Background and project goals
Project Goals
The proposed vision for the corridor is to enhance east-west walkability, improve accessibility and integration with existing and planned developments, sidewalks, connections to side streets and prioritize transit travel times through the corridor. Other elements to consider include providing green elements like trees and planters in strategic areas and other amenities where space permits (e.g. bike racks, benches, shelters).
Reconfigure the right-of-way to improve the pedestrian experience with wider sidewalks and amenities.
Prioritize transit travel times throughout the corridor.
Minimize impacts on traffic operations associated with the proposed changes.
Identify viable alternatives to support cyclists within the broader study area.
What’s Proposed
The City is studying different alternatives for the cross-section of Princess Street between the intersections of Bath Road, Concession Street and Division Street.
The ultimate recommendation for the corridor may be different for select blocks along the corridor, based on how the below parameters are layered into the study.
Previous studies have shown that walking and transit are the two most popular modes of transportation through this corridor. Therefore, this study starts by prioritizing those two elements in options that are being considered.
The images below show what two areas of the corridor currently look like and a conceptual rendering of what that area could look like in the future.
Looking South Along Princess Street at Smith Street - Conceptual Views
Option 1
Option 2Looking North Along Princess Street at Alfred Street - Conceptual Views
Option 1
Option 2
Looking North Along Princess Street near Albert Street - Conceptual Views
Option 1
Option 2Looking South Along Princess Street near Chatham Street - Conceptual Views
Option 1
Option 2
What’s Known
- The corridor is tight, there is no additional space available.
- The corridor is intended to remain an Arterial Road; maintain one travel lane in each direction for vehicle mode share
- Initial modeling has identified the need for turning lanes at the intersection of Princess Street and MacDonnell and Princess Street and Victoria Street
What’s Being Considered
- Reduction of vehicle travel lane widths to between 3m and 3.3m.
- Increase and support walkability by widening sidewalks, improving the accessibility of sidewalks, and the addition of green elements such as trees.
- Improve transit consistency – this may include modifications to some of the vehicle travel lanes and changes at intersections (introducing turning restrictions at some intersections) to introduce transit queue jumps and prioritize transit operations along the corridor.
- Identify ways that cycling can be considered throughout the neighborhood.
- Removal of on-street parking along the corridor to allocate more space to support improvements for the pedestrian realm and transit.
Cyclists
This section of Princess Street currently forms part of the City’s spine cycling network. However, existing bike lanes without a buffer along this corridor do not provide the level of comfort that most riders would expect when riding along a high-volume roadway. And with space constraints along the right-of-way, it is not possible to improve or maintain the bike facilities along this corridor after incorporating pedestrian and transit improvements.
Alternatives being considered:
- Promoting the use of Brock and Johnson Streets as part of the spine cycling network, and provide connections along Palace Road or Sir John A, up to Bath Road.
- Developing Concession Street as part of the spine cycling network alternative to connect into future bike facilities along Princess Street, west of Bath Road, and connect into existing and proposed bike facilities along Division Street.
- Developing neighbourhood bike routes – these routes would be formalized with wayfinding and could potentially include traffic calming and other measures to promote cycling along these areas.
- Confident cyclists can also continue to bike along Princess Street as part of traffic.
Drivers
How this arterial roadway will look for drivers is very much uncertain. What we do know is that there will be at least one travel-through lane in each direction to maintain vehicular and transit movements through the area.
What is being considered:
- Changes to lane configurations and turning movements – such as the elimination of some or all dedicated left-turn lanes to facilitate bus movement and reduce congestion.
- Changes along the sidewalks and at intersections such as street furnishings (benches, planters and similar things), trees, transit shelters and other features that will make pedestrians and cyclists more visible at intersections.
- Removing on-street parking to support maintaining two through-lanes and maintaining turn lanes at two key locations (Macdonell Street and Victoria Street), to allow transit to move smoothly while reducing congestion.
On-street Parking
With the right-of-way space constraints and the established priorities for pedestrians and transit it is not possible to accommodate on-street parking along this stretch of Princess.
What is being considered:
- The proposed removal of on-street parking was identified in phase one of the transportation study due to the constrained right-of-way and the need to implement widened pedestrian areas and transit-orientated improvements.
- Maintain parking along side streets. Additional parking regulations may be implemented such as considerations for loading zones and short-term parking.
- Certain parking spaces on Princess Street may be retained on specific blocks, specifically the block between University Avenue and Division Street, where there is accessible on-street parking for the Heart Clinic, and no other alternatives nearby.
Option 1Option 2Option 1Option 2 - The corridor is tight, there is no additional space available.
- The corridor is intended to remain an Arterial Road; maintain one travel lane in each direction for vehicle mode share
- Initial modeling has identified the need for turning lanes at the intersection of Princess Street and MacDonnell and Princess Street and Victoria Street
What’s Being Considered
- Reduction of vehicle travel lane widths to between 3m and 3.3m.
- Increase and support walkability by widening sidewalks, improving the accessibility of sidewalks, and the addition of green elements such as trees.
- Improve transit consistency – this may include modifications to some of the vehicle travel lanes and changes at intersections (introducing turning restrictions at some intersections) to introduce transit queue jumps and prioritize transit operations along the corridor.
- Identify ways that cycling can be considered throughout the neighborhood.
- Removal of on-street parking along the corridor to allocate more space to support improvements for the pedestrian realm and transit.
Cyclists
This section of Princess Street currently forms part of the City’s spine cycling network. However, existing bike lanes without a buffer along this corridor do not provide the level of comfort that most riders would expect when riding along a high-volume roadway. And with space constraints along the right-of-way, it is not possible to improve or maintain the bike facilities along this corridor after incorporating pedestrian and transit improvements.
Alternatives being considered:
- Promoting the use of Brock and Johnson Streets as part of the spine cycling network, and provide connections along Palace Road or Sir John A, up to Bath Road.
- Developing Concession Street as part of the spine cycling network alternative to connect into future bike facilities along Princess Street, west of Bath Road, and connect into existing and proposed bike facilities along Division Street.
- Developing neighbourhood bike routes – these routes would be formalized with wayfinding and could potentially include traffic calming and other measures to promote cycling along these areas.
- Confident cyclists can also continue to bike along Princess Street as part of traffic.
Drivers
How this arterial roadway will look for drivers is very much uncertain. What we do know is that there will be at least one travel-through lane in each direction to maintain vehicular and transit movements through the area.
What is being considered:
- Changes to lane configurations and turning movements – such as the elimination of some or all dedicated left-turn lanes to facilitate bus movement and reduce congestion.
- Changes along the sidewalks and at intersections such as street furnishings (benches, planters and similar things), trees, transit shelters and other features that will make pedestrians and cyclists more visible at intersections.
- Removing on-street parking to support maintaining two through-lanes and maintaining turn lanes at two key locations (Macdonell Street and Victoria Street), to allow transit to move smoothly while reducing congestion.
On-street Parking
With the right-of-way space constraints and the established priorities for pedestrians and transit it is not possible to accommodate on-street parking along this stretch of Princess.
What is being considered:
- The proposed removal of on-street parking was identified in phase one of the transportation study due to the constrained right-of-way and the need to implement widened pedestrian areas and transit-orientated improvements.
- Maintain parking along side streets. Additional parking regulations may be implemented such as considerations for loading zones and short-term parking.
- Certain parking spaces on Princess Street may be retained on specific blocks, specifically the block between University Avenue and Division Street, where there is accessible on-street parking for the Heart Clinic, and no other alternatives nearby.
Consultation has concluded and the engagement reports are available to read. An information report will be going to committee on Feb 13. In early spring a report will go to Council for a decision.
