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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOES 24-07 REPORT TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Report Number: OES 24-07 Date: June 11, 2007 From: Everett Buntsma Director, Operations & Emergency Services 00 J Su bject: Municipal Street Name Signs - File: A-2130 Recommendation: 1. That Report OES 24..07 of the Director, Operations & Emergency Services regarding Municipal Street Name Signs be received; and 2. That Council endorses the municipal standard of rectangular extruded green aluminum street name sign blades with white reflectorized lettering mounted on 89mm x 89mm unpainted pressure treated wooden posts, and the municipal '. standard of oversized overhead mast arm street name signs for signalized intersections; and 3. That all other regulatory, cautionary and advisory street signs be installed on unpainted pressure treated wooden posts; and 4. That the decorative street name sign and post be approved for West Shore Boulevard and Liverpool Road south of Bayly Street, and that new signs be incorporated into reconstruction projects for these roads; and 5. That the Municipal Property & Engineering Division staff in conjunction with other City staff revise the Engineering Design Standards to recognize the decorative street name sign and post; and 6. That the Municipal Property & Engineering Division staff in conjunction with other City staff undertake to prepare a City guideline/policy on the use of decorative street name signs and posts and apply that policy to the development of Duffin Heights and Seaton. Executive Summary: City staff was requested to review options for municipal street name sign standards including the posts used to install the signs. Decorative street sign blades and posts have been installed on West Shore Boulevard as a pilot project in 2001. Although there are some concerns with the design, the concept of using decorative signs elsewhere in Pickering should be addressed before the development within Duffin Heights and Seaton takes place. It is recommended that a guideline/policy be prepared. Staff have estimated that the cost of a sign replacement program is too expensive. Converting all wooden posts to metal posts is also Report OES 2~4-07 June 11, 2007 Subject: Municipal Stre'et Name Signs -'.002 Page 2 expensive, but elimination of painted wooden posts and replacing them with new wooden posts for aesthe!tic reasons is within the means of current budget allocations if phased over a few years. Staff also recommends that decorative street signs and posts be installed on Liverpool Road and VVest Shone Boulevard south of Bayly Street as these roads are reconstructed. Financiallm~>>lications: Costs related to municipal street name signs and other regulatory and warning signs are budgeted in the roads current account 2320-2409. This cost center includes new and replacement signs and their associated hardware including posts. A woodHn post replacement program phased over several years will be accommodated within thl~ currently budgeted allocations. Decorative street name signs and posts will be budgE~ted as part of the road reconstruction project that they are applicable to. Sustainabilit)( Implications: The recommendations contained within the report fall within the economic lens of sustainability since staff are recommending a least cost alternative fOIr existing signs and looking towards preparing a guideline for future decorative signs and posts. Background: The Municipal Property & Engineering Division has been investigating options to our standards for municipal street name sign blades and posts. Pickering has adopted a standard of using rectangular extruded green aluminum blades that are 150mm in height, with 100mm white reflectorized lettering. Street name blades are affixed to 89mm x 89mm pressure treated wooden posts, usually in conjunction with a stop sign. Oversizl~d overhead mast arm street name signs for signalized intersections have become a Regional Standard and are used in Pickering at all Regional and local interslections. A decorative street sign pilot project was introduced on West Shore Boulevard in 2001 in conjunction with other boulevard and strcetscape components as part of a road reconstruction project. The decorative blade used was designed by City staff and incorporated elements sllch as: . ornamental custom cut shape . City graphic . neighbourhood name . Times New Roman font, 65mm height CORP0227-07/01 revised Report DES 24-07 June 11, 2007 Subject: Municipal Street Name Signs Page 3 003 The decorative sign assembly system used consisted of a round black metal pole installed on a breakaway post surrounded by a carriage-style boot to hide the breakaway system. Although aesthetically pleasing, there have been issues with the decorative street name sign and post, such as: . integrity of the breakaway system (posts do not seem stable) . street name font and text has created legibility challenges . material and installation costs were approximately ten times the cost of the current standard The intent of the pilot project was to illustrate that a decorative sign and post, although at a higher cost, could potentially be adopted for certain City of Pickering collector and arterial roads subject to certain criteria, such as leading to the Waterfront or more broadly expanded to key roads in each neighbourhood. A presentation was made to the City's Management Forum on May 24, 2005 and it was requested that staff review the potential for continuing and expanding the pilot project, and that staff conduct a review of street sign blades and posts for all city streets. Due to the concerns with the original design and integrity of the post system used in the pilot project, staff looked for alternative but similar designs. The City's current supplier of sign blades can provide a similar product without a breakaway system for approximately five times the price ($500 as compared to $100) of the City's current standard. Although an accurate inventory of street name sign installations is not available, there are approximately 900 intersections under Pickering's jurisdiction. The estimated cost to install a decorative street name sign and post at all City intersections would be in the order of $450,000. It is therefore, not recommended that a new standard be adopted for all existing streets in Pickering. Replacing just the sign blades and mounting brackets (Le. using the existing wooden posts) would cost an estimated $195,000 and therefore also not recommended. For this reason it is recommended that only West CORP0227-07/01 revised Report OES ~~4-07 June 11, 2007 Subject: Municipal Stre!et Name Signs Page 4 oo~ Shore Boulevard and Liverpool Road south of Bayly Street be considered for decorative street name signs and poles, representing roa.:Js leading to the City's waterfront. The City of Pickering's design standards and development guidelines require that new street name signs be supplied and installed by developers in conjunction with their obligation to construct municipal roads to City standards. As such, the municipality does not incur initial costs in new developments. However, due to motor vehicle collisions, theft or vandalism, the City is responsible to cover the costs for replacing these signs. Prior to the developmHnt of the Duffin Heights Neighbourhood and the Central Pickering Development Plan (Seaton), consideration should be given whether to update the design standards and develop a guideline/policy on the use of decorative street name signs and posts. The decision to include them should clarify whether all streets or only certain streets am affected. Council has committed to recognize veterans and fallen fire fighters through the street naming process for roads in Seaton. The inversion of colours on the blade (white blade with green lettering) and the inclusion of a red poppy symbol can distinctively symbolize streets that are named after war veterans. A similar treatment for fallen firefighters can be designed for approval and used on streets named after them. The standard rectangular extruded aluminum blades can be used for this purpose and be effective. Municipalities that honour their veterans through the street naming process typically only incorporate a red poppy symbol into their standard street name blade. Staff were also requested to review the practice of using wood posts for its many signs, including stop, street name, parking restriction, speed limit and various regulatory and warning signs. Pickering's past practice was to use 89mm x 89mm pressure treated posts and paint them white. Over yeans, the paint would fade or chip and become unsightly. The standard practice was revised to using unpainted cedar wooden posts. After a substantial increase in the price of cedar posts, the practice was revised again to purchase pressure treatE~d posts and to install them unpainted. The City has reviewed the option of using galvanized metal posts as well as unistrut channel metal posts. Although these posts are durable and more aesthetically pleasing than wooden posts, the installation process would either be in contravention to our safety procedures, or would not provide a durable product. The City has an obligation to have all underground utilities (hydro, gas, cable, telephone, water) located and marked. All excavations within 1.0m of the marked location must be hand dug. The City's practice has been to hand dig all postholes and use methods to backfill against the wooden post to proviide a stable product. Metal post installation is not conducive to this method and requires. direct burial without excavation to be stable. CORP0227-07/01 revised Report DES 24-07 June 11, 2007 Subject: Municipal Street Name Signs Page 5 The cost for metal posts is substantially higher than wooden posts. Currently, wooden posts are approximately $18 whereas a powder coated black post is $90 and the decorative bell is $130. A less expensive galvanized metal post is available at $75. Ant::' LJU'v It is recommended that the City continue with the use of pressure treated wooden posts for all signs due to installation safety and cost. It is recommended, for aesthetics that a wooden post replacement program be undertaken, phased over a few years to replace all existing painted wooden posts due to their unsightliness. Attachments: Not Applicable Prepared By: Everett 8 Director Operations & Emergency Services EB:mld Copy: Chief Administrative Officer Director, Planning & Development Superintendent, Municipal Operations Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City- Council CORP0227-07/01 revised