PROPOSED MATERIAL BOARD

Report to Council

Re: Helmcken Road North Laning Review

Meeting Date: November 15, 2022

Figure 1: Option 2 Adjustments

The TIA presented fewer desirable options for pedestrian accessibility improvements. This is because the options are more limited as the Aspire development is generally only required to upgrade half of the road right of way per the Local Government Act. The options were as follows:

• Split Pedestrian Crossing – this option was also suggested in the letter presented at the February 19, 2019, Council meeting. It would involve creating a pedestrian refuge area in the median area, which would shorten the pedestrian crossing time and walking distance to approximately half the existing amount. However, it was noted in the TIA that split crossings have notoriously low compliance and are widely disliked by pedestrians (pedestrians would need to wait for the full signal cycle to come back so that they can finish the second leg of the crossing. This significantly increases crossing times for pedestrians). This option was also not recommended as it is uncomfortable to wait in the middle of two heavy traffic streams.
• Decrease the crossing distance by creating a ‘shared cycling / pedestrian refuge area’ in the existing bike lane area at the intersection (Figure 2). A ‘long push’ pedestrian button would be required that allows for different pedestrian walking times based on how long the button is held. The challenges noted for this option include the complex design of the intersection, changes to the traffic signal infrastructure, and user comprehension of the long push button. In addition, there may be potential conflicts amongst pedestrians and cyclists in these refuge areas. This option suggests a crossing time savings of 7 seconds by reducing the crossing distance by 4m.