The Case For Traffic Infiltration Measures In Danforth Gardens

 Over 26,000 units are projected in the Scarborough Junction Community in the coming years which will bring and increase in traffic congestion and infiltration.  Measures must be taken to prevent our residential streets from becoming thoroughfares.

Reasons for Traffic Mitigation for DGNA

1. These buildings all have addresses on major roads so their vehicle access should be on these major roads. If parking accesses are put on local side streets, then the impact on local neighbourhoods must be considered.

3431 St. Clair With 257 Car Garage

2. City planners are tasked with many things including maintaining the integrity of current neighbourhoods.  Elfreda Blvd. and the streets of the Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood were designed as residential streets not thoroughfares and should be maintained as such.  Children play, ride their bikes and walk to school on these residential streets that were not designed as thoroughfares.

3. Elfreda Blvd, Newlands Ave. and the streets of the Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood are major pedestrian routes for school children.  Increasing traffic on these routes will have a negative impact on the safety of students walking and cycling to both Danforth Gardens P.S. on Santamonica Blvd. and St. Joachim’s Catholic School on St. Clair Ave.

Newlands and Elfreda

4. Elfreda Blvd. is already used as a route to avoid congestion at St. Clair Ave. and Birchmount Rd. Letting 257 cars from 3431 St. Clair turn up Elfreda Blvd. will worsen already problematic traffic issues on Elfreda Blvd, Newlands Ave., the streets of Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood and the other access points to our neighbourhood at Newlands/Birchmount and Santamonica/St. Clair.

5. The sheer volume of vehicles from new developments adjacent to the Danforth Gardens Neighbourhood and in the Scarborough Junction Community will put unprecedented pressure on our neighbourhood as a thoroughfare and a route to avoid congestion on major routes. These developments are on major thoroughfares designed for high traffic volume and transit vehicles and this is where the vehicls from these buildings should be directed.

The Solution

The Danforth Gardens residents are asking for the following traffic infiltration measures for the 3431 St. Clair Ave. East development:

1. We understand the reasons behind wanting to put the parking garage access on Elfreda Blvd. and we do not oppose that.

2. We are asking that no left turn up Elfreda Blvd. be allowed out of the parking garage forcing vehicles to the right to St. Clair Ave. E. This would be accomplished by:

a) Erecting a No Left Turn or Right Turn Only Sign at the garage entrance.

b) Curving the parking garage entrance to the right.

c) Placing a curb bump out or “lamb chop” as a physical barrier on Elfreda Blvd. to deter vehicles from the parking garage turning left on Elfreda Blvd.

Please note that similar measures were taken on Scotia Ave and Danforth Ave. to allow access for the building residents to their parking garage from Danforth Rd. onto Scotia Ave. The distance from Danforth Rd. to the driveway is like the situation at Elfreda and St. Clair.  The section of Scotia Ave. up to the parking garage driveway was made two-way up to the parking garage entrance and a traffic obstruction and signage was constructed to physically deter vehicles from going up Scotia Ave. the wrong way. Scotia Ave. remains one way south to prevent traffic infiltration into the neighbourhood.

3. We are asking for a traffic signal light to be installed at the intersection of Elfreda Blvd. and St. Clair Ave. E. to allow for cars exiting the parking garage safe and timely access to St. Clair Ave. E.  It is already quite difficult for local residents to exit at this access point to our neighbourhood and a traffic light there is long overdue particularly with the added traffic from 3431 St. Clair and other planned developments in the area.  This traffic light would be 150m from the intersection of Birchmount and St. Clair which is consistent with traffic signal spacing at Kennedy/St. Clair/Danforth and other parts of the city.

These measures would help maintain Elfreda Blvd., Newlands Ave. and the Danforth Gardens neighbourhood streets as safe residential streets while giving the new residents at 3431 St. Clair Ave. safe and easy access to St. Clair Ave.

We understand that there is a formula for projecting the number of cars leaving a parking garage but we do not believe that this formula should be used in isolation, rather, it should be considered in the context of the local situation which we have described.

We look forward to discussing this matter with our local councillor and city planners and integrating the measures into to Final Site Plan to insure the development at 3431 St. Clair is a net benefit to everyone.