Dundas Tim Hortons drive-thru expansion under review
A second drive-thru lane at the 38 York Rd. Tim Hortons is anticipated to alleviate 28 years of traffic impacts by bringing it to minimum standards, according to the City of Hamilton.
City spokesperson Ava van Heerden said staff are reviewing a site plan application for an additional lane, west of the existing lane, which would remove existing parking spaces.
It is anticipated these renovations will increase the minimum stacking capacity," van Heerden said.
The proposed double drive-thru will add space for waiting vehicles on the plaza property - apparently decreasing or eliminating backups onto King Street East near Cootes Drive.
Van Heerden could not answer questions about the conditions of site plan approval, including whether there might be a traffic demand analysis of the existing single-lane drive-thru, a study of traffic impacts on King Street East and Cootes Drive or what else might be required.
Staff has not received all site plan application comments and cannot provide a response at this time," she said.
Area residents and business owners have faced traffic congestion on King Street East at Cootes Drive since the single-lane drive-thru was approved by the former Town of Dundas in 1994.
It's an old Tim Hortons - not designed for a drive-thru," city road operations staff member Tanya McKenna said in November 2008. They plopped it in there."
In May 1999, the former town approved the removal of on-street parking and stopping on King Street East within approximately 55 metres of Cootes Drive to accommodate a small left turn stacking lane on the municipal road for traffic turning into the Tim Hortons drive-thru to line up and allow traffic to pass.
In March 2009, Hamilton city council directed staff to develop zoning regulations, and revise site plan guidelines, to better regulate drive-thru design, reduce conflicts with pedestrians and adjacent residential uses and avoid stacking of vehicles onto city roads.
Van Heerden did not say if any new regulations or guidelines were implemented in the past 13 years.
Issues faced 28 years ago by neighbours continue, according to Owen Harris of Monaco Spa next door - formerly Crodon Kitchen and Bath.
Absolutely the current drive-thru setup causes traffic issues," Harris said. I'm sure most everyone who lives on that street would agree."
Without seeing any details of the proposal, Harris said he could not give an opinion whether a second drive-thru lane will help.
In 2016, when Crodon was still located at 69 King St. E., next to the drive-thru, owner Russ Woodward said it caused traffic, safety and pollution problems - as well as headaches accessing Crodon's driveway. Crodon sold 69 King to Monaco Spa in 2020, and relocated to the former post office building in downtown Dundas.
Tim Hortons representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Bruce Hellinga, University of Waterloo professor of civil and environmental engineering, said it is typical to carry out a traffic impact analysis for proposed developments.
In this particular case, the Tim Hortons already exists, so it is possible to observe trip demands across a number of days and times of day and to observe (and) measure issues with the drive-thru queue spilling back onto the street," Hellinga said.
The City of Hamilton's official plan states drive-thrus should not disrupt operation of adjacent streets and should ensure minimal impact on neighbouring properties.
The official plan states that ... stacking lanes should be located away from adjacent streets to ensure that site operations do not disrupt traffic on public streets."
The official plan requires a minimum of 12 vehicle stacking spaces.