City of Hamilton Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan Class Environmental Assessment Final Report - November 2009

4.0 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING TRANSPORTATION ENVIRONMENT The following section describes the existing transportation infrastructure, services and programs in place in the Downtown Dundas Area. 4.1 Road Network The primary east-west roads in the study area include King Street, followed by Hatt Street and Governor’s Road. The primary north-south routes in the study area are Main Street and Sydenham Street. Roadway characteristics were identified on the primary road network through a site survey of the area. The survey examined intersection control and configuration, number of travel lanes, and the posted speed limit. This information is illustrated on Figure 6.

4.1.1 Planned Road Network Improvements At present, there are a number of future improvements identified as needed by the City within, or in close proximity to, the study area. Identified needs and network improvements include: • Intersection improvements on Governor’s Road, either at Davidson Boulevard or Pirie Drive, to help alleviate traffic congestion; • Intersection improvements at the intersection of Governor’s Road and Ogilvie Street to help alleviate traffic congestion; • A two-way continuous left turn lane on Governor’s Road between Creighton Drive and Bridlewood Drive (2012 to 2021); • Widening Governor’s Road from Creighton Drive to Osler Drive (2012 to 2021); • 5 year capital budget forecasts: o Road reconstruction for Governor’s Road, from Main Street to Huntingwood Avenue (2015) o Road reconstruction for Hatt Street, Mart Street to Main Street (2015) Analysis of future road network operations (Section 5) includes the above noted road improvements recommended from previous studies.

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4.1.2 Collision Statistics Review Appendix A includes a copy of the Technical Paper on Data Collection Review and Traffic Operations for the Downtown Dundas Transportation Master Plan. The Technical Paper provides a more in-depth analysis of collision statistics. A summary of the results are provided herein. Collision data for the downtown Dundas area was obtained from the City of Hamilton road authority for the 5-year period from October 2002 to September 2007. During this time period, a total of 158 collisions occurred within the study area. Of these collisions, approximately 106 (67%) occurred at intersections and 52 (33%) occurred at mid-block locations. Macro-Analysis of Collision Experience Collision distribution patterns were calculated for various fields to identify any unusual collision trends. All downtown Dundas collision records, including both mid-block and intersection collisions, were summarized by initial impact type, severity, location, lighting condition, road surface condition, weather/visibility, and monthly variation. In summary, approximately 67% of collisions were located at an intersection. Most collisions involved left-turn collisions that resulted in property damage only. 68% of all reportable collisions occurred during the day and 71% of all reportable collisions occurred under dry road conditions. Approximately 27% of collisions occurred during the months of January and February. Micro-Analysis of Collision Experience The micro-analysis of the collision experience involves an examination of individual collision events at study area intersections and mid-block sections to identify patterns and probable contributing factors. An Expected Value Analysis was undertaken to identify abnormal collision characteristics within the study area at intersection and within mid-block sections. A statistical test was employed to determine whether a collision characteristic was significantly higher than the same collision characteristic at similar intersections within the study area. The frequency of collisions at the unsignalized intersections was found to be 0.80 collisions, or less, per year in the period from October 2002 to September 2007. This collision frequency is not considered significant. The frequency of collisions at the signalized intersections ranged from 0.60 collisions per year to 6.20 collisions per year. The collision frequency of 6.20 collisions per year was by far the highest collision frequency in the study area and occurred at the intersection of Governor’s Road and Main Street / Osler Drive. The collision frequencies at the remaining intersections were significantly lower and did not exceed 2.2 collisions per year. The collision frequency at the intersection of Governor’s Road and Main Street / Osler Drive was compared to the collision frequencies at the remaining signalized intersections. The collision frequency at this intersection was found to be significantly higher than the average for intersections within the study area. A review of the individual collisions at this intersection revealed the following patterns: • Left turn collisions; and • Angle collisions.

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The frequency of left turn collisions at the Governor’s Road and Main Street / Osler Drive intersection can be attributed to high turning volumes and restricted sight distance. In particular, the volume of northbound left turns is substantial – greater than 300 vehicles during the PM peak hour. To further compound the problem, the intersection lane geometry is such that northbound and southbound left turns must make their maneuver in a shared through / left turn lane. This configuration limits the available sight distance for the left turning vehicle. At mid-block locations, the collision frequency only exceeded 1.0 collision per year along the section of Governor’s Road, from Main Street to Ogilvie Street, which had a collision frequency of 3.4 collisions per year. There are a number of driveway accesses that lead to existing retail shopping areas on both the north and south sides of this section of Governor’s Road. The collision frequency at this location was found to be higher than the average for mid-block sections within the study area. A review of the individual collisions at this location revealed the following patterns: • Left turn collisions; and • Rear-end collisions. The frequency of rear-end collisions along this section may be attributed to sudden and unexpected slowing or stopping when motorists turn into and out of existing driveways, or frequent slowing or stopping along this section. The frequency of left turn collisions may be attributed to restricted sight distance, high delay to turning vehicles leading to risky driver behaviour, high speeds, and poor drainage / slippery roads.

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4.2 Cycling/Trails Network The City recently completed a working paper on the Cycling Network Strategy, as part of the City’s Transportation Master Plan. The strategy provides a high-level plan for improving cycling conditions and promoting cycling in Hamilton. A Transportation Tomorrow Survey for the Greater Toronto Area indicated that in 2001, 6% of daily trips in Hamilton were made by walking or cycling. The Transportation Master Plan identifies a target of 10% of all daily trips in the short-term and 15% in the long-term be walking and cycling. In 2001, Dundas exhibited the highest proportion of AM peak period trips by bicycle (1.8%) in the City, followed by the former City of Hamilton (0.8%). Hatt Street (west of Main Street), Sydenham Road / Memorial Square, and Market Street (south of Hatt Street) are currently designated as an unsigned on-street cycling route. Ogilvie Street (south of Hatt Street), Hatt Street (east of Ogilvie Street with a connection along York Street to Baldwin Street), Baldwin Street (with a connection along West Street to Dundas Street), and Dundas Street (east of West Street) are currently designated as a signed on-street cycling route; however, there are no on-street cycling lanes in the study area. In addition, the closest multi-use trails to the Study Area are the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail and the Cootes Drive Trail, from Dundas Street, along Cootes Drive to McMaster University. The existing cycling / trail network is illustrated in Figure 7.

4.2.1 Planned Cycling / Trails Network Improvements The City is currently evaluating the potential of creating two new multi-use trail links along the Spencer Creek corridor (Main Street to Thorpe Street and Mercer Street to Governor’s Road) and a multi-use trail link along Dundas Valley Park (between Park Street and the Cascade Subdivision and Park) as part of proposed improvements identified in the City of Hamilton Recreational Trails Master Plan (December 2007). Improvements to the cycling infrastructure within the study area are consistent with those identified in the City-wide Cycling Master Plan update which will be considered by City Council later in 2009. The proposed cycling facility improvements within Downtown Dundas include the following: • King Street West: cycling lanes from Market Street to Bond Street • Market Street: cycling lanes from Governor’s Road to King Street West • Hatt Street: cycling lanes from Market Street to Main Street • Sydenham Street / Memorial Square: cycling lanes from Hatt Street to Romar Drive • Main Street / Osler Drive: cycling lanes from King Street to Main Street West • Ogilvie Street: cycling lanes from Hatt Street to the multi-use trail south of Dundana Avenue • York Street: cycling lanes from King Street East to Olympic Drive • Governor’s Road: cycling lanes from Cootes Drive to Binkley Road It is acknowledge that portions of the aforementioned cycling routes may commence or terminate beyond the Downtown Dundas study area. Implementation of new cycling facilities will be prioritized according to the City-wide Cycling Master Plan update.

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4.3 Transit Service Transit services in the Dundas community are operated by the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) and are serviced by Route 52A (Dundas Local) and Route 5 (Delaware). Route 52A is a local route operating along Old Ancaster Road and York Road within the community of Dundas. The service operates Monday to Friday with a 30 minute frequency during the AM and PM peak periods. No service is provided during the off peak periods or on weekends. Connections to Route 5 are provided on Dundas Street within downtown Dundas. Route 5 provides connections between Dundas and McMaster University, Downtown Hamilton, and beyond. There are two branches of this spine route that travel within Dundas. The first branch begins at Head Street and travels east on King Street through the study area, connecting to the spine route at Dundas Street and Ogilvie Street. This service is provided with a 30 minute peak period frequency, with reduced frequency during the weekday off peaks and weekends. The second branch begins just south of the study area at Governor’s Road at Pirie Drive. The route operates every 30 minutes during the weekday peak periods and every 60 minutes during the weekday off peak periods. No weekend service is provided on this branch. Connections to GO Transit, VIA Rail, and Burlington Transit can be made in downtown Hamilton via Route 5. From here, GO Transit operates regular GO Bus services to destinations in the Greater Toronto Area as well as a peak hour train service to Toronto Union Station. Burlington Transit also operates an inter-municipal bus route (Route 1) to all three GO Stations in Burlington. Additional transit services include a No. 10 Beeline Express that terminates at University Plaza at the east end of Dundas. There is one Canada Coach bus stop located in Downtown Dundas. McMaster University maintains a transit stop on the campus, allowing for connections outside of the City. Figure 8 illustrates existing transit routes within the study area.

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