Item - 2018.PW29.6

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to develop staff policies and negotiate, enter into and execute any agreements needed to give effect to the creation and administration of a traffic warden / special constable program, with conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, including an agreement with the Toronto Police Services Board for the appointment, training and management of City traffic wardens appointed as special constables by the Toronto Police Services Board on such terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services.

2.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to negotiate and enter into and execute an agreement with Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, as represented by the Minister of Transportation, for the access and use of licence plate registration information on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, for the purposes of the automated speed enforcement pilot and subsequent speed enforcement program.

3.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to negotiate, enter into, and execute agreements, as may be required, with Vital Strategies to receive funding up to $100,000 for the prioritization, planning and design of school safety zones in support of the Road Safety Plan, on such terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Transportation Services and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

4.  City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the necessary bills to give effect to City Council's decision and City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make any necessary clarifications, refinements, minor modifications, technical amendments, or by-law amendments as may be identified by the City Solicitor in order to give effect to the reasonable operation of Council's decision. 

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:

1.  Referred the following Recommendations 2, 4 and 6 in the report (April 24, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services back to the General Manager, Transportation Services for further consideration, with the request that she consult with the City Solicitor and the City Clerk, and  report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee at the same time as the anticipated report  on the details of recommended School Speed Safety Zones:

"2.  City Council lift the moratorium on the creation of new Community Safety Zones as outlined under Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 397 and detailed under Schedule A of that Chapter.

4.  City Council delegate, despite any City of Toronto By-law to the contrary, including City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27, Council Procedures, to the General Manager, Transportation Services, the authority to make speed changes, restrictions, and reductions without the need to report to Community Council or Council, on local and collector roadways, including the portions of such classification of highways with a TTC route, in a Community Safety Zone designated in accordance with City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 397, Community Safety Zones, or in a School Speed Zone, as defined in City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, and process and submit directly to Community Council any necessary bills for by-law amendments to the City of Toronto Code Chapters, including any schedules thereto, subject to the General Manager, for information only, providing notice to the affected Ward Councillor(s) five working days prior to submission of the bill for enactment.

6.  City Council increase the 2018 Operating Budget for Transportation Services by $120,000 gross and $0 net to fund four (4) new temporary positions to begin the work to install the necessary signage in each Community Safety Zone on a temporary contract basis up to December 31, 2018, fully funded by the Road Safety Plan (RSP) project in the 2018-2027 Capital Budget & Plan for Transportation Services. These temporary positions to be considered for continuation as part of the 2019 budget process."

2.  Referred the following Recommendations 1, 3 and 5 in the report (April 24, 2018) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, back to the General Manager, Transportation Services for further consideration, with the request that she consult with the City Solicitor and the City Clerk, and report to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee at the same time as the anticipated report on changes to existing traffic control warrants:

"1.  City Council adopt the changes to the Transportation Services' Traffic Calming Policy generally in accordance with the body of the report dated April 24, 2018 from the General Manager, Transportation Services.

3.  City Council delegate, despite any City of Toronto By-law to the contrary, including City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27, Council Procedures, to the General Manager, Transportation Services, for the purposes of implementing Traffic Calming Measures, including but not limited to measures such as speed humps, raised intersections, chicanes, curb extensions, traffic islands, traffic circles and associated road alterations, the authority to implement changes without the need to report to Community Council or Council, on local and collector roadways, including the portions of such classification of highways with a TTC route, in a Community Safety Zone designated in accordance with City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 397, Community Safety Zones, or in a School Speed Zone, as defined in City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 950, Traffic and Parking, and process and submit directly to Community Council any necessary bills for by-law amendments to the City of Toronto Code Chapters, including any schedules thereto, subject to the General Manager, for information only, providing notice to the affected Ward Councillor(s) five working days prior to submission of the bill for enactment.

5.  City Council delegate, despite any City of Toronto By-law to the contrary, including City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27, Council Procedures, to Community Councils, in accordance with the revised Traffic Calming Policy pursuant to Recommendation 1, the authority to amend or waive polling requirements for Traffic Calming installations pursuant to the revised Traffic Calming Policy, to either:

a.  Waive Petition and Polling requirements for specific locations where traffic calming measures are proposed; or if Community Council wish polling to take place.

b.  Reduce the required polling response rate from 50 percent plus 1 to 25 percent where traffic calming measures are proposed."

This report, if approved by Council, will allow the City to move ahead with a number of traffic safety measures, including streamlining the process for road safety measures to be installed, moving forward the Traffic Warden / Special Constable Program, and facilitating Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) in school zones.

Specifically, responding to Council direction, this report seeks authority for changes to the Traffic Calming Policy and process in order to streamline the procedure for the introduction of traffic calming measures on local and collector roadways in Community Safety Zones (including the lifting of a previous moratorium) and School Safety Zones.

In addition, Council authority for three legal agreements regarding previously approved policy measures are necessary:

-  a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Toronto Police Services Board regarding the operation of the Traffic Warden / Special Constable Program;

 
-  a legal agreement with the Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, as represented by the Minister of Transportation in order to enable a pilot for automated speed enforcement around schools; and

 
-  a legal agreement with Vital Strategies in order to receive a  $100,000 grant to accelerate the facilitation of the Vision Zero School Travel Planning/Active and Safe Routes to School countermeasure.
 

These next steps will help the City continue to move towards the goal of zero traffic-related fatal and serious injuries.