Traffic networks don’t do what you expect or why it is important to have traffic triggers/measurements at each phase of the York Downs development

Traffic networks are unusual Fix a problem in one place…….. And a similar problem pops up somewhere else Sometimes ‘fixes’ worsen the situation

Fixing road networks is slippery B Location Location During peak hours road are often congested So lets add another road. (Actual example from London, UK)

Add a road. That should help B Location Location In practice adding a road increased (NOT DECREASED) congestion. Counter Intuitive, but true. Can also be shown mathematically (in case you are wondering  )

Example: Fixing the 16th / Kennedy intersection problem will simply move the problem elsewhere Where will the problem go?

Where will the problem go? The problem is we don’t know The problem could be transferred to The Normandale Exits onto 16th The Warden /16th intersection Village Parkway? Even the 404/16th intersection We don’t know because there is no full understanding of the impact of the changes

Local fixes are like putting band aids on a patient with cancer Local fixes are like putting band aids on a patient with cancer. It looks like things are being done (which politicians love) but we are not getting to the root of the problem

But…but….but…. York Region does this NO! York Region models focus on major roads for the region. Not focused on Markham Markham City with a population of 354,000 is NOT a smart city. Smart cities are cities that can accurately understand the traffic impact of urban development changes

Markham City needs to grow up and take responsibility for traffic It needs to make darn sure it understands the traffic impact of its decisions on the local area and the ENTIRE city Since traffic changes are often unpredictable York Downs development phases should be linked to monitoring and triggers. Only move on to next phase if traffic criteria are met