FAQs (to be updated periodically throughout the study)

The subject portion of Carlton Road has vehicle speeds that are well in excess of the posted speed limit (10-20 km/h over). Also, the City has received ongoing concerns from the community about safety and livability along the corridor, particularly at the Carlton Road and Central Park Drive Intersection. Collisions are high in the area, with a frequency of approximately three (3) collisions per year.

This study is intended to improve safety for all road users through the development and implementation of traffic calming measures. An example being the provision of the new signalized intersection at Carlton Road and Central Park Drive, which will increase safety for all users negotiating the junction and improve traffic flow in this area.

Safety is the key benefit from introducing traffic calming. Measures implemented encourage slower and more careful driving, leading to fewer and less severe crashes. Neighbourhood residents feel more comfortable, particularly seniors and families with young children, walking or cycling in the area given the reduction in speeding drivers.

Neighbourhood attractiveness can also improve with residents feeling safer to walk or cycle and cars emitting less pollutants due to slower driving (i.e., better air quality), as well as reducing noise pollution from vehicles.

Examples of traffic calming measures include lane narrowing, road diets (reduction in lanes), on-street parking, controlled pedestrian crossings, etc.

In addition to conducting a safety review of the corridor, feedback from public consultation will play a key part in the selection of proposed traffic calming measures. Comments received from the PICs and from input provided on this webpage will be considered. The traffic calming measures will be to the City’s standards and selection based on local concerns, feasibility, costs, and potential benefits.

Yes. Pedestrian and cyclist volumes along the corridor will be reviewed to identify new pedestrian crossing opportunities. Generally, road segments adjacent to schools, shopping malls, parking lots and major public transport hubs will have higher levels of pedestrian activities. The Carlton Road and Central Park Drive Intersection will be signalized as part of the study to improve safety for all road users in the area.

Strategies in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to support walking and cycling will be considered, especially at pedestrian crossovers.

Detailed design of the corridor is anticipated to be completed by summer 2024. Implementation of proposed improvements are to begin and end in 2025, subject to budget approvals.

A common misconception is that road diets create more traffic congestion. If applied correctly, road diets can maintain a roadway’s effective capacity. For example, a corridor like Carlton Road has numerous driveways and side streets, so the majority of through traffic tends to utilize the outside travel lanes to avoid being delayed by left-turning vehicles slowing and stopping in the inside travel lanes. As a result, the four-lanes essentially behave like a three-lane road already. Therefore, if Carlton Road is converted to a three-lane cross-section through a road diet, it is unlikely to increase congestion overall.

Prior traffic calming measures on Carlton Road, west of Kennedy Road, consisted of physical measures, such as interlocking median islands, narrowed travel lanes and shifts in the lane alignment. While the objective to slow traffic was achieved, it created additional safety concerns. There was an increased risk to cyclist safety as both cyclists and motor vehicles were forced to “share the road” while meandering around the traffic calming devices. Also, some vehicles ignored the lane alignment shifts entirely and drove straight through and over the medians, further increasing safety concerns. In response, the traffic calming measures were removed, and the lanes reconfigured to the condition you see today.

This current project on Carlton Road is east of Kennedy Road and is proposed to have an entirely different treatment, that considers all road users, including cyclists, while also achieving the main objective of reducing vehicle speeds. Therefore, we do not expect a repeat of what was experienced on Carlton Road west of Kennedy Road.

Improving safety is the primary objective of this project. All safety risks identified through this project can be mitigated through reducing vehicle speeds. Road diets that have been implemented in Markham and other jurisdictions have been proven to reduce vehicles speeds and thus, reduce collision risk and collision severity. In 2021, the City implemented a road diet on Copper Creek Drive, which had higher operating speeds and similar traffic volume as Carlton Road. The road diet on Copper Creek Drive reduced the 4 lanes (2 lanes per direction) to 3 lanes (one lane per direction, with a centre left-turn lane). Following implementation, vehicle speeds on Copper Creek Drive were reduced by up to 11 km/h along straight portions of the roadway.