Item - 2024.TE16.70

The Toronto and East York Community Council recommends that:

1. City Council amend the existing northbound left-turn prohibition in effect 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday (bicycles excepted), at the intersection of Westover Hill Road and Eglinton Avenue West, to be in effect from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., daily (bicycles excepted).

I am kindly asking for your support in amending the northbound left-turn prohibition on Westover Hill Road to help alleviate its daily traffic grid-lock condition, where vehicles often bypass major arterials to cut to Allen Road and get caught on Westover Hill Road with no safe opportunity to access Eglinton Avenue towards Allen Road.

Transportation Services Staff have advised me, based on their technical analysis, that Westover Hill’s close proximity to the Allen, and absence of a traffic control signal at the intersection of Westover Hill Road and Eglinton Avenue West, significantly inhibits traffic flushing onto Eglinton Avenue West. This leads to extreme traffic backlogs both on Westover Hill Road and Eglinton Avenue in the approach to Allen Road. Although Westover Hill Road has existing left-turn prohibitions during peak times, wayfinding apps do not register the turn restrictions and staff advise that a daily 7am to 7pm turn-restriction will register with wayfinding apps to no longer direct traffic onto Westover Hill Road. The volume of cars using this route is relatively low, so there is no concern of impact of this extended restriction to other side streets, but the impact of the current condition makes Westover Hill near impassable and exacerbates congestion at the westbound approach to Eglinton Avenue and Allen Road.

Since the Metrolinx-built intersection at Eglinton Avenue West and Allen Road was installed in June 2023 as part of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT [see Item – 2012.CC17.1] congestion matters have persisted in the vicinity. While the City now has jurisdiction over the intersection and several critical adjustments have been made to improve operations of the intersection, neighbourhood streets north and south of Eglinton Avenue continue to be impacted by congestion caused by traffic destined for Allen Road. Through consultation with the community, the development of an area-wide plan aimed at alleviating the impact of this congestion on neighbourhood streets is being prepared, while longer term improvements to the Eglinton-Allen intersection are sought.