan “provides an appropriate level of compromise between all stakeholders” and have agreed to add on-street parking on James North and part of Burlington Street to reduce traffic speeds.

The plan largely follows consultant proposals described by CATCH in early April but it could be awhile before the changes occur, and that would also delay the possibility of 30 km zones elsewhere in Hamilton if staff recommendations are accepted.

They suggest no action be started until an OMB appeal affecting the area is resolved, and $1.6 million is found in the budget for the traffic calming structures. The OMB case began 26 months ago, and involves several parties and land use designations across the North End.

“Funding for detailed design and project construction will be brought forward to Council as part of the 2009-2018 ten year capital budget program,” promises the report.

Once these legal and financial hurdles are overcome, staff recommend a two year pilot for reduced speed limit and “that 30 km/h not be implemented within any other neighbourhood until the effects of this pilot project are analyzed and proven to be effective and be justified to continue.”

The report notes such speed limits have been imposed in half a dozen European countries as well as communities in the US and New Zealand but “is quite a unique application in Canada and its outcome here may have an unknown likelihood of success.”

The European examples include Oslo, Norway and Stockholm. Sweden where all residential areas have 30 km limits. Dublin, Ireland and Turin, Italy have imposed the limits in their city centres, while the Netherlands has over 20,000 kilometres of “zone 30” residential streets, according to the report.

A 2003 OECD report cites numerous examples of successful use of 30 km zones. The city of Toronto obtained special provincial legislation in 1994 to allow for 30 km speed limits on streets with traffic calming structures and has detailed policies on when and where they are utilized.

The debate over traffic management in the North End was initiated because of city plans for high density residential development on Pier 8 near the Marine Discovery Centre, as well as resident concerns about cut-through traffic, speeding and both parking and traffic flow issues related to harbour front events.

Several delegations have registered to speak to the committee meeting tomorrow, but the North End Neighbours group has requested that discussion be postponed until after their September 13 barbeque so they can consult further with residents.

North End Traffic Management Plan -> http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyre...pt8PW08094.pdf

This is good and bad news. Good news is the North End traffic calming endorsed but the bad news is it could take 10 years to complete.

30 km/h is pretty extreme. People in this city have trouble enough doing 60 km/h on the elevated parts of Burlington St.

well driving on that part of Burlington St. makes me feel like i should be going 80 km/h. Technically it's an expressway, and 60 km/h is a crawl on there.

The part I'm talking about is the freeway part, and doing 110-120 on there is way over 60.

Last time I was on Burlington St. everyone was doing about 110.

I generally like this idea, particularly for James north. I do wish there would be traffic calming measures of some sort on Main and King first, though. Adding an express transit-only lane and actually enforcing the speed limit would be a start.

you drive the speed that you feel comfortable. Just like you don't drive 120 km/h down a regular two lane urban road, you shouldn't drive 60 km/h on a freeway section.

I know it's offtopic, but is that a nice hot-spot for city cops to add coinage to the city coffers?

check out Lloyd Ferguson's quote in the Spec today - "I tried doing 30 and it was tough".
LOL...no kidding. You're from Ancaster.

I agree with Curran though, they shouldn't be closing Bay St at Burlington. That's stupid.

North End gating plan too exclusive: architect

September 09, 2008
Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator

Architect Bill Curran, who lives on Macauley Street, says some of his neighbours want to turn the North End into a gated community and make the waterfront their exclusive domain.

He expressed that provocative view to city council's public works committee yesterday in objecting to elements of a two-year, traffic-calming pilot project that would impose a speed limit of 30 kilometres an hour on most North End Hamilton streets. It would also stop traffic going any further toward the water on Bay Street North. The suggested cutoff point would be at Burlington Street West.

Project manager Justin Readman said it might be the first neighbourhood-wide, 30-km/h limit in Canada. He cited several European cities with similar limits in downtown areas, but said he could find none in this country.

Members of the North End Neighbourhood Association, which has been pushing to slow cars and keep through traffic out, sent a letter asking to make a presentation next Monday, when the works committee will decide what to recommend to council.

Curran, who is chair of the Hamilton-Burlington Society of Architects, said the neighbourhood association doesn't speak for all residents, that closing eight of 14 entry points to the neighbourhood goes against good planning principles and that not all the proposed road closings are necessary.

To stop speeding, he said, "Residents around me feel enforcement is needed."

John Dolbec, chief executive officer of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, which has its offices and meeting space in the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club building at the foot of Bay Street North, said the organization doesn't mind traffic calming on side streets, but "streets that are access points for the waterfront should be exempted."

He said making the north end of Bay one-way southbound would shelter six houses while diverting traffic past 24 on MacNab and Burlington streets.

"We are more concerned about restricting access on Bay with the 30 km/h limit and one-way. I don't see a lot of rationale for that that makes sense. The restrictions on Bay are something of overkill."

Readman said signage would be improved to direct traffic from Highway 403 to the bayfront, and Bay Street would remain two-way with a 50 km/h limit to Strachan Street and the entrance to Bayfront Park.

East Mountain Councillor Tom Jackson said, he too, had concerns about Bay Street, and Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said, "I tried doing 30 this morning and it was tough; I'm really having reservations about that."

Plan highlights

September 09, 2008
The Hamilton Spectator

* Limit speed to 30 km/h on all streets except James Street North and Burlington Street East.

* Close Hughson Street south of Guise Street at Pier 8, close Burlington Street westbound at James Street, Bay Street northbound at Burlington Street, Ferguson Avenue southbound at Burlington and westbound Simcoe Street at Wellington Street.

* Narrow key entry points to the neighbourhood on Bay, MacNab, John and Burlington streets.

* Allow more street parking on John and James streets and on Burlington Street between Ferguson Avenue and Mary Street.

* Add bike lanes on Ferguson Avenue, Guise Street and Bay Street with an off-street bike trail south of Strachan Street and along Ferguson Avenue and Dock Service Road.

* Build a roundabout at James and Strachan streets if it will not interfere with a proposed rapid transit line.

Interesting to note the main plank of this plan involves the conversion of several primary routes from two-way traffic to one-way traffic. Isn't that contradictory to lay month's council decision to convert a chunk of downtown's roads from one-way back to two-way?

This is yet another example of inconsistent planning done on the fly. Is anyone in council ever sober?

This hasn't gone to council yet. Hopefully they won't approve the conversions or the access restrictions. I don't have a problem with any of the other proposals, though.

All fantastic ideas except:

Is it the City's goal to confuse EVERY driver? They need to understand that one-way streets and blocking off roads is at times convenient for it's Citizens, but super inconvenient for visitors.

Have you ever gotten stuck in one of those residential hoods in Toronto where these measures r in place? I'll take one I'm familiar with -- Rosedale. They have blocked off streets everywhere in this hood, and if you're not walking, you're screwed.

I agree with speed humps, traffic circles, lowering speed limits, bumping out curbs, etc.
But closing off streets is not necessary.

^^they will have to take those kinds of measures in Hamilton if we want to convert major streets to two-way and reduce lanes.

As it is in Hamilton, most people stay off sidestreets because the main roads are wide and free flowing. If we go Toronto style, with major roads being two-way with two lanes plus two lanes of street parking, then people will start looking for shortcuts.

^^ Makes sense, Flar.
People hardly use side streets as short cuts here, but I see it in TO all the time. My street in Toronto (Isabella) was actually used as a shortcut between Yonge & Sherbourne, yet the street directly South of it (Earl Pl) had been blocked off in the middle, and was usually the street I walked on most to access my bldg. Especially walking home from Yonge St.

But I haven't noticed any of my neighbourhood streets in Corktown being used as shortcuts now that John & James are two way. What makes them think it's going to happen in the North End?
Maybe a Northender can shed some light?

This is a very interesting concept. I don't support or endorse it--and I think 30 km/h is extreme (and it has nothing to do with being from Ancaster or anywhere else). However, it would seem to me that the idea here is to isolate the neighborhood with limited entry points and reduced street-to-street access. If you don't mind my saying, it's extraordinarily suburban.

your neighbourhood is full of shortcutters. I've seen the statistics. It's amazing.

^^ Those bastards! hahaha

I find Corktown to be a quiet neighbourhood car-wise. LOTS of cars parked EVERYWHERE, but never really any driving. Some traffic along Charlton in the AM rush, but that's as much as I see?
Do you have a link to the stats, rth? I love researching my hood... I know I'm such a nerd.

I think Corktown has the highest recovered stolen car ratio to any other part of the city which is kinda funny. I saw it in the Corktown Crier one day.