Shuter Street Bike Lane Upgrade - Bollard and Curb Placement Re-evaluation

The primary concern of area-residents living within this stretch involves the curbs and bollards being placed in very close proximity to already narrow existing parking spots in this specific location. As a result, the local Garden District Residents Association (GDRA) has confirmed the following challenges due to this placement: - Since bike lanes are wider than the parking spots, parked cars are directly up against oncoming traffic- a situation that makes it impossible to exit from vehicles during rush hour - People are parking at the concrete curb separation meant for trash and recycling bin access and collection, which makes it difficult for the sanitation workers and forces award spacing between parked vehicles Given that the placement of this specific cycle track is highly concerning because the conditions are extremely tight that people cannot safely exist their vehicles, my office has extensively engaged with Transportation Staff about investigating this matter and consider the feasibility of removing and replacing the bollards and curbs to an area that would allow drivers and passengers to get in and out their vehicles safely without stopping traffic. On May 3, 2021, my office was provided with the following response by the Community Council and Issues Management department at Transportation Services: Cycling staff and they confirmed that the placement of the curbs and bollards on Shuter between Sherbourne and George were installed correctly and are within City Standards. They do not support moving the curbs so that vehicles can park further into the buffer area as this would defeat the purpose of the buffer, which is to create space for passenger loading and the "door swing" into the bike lane. You noted that the set-up of the bike lanes/buffer looks different in the section of Shuter east of Sherbourne (between Seaton and Ontario) and staff advised that unfortunately that was an error and it was not intended to be installed that way. Regarding the gaps in the curbs that are meant to facilitate waste pick-ups, Solid Waste staff have indicated that they are able to work around parked vehicles if the gaps are blocked during pick-up times. I also checked with Senior Project Manager Transportation about the observational study, and he clarified this was completed over the winter months for a proposed option to have only one bollard on the leading edge of the curbstone versus two per section of curbstones. It was determined in consultation with Road Operations staff that bollards should continue to be placed on either side of gaps in the curbstones so we can locate gaps in the curbs for plowing during snowfalls.

Association to identify specific adjustments that can be made to overcome the challenges of the current bollards and curbs placement and report back to the Toronto and East York Community Council with recommendations by November 24, 2021.