Hamilton Roads

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings...umentId=295806

Updated proposal for the City's Truck routes. The new plan notably removes the vast majority of truck routes through the core, reducing them primarily to Victoria / Wellington and Cannon, Queen, York, and Main St.

I don't understand why the city doesn't just full stop say, sorry, all truck traffic has to leave the city via Burlington Street Eastbound. There's way too much truck traffic heading west down Canon to get on the 403. I believe they should have to travel east, all the way to the QEW via Burlington Street, and they can then go around Hamilton on the QEW or Linc. If it inconveniences them, so what.

[matt602]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings...umentId=295806

Updated proposal for the City's Truck routes. The new plan notably removes the vast majority of truck routes through the core, reducing them primarily to Victoria / Wellington and Cannon, Queen, York, and Main St.

I don't even see where the change is here. The problematic truck traffic has always been on those streets.

[Innsertnamehere]

yea, I agree, but it does at least remove many streets. Streets like Wilson, John, Wentworth, Hunter, James St S, Bay and Queen north of Cannon, Sanford, and Cannon east of Victoria.

If I had my way I agree that I would remove the downtown truck routes, but it's apparently not to be. I have a small concern about it impacting the attractiveness of the bayfront industrial area for employers given that it seems like it may finally be starting to take off again with the Stelco lands redevelopment, but I don't think it would matter that much.

[ScreamingViking]

I'm starting to think the best long-term solution would be a modified version of the "Perimeter Road." But instead of a full arterial, keep it two lanes and exclusively for truck use and emergency vehicles.

The city isn't planning anything, but the social/residential safety and environment vs. economic activity issue is not going to go away, and the benefits may exceed the costs while making everybody happy.



Hamilton has no plans to resurrect Perimeter Road project to fix truck problems

https://www.thespec.com/local-ancast...-problems.html

Kevin Werner
Ancaster News via the Hamilton Spectator
Fri., Dec. 10, 2021

Hamilton transportation staff emphasized they are not considering building a new perimeter road to carry trucks around the city and avoid residential neighbourhoods.

Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann said at the Dec. 6 public works meeting that during the Nov. 29 truck route subcommittee meeting she advocated for a “ring” road plan to keep trucks out of the downtown and avoid neighbourhoods.

“I referred a ring road approach that was directly based on various feedback we received as a committee,” said Nann. “That would be the existing roadways and not creating roadways.”

Director of Transportation Planning Brian Hollingworth said any suggestion from councillors, including from Nann, about developing a ring-road system would “utilize existing roads” predominately the Red Hill Valley Parkway, the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and the Queen Elizabeth Way.

“We would not be opening a discussion of the perimeter road,” he said.

...

The proposed Perimeter Road had been first planned in 1963, and received support under the former Hamilton Wentworth Regional government with the Industrial Perimeter Road Feasibility Study in 1978. It suggested a basic route from Burlington Street to Highway 403.

The concept, to take heavy trucks and private vehicles off local roads between Highway 403 and the Bayfront industrial area, was studied extensively from 1987 to 1990, with several options presented.

By 1988 the idea was to expand Burlington Street to six lanes from Sherman to Victoria/Wellington. Victoria and Wellington would have been realigned north of Barton to form a two-way street. The Perimeter Road route would have followed south to the CN tracks, continuing westbound between the tracks and Strachan Street, until Bay Street. There would have been intersections at Victoria and Bay.

A north option would have had the road follow the shoreline on a new landfill, continue south of the Desjardins Canal, then the road would enter a tunnel under the CN tracks and York Boulevard. It would emerge near Cootes Paradise where an interchange would be constructed with Highway 403. The proposed cost at the time would have been $48 million.

The south option would be an elevated structure over the CN tracks, following the southern edge of the CN yards before entering a tunnel near Dundurn Castle. The tunnel would go under the Hamilton Cemetery, emerging onto a bridge over CP Rail in Key Drage Park before meeting Highway 403. The cost, including the tunnel, was estimated to be $93 million.

A hybrid north and south option would follow the south option around the CN yard before transitioning to the northern option near Dundurn Castle at a cost of about $64 million. The region’s engineering services group recommended the north-south hybrid option in 1988.

It wasn’t until 2003 that a needs assessment was conducted under the Setting Sail preferred land use study that determined a perimeter road wasn’t needed to meet existing and projected future volumes.

Councillors at their Dec. 8 general issues committee meeting approved the truck route subcommittee’s recommendation to send the proposed report back to staff for further study and incorporate the city’s Vision Zero strategy that proposes to eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries.

The consultant’s report recommended banning trucks with more than five axles from some residential areas, a proposal that prompted opposition from trucking companies, agricultural interests, and port industries.

But safe street advocates also opposed the report because they want city officials to go further and ban trucks outright from the downtown and other residential streets.

full story here

[Innsertnamehere]

The Unbuilt Hamilton book has a great section on the Perimeter Road.

I agree it's a missed opportunity - Downtown doesn't need the new auto capacity, it already has plenty, but it would improve cross town access and get trucks out of downtown. If it was built without a single access point from Wellington to the 403 I'd be happy.

The most annoying part of Hamilton's road network right now is going from the east end to west of downtown, which requires going the long way around on the QEW/403 through Burlington, right through downtown, or way up on the mountain on the linc. The Perimeter road would have made that connection much smoother.

Alas, it likely won't happen as it would be wildly expensive today with it's need for a tunneled portion under the ridge.

[ScreamingViking]

I wonder if a simpler plan that doesn't completely avoid existing city streets would work.

E.g., have a new two-lane road on the north side of the rail corridor starting at Victoria and running to Stuart, and have the trucks use Queen (which would have to be fully converted to 2-way) to access Main and King. The hitch would be how to cross the rail lines -- maybe the road could just run next to Strachan for a few blocks and have the route to Stuart cross at Bay.

It doesn't remove the problem entirely, and there would be a lot of unhappy folks regardless, but at least takes the trucks out of the downtown core and avoids the need for a tunnel to the 403.

[Innsertnamehere]

I saw this image on twitter and thought it was appropriate:



Right now roads downtown are "stroads" - they are urban walkable with high pedestrian traffic which also have to function as regional arterial roads. the Perimeter road would shift the regional traffic onto a dedicated "road", allowing that critical function to occur while leaving more room for downtown to become true streets.

[ScreamingViking]

Those illustrations have a very Simpsons style to them.

[TheRitsman]

Hamilton already has a ring road. Is it direct? No, but most true ring roads are not direct. Some European cities go so far as to block or ban travelling from one section of the urban area to another in a car without first exiting the urban area to the ring road and going around. Hamilton has a better ring road than majority of cities in Canada. They just have to use it and stop saying one doesn't exist

[Innsertnamehere]

indeed - but Burlington Bay limits access to half of the loop. So if you are someone going from the Bayfront Industrial area to Brantford, it takes little time through downtown but a lot of time through the ring road. If it was better to go the long way round trucks would already be doing it.

Right now in rush hour for example, going from Stelco to the first exit in Brantford takes 32 minutes via cutting through downtown. If you instead avoid local roads and take Nicola Tesla, the RHVP, and the Linc? 52 minutes. That's substantial. Normally ring roads work as any periphery industrial areas can drive straight out to part of the ring road closest to the area, but Burlington Bay prevents that, making the fastest access right through downtown, instead of away from it. The Perimeter road fixes that. It doesn't need to be a freeway and doesn't really even need to permit private vehicles, though that gets a bit silly in terms of enforcement and other issues, but it's the real long-term solution to getting trucks out of downtown while still ensuring the waterfront industrial area is an attractive place to operate a business. It just needs to be a *road* designed to funnel traffic past downtown, not to it, or not right through it.

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

There is enough of a ringway that cater to most of the transport traffic (N/E) that the few minutes lost by the transport trucks is negligible. There is no longer a reason to go downtown.

[ScreamingViking]

It's not negligible for the trucks that serve all the companies on the western half of the port lands. Some of them are fairly large (e.g., Parrish and Heimbecker, Lafarge, Fluke Transport) and could better weather a restrictive truck access policy, but the flexibility to get to either the 403 or QEW via the short paths is important to all of them. Travel time is money, and a key factor in a business location decision. Over the longer term some of those companies will move, especially if they are too small to absorb additional travel costs related to access restrictions or if they are not reliant on the port.

This is not a problem that will go away, even with further tweaks to the trucking routes. And it's not a simple one to deal with, given the very different needs and views of the stakeholders.

Building a relatively short bypass road (it's only 1.35 km between Victoria and Bay) that addresses some of the issues seems like a reasonable idea to me. Perhaps more can be done later. And we do have a provincial government that likes to say we're "open for business"... ok, how about helping Hamilton in that regard?

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Perhaps I am too presumptuous about the western long-haul traffic. Though, would all benefit from going off of the real numbers of trucks going to Brantford, London, & Windsor.

My dad works at Perish & Heimbecker actually, and most of the hauls he makes are up north or out east, thus he probably uses Burlington St. as much as he can help it.

Really, I think the best way to remove the necessity of taking alternate routes is to upgrade Burlington St. even further, should it even need it to begin with. That way, the time it takes to head North is comparable (or maybe even better) than going downtown now, and the odd truck that has to loop west on the Linc isn't going to take very long.

I think I should specify by truck I mean 18-Wheeler or a truck train, I have no qualms with ones smaller than those.

[ScreamingViking]

The LRT will have an impact on travel efficiency for trucks west of downtown as well. City traffic planners are probably very wary of making big changes or proposing new infrastructure until those impacts can be studied.

According to Google, a trip at 1 pm on a weekday between Sherman/Burlington and the 403 between Main and Aberdeen typically ranges between 10 and 26 mins through the city (in either direction), but 18 to 26 mins if done via Burlington St./QEW/403 through Burlington. So it's variable, but at the fastest timing that's 80% longer travel time via the "ring road"

Travel time alone isn't the only factor, distance and speed will also affect fuel consumption (I would guess it will be much higher via the freeways). And over the long term there may be a difference in vehicle maintenance costs related to brake and tire wear, fluids, wear and tear on the truck components, etc. (but how different some of them will be is uncertain -- tire wear would likely increase with trip distance, but a smoother ride with less stops and starts may reduce some of those)

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

indeed - but Burlington Bay limits access to half of the loop. So if you are someone going from the Bayfront Industrial area to Brantford, it takes little time through downtown but a lot of time through the ring road. If it was better to go the long way round trucks would already be doing it.

Right now in rush hour for example, going from Stelco to the first exit in Brantford takes 32 minutes via cutting through downtown. If you instead avoid local roads and take Nicola Tesla, the RHVP, and the Linc? 52 minutes. That's substantial. Normally ring roads work as any periphery industrial areas can drive straight out to part of the ring road closest to the area, but Burlington Bay prevents that, making the fastest access right through downtown, instead of away from it. The Perimeter road fixes that. It doesn't need to be a freeway and doesn't really even need to permit private vehicles, though that gets a bit silly in terms of enforcement and other issues, but it's the real long-term solution to getting trucks out of downtown while still ensuring the waterfront industrial area is an attractive place to operate a business. It just needs to be a *road* designed to funnel traffic past downtown, not to it, or not right through it.

Yes it takes longer during rush hour, but that's normal. Even in the best ring road cities, ring roads clog during rush hour. All the more reason to move trucks to the periphery and invest in transit and cycling so people aren't driving during rush hour as much. That's how places like Netherlands reduced their soul crushing traffic to a reasonable amount.

The point is what do we care more about as a city? A livable city that is safe and comfortable for families, seniors, adults and children, or a place that caters to truck traffic because it might cost them a bit more, and oh well, you'll have to be fearful Everytime you walk your neighbourhood.

I rode my bike down James St N tonight and saw the streets packed with people for Grey Cup and was so, so embarrassed to see a double articulated truck barrel down Cannon through a red at 60km/h. It makes our city look like trash. It's no wonder our downtown has been an empty she'll nobody wanted to live in. We made our main downtown streets into wide freeways for massive grain and steel trucks. Then wonder why even after the steel industry shrunk by like 90% Hamilton struggles to attract other business.

[Innsertnamehere]

I agree, and that’s why I’m saying the perimeter road is the only long term solution to the truck problem. I don’t want the trucks downtown just as much as you!

The problem is downtown streets are all stroads right now, and I’m saying let’s build a proper road that safely separates traffic and change the downtown streets back to actual streets.

The Netherlands has lots of highways and is very good at the concept I’m talking about - having dedicated roads for vehicles and streets for people. The transport network is much more than just bike lanes but it works very effectively.

A good Dutch example that’s roughly similar to Hamilton is Maastricht, which had a motorway which ended on each end of the core and ran as a massive stroad right through the centre of the city. Instead of removing it as many seem to think the Dutch would do, they buried it, upgrading it to a full freeway and allowing the surface to turn into something closer to an actual street.

Almere is also a “new town” which applies the concept of seperating auto traffic, not eliminating it, very well, and as it’s a relatively new community (founded in the 1950’s), it represents the most modern Dutch thought process on urban planning.

The perimeter road could be similar, perhaps deck it over adjacent to the rail corridor through downtown so that it’s not as disruptive, and as I said, I don’t find a need for any access points into the core to prevent making it easier for drivers to access downtown. Just make it a nice road with a 60km/h speed limit that provides a decent connection from the industrial areas to the 403 without conflicting with downtown pedestrian and cycling flows.

As screamingviking said, you could even phase it to bring vehicles past West Harbour GO and past the middle of downtown, keeping the highest cost part for later.

[NortheastWind]

From Nrinder Nann's Newsletter
Reclassifying Ottawa St away from Major Arterial and reshaping the street to best suit community

Through the Truck Routes discussion this week, I flagged another major issue - Ottawa Street which remained on the proposed truck route. Ottawa Street is a vibrant social and commercial corridor in the east end with residential areas, an elementary school and community services that serve seniors, women, children and indigenous peoples. We have patios and many neighbours access businesses and services by walking there.

Ottawa Street has a historical classification of major arterial roads that does not match its contemporary context. The existing classification limits the kinds of changes and investments that can go into a complete, better and livable street and area. Due to its classification, it also could not be brought into the scope of the Complete Streets Review process that is underway for neighbourhood and collector roads across Ward 3.

Thanks to our neighbours in Crown Point West who continually raise concerns about safety both myself and Councillor Merulla will be moving for the reclassification of Ottawa Street away from major arterial. Once staff do the required community input and technical review, it will likely become a major collector road, similar to Locke Street, and better support its current use and future developments. This will require an amendment to the Official Plan and through the delayed Ottawa Street Master Plan, we can shape the streetscape to best suit our community.

Barton Street Reconstruction - Community Input Begins in 2022

Barton Street is slated for a multi-year, multi-phase complete reconstruction, similar to the revival Locke Street underwent last year. It is spanning across Wards 2, 3 & 4. Phase 1 will include much of the Ward 3 strip of our beloved Barton.

With Vision Zero principles, complete streets design options, and community input guiding the process, the goal for Barton Street will result in a complete transformation of the streetscape. This is an exciting and long-overdue development and is going to require deep investment to address the below surface infrastructure (water, wastewater, storm) as well.

I will be hosting an information meeting on the project with city staff in 2022 to begin the community input process. More to come!

Two-way Sherman Avenue in 2022

Converting Sherman Avenue to two-way has been in the Roads master plan for many years. Thanks to a one-time infusion of Federal Gas Tax investments, I’ve been able to prioritize it happening sooner than later.

In 2022, City Staff will begin a technical review of making Sherman Avenue become bi-directional from King St to Burlington St. This change will better facilitate the movement of vehicles, enable more pedestrian safety enhancements and will also provide better north-south connectivity. As with all major infrastructure investments and roadway redesigns, this process will include opportunities for community input starting in the new year.

[ScreamingViking]

Twice in the past year while driving Sherman between Cannon and Barton there has been someone heading south against the flow. I like that the conversion will be happening, but it seems some people already feel that the street is 2-way.

[craftbeerdad]

I was going to post the same thing from Councilor Nann's Newsletter two weeks ago but I'm surprised people aren't jumping up and down on the Barton nugget. Finally this street will get some much needed love and attention.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by craftbeerdad

I was going to post the same thing from Councilor Nann's Newsletter two weeks ago but I'm surprised people aren't jumping up and down on the Barton nugget. Finally this street will get some much needed love and attention.

I think I need to see some images of it before getting worked up about it. Sections are in dire need of a rebuild though.

Locke turned out fairly decent, though I still don't think the sidewalks are wide enough (space was limited though for two live lanes and street parking on both sides). And it was a rough go for local businesses, so whether the ones on Barton can weather road closure for construction will be interesting -- some of the local/ethnic food shops could fall victim, or maybe they'll be fine if they have enough walk-up business. For many blocks there is basically nothing to worry about in that regard.