TAMRMS#: B09
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Bylaw 18/2005 Traffic Bylaw Amendments
Presented by: Dean Schick, Manager, Transportation
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
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That Community Growth & Infrastructure Standing Committee recommend to Council that
1) The “Public Consultation Report: City of St. Albert Traffic Network Speed Review” report, provided as an attachment to the January 18, 2021 agenda report entitled “Bylaw 18/2005 Traffic Bylaw Amendments”, be received as information.
2) That “Bylaw 4/2021”, being amendment 16 to Traffic Bylaw 18/2005, be read a first time.
3) That a Non-Statutory Public Hearing to allow residents / stakeholders to be heard by Council on concerns with the Bylaw 18/2005 amendments, be scheduled for February 16, 2021.
4) That subject to a third and final reading of the Traffic Bylaw “4/2021”, $230,000 be approved to implement pedestrian crossing improvements, field signage installation, and perform public messaging for the Traffic Bylaw amendments, and be funded from the Traffic Safety Reserve.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
Administration, in 2019, completed a detailed engineering and internal stakeholder review of current posted speed limits throughout the City which resulted in recommendations for changes. As per Council direction, in 2020, Administration completed public engagement on the proposed speed changes to inform on final recommendations of amendments to the Traffic Bylaw as presented in this report.
In addition to the amendments surrounding city wide speed limits, Alberta Transportation (AT) requires municipal Dangerous Goods Route Bylaws (for St. Albert the Dangerous Goods routing regulations are within the City’s Traffic Bylaw) to be updated to AT Guidelines. The proposed Bylaw amendments have captured requested changes from AT to the City’s Dangerous Goods sections, with further minor amendments aligned to “clean up” of the existing Bylaw regulations.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL STRATEGIC PRIORITY
1. Strategic Priority #3: Building a Transportation Network: Integrated transportation systems.
Complete the implementation of the approved Transportation Safety Plan programs and projects.
ALIGNMENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL (OR COMMITTEE) DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
On February 18, 2020, Council passed the following Motion(s):
CB-20-023
That the “Transportation Network Speed Limit Review” report, provided as an attachment to the February 10, 2020 agenda report entitled “Transportation Network Speed Study”, be received as information.
That $20,000 be approved from the Stabilization Fund to enable Administration to hire a consultant to conduct focus groups with residents to gather feedback on the Transportation Network Speed Limit Review recommendations and potential Traffic Bylaw amendment.
That Administration draft and present amendments of Traffic Bylaw 18/2005 to the Community Growth & Infrastructure Committee in June, for consideration of recommending First Reading and to set a non-statutory public hearing for the Traffic Bylaw update in July 2020.
On May 4, 2020, Council passed the following Motion(s):
AR-20-158
That a deadline extension for the following item be approved: Time Extension Request - Traffic Bylaw 18/2005 Amendments be extended to January 2021.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The City formally adopted a Transportation Safety Plan, with supplemental Implementation Plan, in October 2018. The Plan itself provides an overview of the current state of traffic safety within the community, developed principles of how safety will be targeted for improvement, and set the City’s mission to “Vision Zero” - where no serious injuries or fatalities occur as a result of motor vehicle collisions on our roadways. The priority of reducing and seeking actions to eliminate these severe collisions are targeted in the short-term, with an emphasis on setting the foundation for evidence-based decision making through strong data collection, reporting and analysis and targeting opportunities of safe system design and operations to address common network risks that may influence probability of a severe incident occurring.
Within the Plan there are three strategies aligned to this report and completed actions:
1) Strategy VRU-P1 (Pg. 106 of the Safety Plan): School Zone Review
2) Strategy VRU-P2 (Pg. 107 of the Safety Plan): Playground Zone Review
3) VS-S1-C (Pg. 122 of the Safety Plan): Safer Speeds and Speed Limits - Review all Posted Speeds
In 2019, Administration completed the Transportation Network Speed Limit Review; which completed a scope of work involving a targeted engineering review that resulted in recommendations of speed limit changes that were then presented to internal city stakeholders for feedback which was used to inform on proposed amendments to the Traffic Bylaw. This report and recommendations were presented to the Community Growth and Infrastructure Standing Committee and to Council in February 2020. The full “Transportation Network Speed Limit Review” report was provided as an attachment to the February 18, 2020 Council meeting.
Following direction and approval of funds from Council, Administration then completed public engagement for the recommended Traffic Bylaw amendments, to which the feedback received is summarized and reported on as an attachment to this package.
An overall summary of the proposed Bylaw changes, public feedback received, and final recommended Bylaw update, aligned to the Bylaw amendment, is as follows:
1) Neighbourhood Speed Limits
a. Original recommendation: Reduce neighbourhood speeds (on collector and local roadways) from 50 km/h to 40 km/h.
b. Public Feedback: Average of Online and Card Survey Response = 45% Support.
c. Proposed Bylaw Amendment: Reduce neighbourhood roads (collector roadways and local roadways) to 40 km/h.
2) School Zones and Playground Zones
a. Original Recommendation: Change school zones to playground zones for all elementary school sites
i. Public Feedback: Average of Online and Card Survey Response = 34% Support
ii. Proposed Bylaw Amendment: No amendment would be necessary through the Bylaw, as the document is not site specific; however, Administration recommends maintaining elementary school zones as School Zones and do not convert to Playground Zones.
b. Playground Zone Removals
i. Original recommendation: Remove three (3) existing playground zones (Forest Park, Attwood Drive, and Deerbourne Park south).
ii. Public Feedback: Online Survey Only Response = 74% Support
iii. Proposed Bylaw Amendment: No formal amendment is required within the Traffic Bylaw itself (as site specific information is not obtained within the Bylaw).
Subject to Council’s approval of reduced Neighbourhood Speeds (40 km/h), Administration recommends removal of two (2) of the existing playground zones (and maintain warning signs only with posted 40 km/h) located at the Forest Drive and Deerbourn (south) locations. Attwood Drive is recommended to remain as a Playground Zone.
If Council does not approve the reduction of Neighbourhood speeds (to 40 km/h), Administration recommends maintaining all three (3) Playground Zones.
c. Playground Zone Time of Day
i. Original recommendation: Apply a time of day to Playground Zones of daily, all year, from 8 am to 8 pm.
ii. Public Feedback: Average of Online survey and Card Survey Responses = 53% Support
iii. Proposed Bylaw Amendment: Subject to Council’s approval of reduced Neighbourhood speeds: Change Playground Zone times to be from 8 am to 8 pm, daily, from April 1 to October 31 of each calendar year.
1. If Council does not approve the reduction of Neighbourhood speeds (to 40 km/h); Administration would recommend applying a time of day to Playground Zones, daily, from 8 am to 8 pm, all year round.
This would result in the Playground Zone being reduced to 30 km/h from 8 am to 8 pm daily all year.
3) Changes to arterial roadways (increase speed limits)
a. Original recommendation identified increasing the posted speed limits from 50 km/h to 60 km/h on the following arterial roadways:
i. Bellerose Drive from Evergreen Drive to the north city limit
ii. Sir Winston Churchill Avenue (SWCA) from Poirier Avenue to the north city limit
iii. Sturgeon Road from Beacon Crescent (south) to Boudreau Road
iv. Dawson Road from Giroux Road to McKenney Avenue
v. Sir Winston Churchill Avenue (SWCA) from Riel Drive to Levasseur Road
b. Public Feedback: The Survey Card did not allow for space to separate the different sections, so the overall question aligned to a “Agree / Disagree” for the overall “Increase speed limits from 50 km/h to 60 km/h on some major roadways”. For the Card survey there was 90% support.
For the Online portion, the individual sections were broken down and ranged from 82% support (lowest support recorded for Sturgeon Road) to 90% support (highest support recorded for SWCA at the south end).
c. Proposed Bylaw amendment: Increase the identified sections of arterial roadways from 50 km/h to 60 km/h.
d. A recommendation was also proposed to increase Meadowview Drive from 60 km/h to 70 km/h west of Ray Gibbon Drive.
i. Feedback on this was an average of 89% support between the Online survey and Card survey.
ii. The proposed Bylaw amendment is to increase the speed limit of Meadowview Drive from RR 260 to the west city limit from 60 km/h to 70 km/h.
4) Changes to “slow zones” (remove existing 30 km/h zones)
a. Original recommendation made to remove existing 30 km/h zones at the following sites:
i. Sturgeon Road from Burns Street to Burnham Avenue
ii. Mission Avenue from St. Vital Avenue to Malmo Avenue
iii. Grosvenor Boulevard from Gaylord Place to south of Grenfell Avenue
iv. Grenfell Avenue from Gatewood Avenue to Greenwich Crescent
v. Meadowview Drive from Mission Avenue to 150 m west of Mission Avenue
b. Public Feedback: The Card survey did not separate the individual sites due to space, so the overall question aligned to “Remove identified 30 km/h Slow Zones”. From the Card survey there was 53% support.
For the Online portion, the individual sections were broken down and ranged from 86% support (lowest support recorded for Grosvenor Boulevard / Grenfell Avenue) to 89% support (highest support recorded for Sturgeon Road).
c. Proposed Bylaw amendment: Remove the existing 30 km/h (slow zones) from Schedule 7 of the Traffic Bylaw.
In addition to the specific notes of recommended Bylaw amendments, further recommendations include:
5) Dangerous Goods Routing / Designated Roadways Regulatory information. These changes are a result of direct communication from Alberta Transportation requesting the City amend the Bylaw to align with current Guidelines and provide greater clarity within the Traffic Bylaw for designated roadways.
6) School bus restrictions. The City currently operates under Guidelines, restricting school buses on local roadways; however, with these restrictions not being within the Traffic Bylaw there is minimal enforcement that can occur. It should be noted, that the Bylaw changes would not preclude the School Transportation groups from being able to apply for special considerations and receive “approval” of local road use by the City Engineer.
7) A document “clean up” with a Section reference to the placement of a Special Events sign on the Pedestrian Overpass, which was deleted during the previous Bylaw update.
8) One additional speed change, with the segment of Poirier Avenue from Sir Winston Churchill Avenue to Campbell Road recommended to be increased from 50 km/h to 60 km/h. This change is a result of further consideration of the results of the engineering review and feedback received during the survey work.
9) Addition of LeClair Way as a restricted parking arterial (Schedule 8 of the Bylaw).
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
Within scope of work of the original engineering review (2019), comparable municipalities were contacted to find out relative information on triggers and processes followed for performing speed reviews, current practice and speed settings, and any planned changes or influence on speeds. Fourteen (14) Canadian municipalities were contacted and an online survey performed to capture current state and practices - with all information of responses within the report.
Results of the engineering review and preliminary recommendations were shared through an internal stakeholder workshop in November 2019 and with a follow up survey of the City with representatives from various departments including: Transit, Municipal Enforcement, RCMP, Public Works, Strategic Services / Communication, Parks and Recreation and Engineering. Feedback received from internal stakeholders is captured within the report with the exception of an update related to Transit operational considerations, identified in the “Program or Service” Impact section.
Administration completed a public engagement and survey on proposed changes to city speed limits. Although anticipated for completion in early 2020, the engagement was impacted and delayed by Covid-19 and completed in September / October 2020. A consulting firm, Politikos Research, was acquired to support the City in the development of engagement materials and host engagement activities, including receiving, compiling and reporting on results of feedback received. Methods of engagement included:
- Website developed with all background information on the Speed Study and recommendations, inclusive of an explanatory video and FAQ
o This website had a total of 3,862 visitors from September 7 to October 15.
- Two (2) surveys:
o Online survey (held from September 7 to October 2)
o Postcard mail out
- Virtual Town Hall meeting (September 16, 2020): open to all public
- Virtual Focus Group meeting (September 23, 2020): open to invited guests of representation from Committees such as - Community Services Advisory Committee, Policing Committee, Seniors Advisory Committee, Youth Advisory Committee and Environmental Advisory Committee
In total, the online survey was completed 3,016 times and there were 5,281 postcard surveys returned. The full “Public Consultation Report: City of St. Albert Traffic Network Speed Review” is provided as an attachment to this report.
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
The proposed recommendations of Bylaw amendments would result in the following estimated costs:
• Pedestrian crossing improvements: $150,000
• Speed sign changes (field - order and install): $60,000
• Playground zone sign changes: $5,000
• Public notification / messaging: $15,000
• Total estimated funds to implement recommendations = $230,000
The above costs of implementation are proposed to be funded through the Traffic Safety Reserve at the end of November, 2020 had a remaining balance of $230,000.
Legal / Risk:
Although not mandated for implementation, application of the Canadian Guidelines for Establishing Posted Speed Limits provides a transparent methodology using industry practice for consistent evaluation that accounts for risk factors and results in appropriate recommendations for posted speeds to minimize liability and risk.
As per Section 17 of the Dangerous Goods Transportation and Handling Act, a DG Route Bylaw implemented by the local authority and approved by the Minister will cease to have force 5 years after its commencement, or after the effective date of a renewal of approval. Alberta Transportation will now require existing municipal DG Route Bylaws be current with Alberta Transportation’s guidelines before the approval will be renewed.
Program or Service:
Any influence to travel times can significantly influence Transit services; however, on January 20, 2020, Council approved motion CB-20-011; “That Administration implement the transit service level revisions, effective September 2020, as presented at the January 13, 2020 Community Growth & Infrastructure Standing Committee meeting.”
The results of this motion and approved service level change allow Transit to accommodate the recommended Traffic Bylaw amendments, with no operational costs associated.
Organizational:
It is anticipated that, subject to Bylaw amendment approval, field implementation of all posted speed changes would require 3 - 4 months with existing resources used and assuming other continued activities / sign work would occur during this period. No additional resources are being requested for the performance of this work.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
If the Committee does not wish to support the recommendation(s), the following alternatives could be considered:
Alternative 1. The Committee may receive the information and report package and direct Administration to not draft any further reporting or recommendations to amend the Traffic Bylaw as related to the Transportation Network Speed Study report. If this alternative is chosen, Bylaw 4/2021 would be amended to remove proposed changes aligned to posted speeds, and only propose changes relevant to Dangerous Goods Routing, and document “clean up”. Administration would amend the Bylaw for a Council presentation and consideration for 1st reading.
Alternative 2. The Committee may receive the information and report package and direct Administration to draft specific amendments only, with clear direction of requested amendments, to the Traffic Bylaw as related to the Transportation Network Speed Study report. No Proposed wording as direction would have to be made specific. Administration would amend the Bylaw for a Council presentation and consideration for 1st reading.
Alternative 3. The Committee may recommend to Council to approve all recommendations of amendments to the Traffic Bylaw without holding the Non-Statutory Public Hearing and approve estimated funds to support the implementation of changes.
Proposed wording would be:
That Community Growth & Infrastructure Standing Committee recommend to Council that:
1) The “Public Consultation Report: City of St. Albert Traffic Network Speed Review” report, provided as an attachment to the January 18, 2020 agenda report entitled “Bylaw 18/2005 Traffic Bylaw Amendments”, be received as information.
2) That “Bylaw 4/2021”, being amendment 16 to Traffic Bylaw 18/2005, be read a first time.
3) That “Bylaw 4/2021” be read a second time.
4) Unanimous consent be given for consideration of a third reading of “Bylaw 4/2021”.
5) That “Bylaw 4/2021” be read a third and final time.
6) That $230,000 be approved to implement pedestrian crossing improvements, field signage installation, and perform public messaging for the Traffic Bylaw amendments, and be funded from the Traffic Safety Reserve.
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Report Date: January 18, 2021
Author: Dean Schick
Committee/Department: Engineering Services
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble