Item - 2021.SC23.31

Scarborough Community Council:

1. Requested the Director, Planning and Capital Program, Transportation Services to report back in June 2021 regarding:

a. the location of existing noise barriers on the Hwy 2A corridor;

b. previous, on-going and planned noise studies assessing the need for sound barrier infrastructure, including the scope, the timeline, locations of the studies, findings and recommendations for infrastructure; and

c. recommendations for additional noise studies and additional infrastructure to mitigate noise impacts.

2. Requested the Director, Planning and Capital Program, Transportation Services, to report back in June 2021 regarding the status of planned street light infrastructure in this corridor.

In response to concerns brought forward by members of the community, I am bringing forward a motion for staff to report back on studies previously conducted, and future plans, to address noise and lighting concerns on Hwy 2A. Hwy 2A is classified as a City Expressway, serving over 40,000 vehicles per day.

In Scarborough – Rouge Park, a 2.2 km stretch of this expressway runs adjacent to a local subdivision. Local residents have indicated safety concerns, particularly regarding noise at all hours and no street light infrastructure along the expressway.

There is increasing concern about the impacts of environmental noise on health in urban areas. As detailed by the 2017 Toronto Public Health report, "How Loud is Too Loud? Health Impacts of Environmental Noise in Toronto", the growing body of evidence indicates that exposure to excessive environmental noise does not only impact quality of life and cause hearing loss, but also has other health impacts, such as cardiovascular effects, cognitive impacts, sleep disturbance and mental health effects. As a City, reducing the exposure of environmental noise to residents is multi-pronged and includes periodic assessment of the noise environment through monitoring, modelling and implementing infrastructure additions.