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REPORT TO COUNCIL   STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC JUNE 10, 2003

 

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Transportation and Traffic was held on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 , at 9:30 a.m. , in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor Fred Bass, Chair Councillor David Cadman *Councillor Jim Green Councillor Peter Ladner, Vice Chair Councillor Raymond Louie Councillor Tim Louis Councillor Anne Roberts **Councillor Tim Stevenson *Councillor Sam Sullivan *Councillor Ellen Woodsworth
ABSENT:	Mayor Larry Campbell (Leave of Absence - Civic Business)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Brent MacGregor, Deputy City Manager
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:	Lori Isfeld, Meeting Coordinator

*Denotes absence for a portion of the meeting.

**Denotes absence on Leave of Absence for Civic Business for a portion of the meeting.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Leave of Absence - Mayor Campbell (File 1254)

MOVED by Councillor Cadman

THAT Mayor Campbell be granted Leave of Absence for Civic Business for the morning of June 10, 2003 .

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillors Green, Stevenson, Sullivan and Woodsworth absent for the vote)

 

 

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting of May 13, 2003 , were adopted.

 

VARY ORDER OF AGENDA

The order of the agenda was varied to deal with items 4 and 5 after item 1. However, the meeting has been minuted numerically for ease of reference

 

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

1.    Segway Human Transporter (File 5551 )

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated May 27, 2003, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services sought Council's approval to encourage ICBC to conduct a review of the Segway Human Transporter and evaluate its use on the street in a manner similar to electric assisted bicycles.

Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer, Transportation, reviewed the report and with Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services and Winston Chou, Traffic Management Branch, responded to questions regarding safety issues resulting from the use of the Segway on sidewalks, streets and seawalls, provided feedback on options for finding an appropriate place for the Segway, confirmed that staff would report back with recommendations in the fall, after the review by ICBC, and agreed to send a recommendation regarding Segway to the UBCM. Inspector Al Boyd, Traffic Enforcement and Jim Lowden, Director of Stanley District, Park Board also responded to questions.

Stephan de Pénasse, Program Manager, International Segway LLC, provided a brief video presentation and spoke in support of the recommendation to have the Province review the operation of the Segway on roadways. Mr. de Pénasse noted the benefits of the Segway as an alternative form of transportation, especially for short commuter trips in dense metropolitan areas.

The following spoke in support of the staff recommendation:

Richard Campbell, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST)

Bryon Lawes

Comments by the foregoing speakers included the following:

 

• BEST encourages Council to take the steps necessary to accommodate the safe and convenient operation of the Segway on the streets of Vancouver ;
• need to increase bikeway and path space to accommodate Segway users;
• elimination of parking would provide more room on the streets for alternative transportation;
• Segway users experience increased mobility;
• no energy is expended using the Segway which increases safety.

 

Alan Herbert expressed concern about safety issues and urged Council to find an appropriate place for the Segway and to also consider whether they should be licensed, age restricted, and used at night or indoors. Mr. Herbert pointed out the Segway would work on Coal Harbour or North False Creek seawalls but would not work on the South False Creek or Stanley Park seawalls.

MOVED by Councillor Louis

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

A.   THAT a recommendation be sent to the Province to encourage the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) to review the operation of the Segway Human Transporter device including a review of the Motor Vehicle Act and make any amendments necessary to permit its use on the roadway in a manner similar to electric assisted bicycles.

B.   THAT City staff be directed to review the Street and Traffic By-law and recommend amendments as necessary to permit the operation of the Segway Human Transporter device on City streets.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

MOVED by Councillor Ladner

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

C.   THAT City staff be directed to review the Street and Traffic By-law and recommend amendments as necessary to permit the operation of the Segway Human Transporter device on City sidewalks.

carried unanimously

AMENDMENT MOVED by Councillor Louie

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

  THAT motion C be amended to replace the word "permit" with the word "review".

LOST

(Councillors Bass, Cadman, Ladner, Louis, Sullivan and Woodsworth opposed)

The amendment having lost, Councillor Ladner's motion was put and CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

 

2.   TransLink Capital Project Funding (File 5561)

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated May 27, 2003, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services provided Council with an overview of TransLink's current cost-sharing programs and how consideration of revising them would ensure that adequate funding is available to meet the City's emerging capital needs and an integrated regional transportation system.

Don Klimchuk, Transportation Monitoring Engineer, was available to respond to questions.

Jack Becker, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, expressed support for the recommendations, noting that funding for bike routes needs to be increased and that the priority for cycling should go beyond what the stats in the report reflect.

MOVED by Councillor Cadman

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

THAT discussion and decision on the Administrative Report dated May 27, 2003 , entitled "TransLink Capital Project Funding" be postponed to the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting on July 8, 2003 .

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillors Green and Stevenson absent for the vote)

 

3.   Works Yard Traffic Mitigation (File 5761)

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated May 22, 2003 , in which the General Manager of Engineering Services sought Council's approval of measures to address potential impacts on the Strathcona Neighbourhood bounded by Gore, Raymur, Hastings and Atlantic , due to the construction of the City's new National Avenue works Yard.

Steve Brown, Neighbourhood Transportation, was available to respond to questions.

MOVED by Councillor Cadman

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

A.   THAT a right in/ right out diverter be constructed on Jackson Street at Prior Street and a partial closure be constructed on Atlantic Street at Malkin Avenue for a 6 month trial at a total cost of $55,000 to be provided from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account Group SCA5A-Unap (Local Area Traffic Calming and other improvements).

B.   THAT following the trial period, traffic counts be taken as well as a follow up survey with the neighbourhood to determine whether these measures will be installed on a permanent basis, or whether further measures are required .

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillors Green and Stevenson absent for the vote)

 

4.   Downtown Transportation Plan - Implementation Timetable (File 5560-1)

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated May 13, 2003 , in which the General Manager of Engineering Services and Director of Current Planning sought Council's approval of the time frame in which the downtown Transportation Plan recommendations will be pursued and implemented. The General Manager of Engineering Services and General Manager of Community Services recommended approval of A and B, submitted C as an alternative for consideration, and noted that many projects will be designed, but it will not be possible to implement them all within the next three years because of capital budget constraints.

Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services, provided a PowerPoint presentation reviewing the background of the plan, implementation objectives, and various aspects of the plan such as the redesign of Granville Street , the ceremonial street program, public realm program, pedestrian enhancements, bike lanes, community buses, and streetcar options. Mr. Rudberg noted the Burrard Bridge project would be funded and take place separately, and that Council's direction would be sought on a full range of options in the fall. Mr. Rudberg with Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer, Transportation, and Doug Louie, Downtown Transportation Engineer, responded to questions on plan specifics.

The following speakers expressed support for the recommendations put forth in the report and provided additional comments:

Jack Becker, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition

  Dave Harkness, DVBIA

  Gertjan Hofman, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition

  Rob Wynan, West End Residents Association

  Mardel Greenough, West End Residents Association

  Guy Wera, The Bicycle People

  Richard Campbell, BEST

The following is a summary of comments made by the foregoing speakers:

 

• general support was expressed for the Downtown Transportation Plan, the planning process and City staff;
• support was expressed for aggressive implementation within three years with at least 60 percent completion in twelve months;
• support was expressed for the use of additional resources for bike routes because of the lack of safe bike routes downtown;
• traffic signals should facilitate cyclists;
• concern was expressed that Burrard Bridge is not being given enough priority and that the project will be delayed;
• West End sidewalks and parking need more attention along with increased consultation with West End residents;
• concern was expressed that recommendations regarding Thurlow Street were not included in the report; Thurlow is an important street requiring lower traffic speeds and enhanced streetscape;
• request was made that the Burrard Bridge bike lane trials be reinstated, that bike lanes be expanded to both sides of the bridge; a temporary cyclist traffic signal be installed at the north end of the bridge, and that an overpass at Pacific be considered;
• Council was urged to build cycling facilities to the highest possible standards of quality and safety;
• on-street parking should not be allowed next to cyclists, reverse angle parking is safer.

 

In response to requests by Council, Mr. Rudberg agreed to provide a list of projects and broad estimates identifying which projects are covered by capital costs and providing other potential funding sources, estimated timelines on project completion relative to when capital is in place, and a timeline for downtown bicycle and pedestrian route completion. Mr. Rudberg also agreed staff would work with the Bicycle Advisory Committee and Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition on the downtown bike route timeline.

MOVED by Councillor Louis

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

A.   THAT the Downtown Transportation Plan be implemented according to the timetable as outlined in Appendix A of the Administrative Report dated May 13, 2003, entitled "Downtown Transportation Plan - Implementation Timetable", and deliverables within three years as outlined in Table 1 of the report, with additional staffing resources at a total cost of $992,000 over a 3-year period, with an expected completion date of December 2005 or early 2006.

B.   THAT Council approve the following new Temporary Full-time Positions, subject to classification by the General Manager of Human Resources, along with the program support costs identified in the Financial Implications section as described in the Administrative Report dated May 13, 2003 , entitled "Downtown Transportation Plan - Implementation Timetable":

•  Planner III (3 years)

•  Civil Engineer 1 (2.5 years)

•  Engineering Assistant IV (2 years)

•  Planning Analyst (2.5 years)

•  Engineering Assistant II (2.5 years)

with funding to be provided as $228,000 from Contingency Reserve, $382,000 as an increase to the 2004 Operating Budget and $382,000 as an increase to the 2005 Operating Budget.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillors Green and Stevenson absent for the vote)

 

5.   Downtown Transportation Plan - Report Back on Transportation Mode Share Data, Transportation Demand Strategies and Potential Additional Bike Routes

(File 5560-1)

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated April 29, 2003, which is a companion report to the Downtown Transportation Plan - Implementation Timetable report, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services and Director of Current Planning in consultation with the Director of City Plans respond to Recommendations J, K and L in the Plan and to Council's request for more information on mode share data collection, additional trip reduction strategies and incentives to be pursued with Vancouver employers and implications and trade-offs associated with potential additional bike route connections to the proposed bicycling network. The General Manager of Engineering Services and General Manager of Community Services recommended approval.

Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services and Engineering staff were available to respond to questions.

The following speakers expressed support for the recommendations put forth in the report and provided additional comments:

Jack Becker, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition

  Ray Straatsma, BEST

The following is a summary of comments made by the foregoing speakers:

 

• support was expressed for the implementation of additional bike routes;
• separation of pedestrian and cycling routes and wheelchair access needs to be addressed;
• the proposed pedestrian route on Homer Street should not take the place of a bike route;
• car use is decreasing therefore parking should be reduced;
• transportation trends have changed significantly in the city and region; looking at trends and tracking change is an important way to set policy; TransLink should assist with regional trends;
• cycling and pedestrian trends should be separated;
• demand management is missing; employer transit passes and regional travel pass programs should be considered.;

 

In response to a Council request, Mr. Rudberg agreed to provide a fall workshop or forum with TranLink, regional and municipal staff, and Councillors to look at transportation demand management.

MOVED by Councillor Roberts

THAT the Committee recommend to Council

THAT discussion and decision on the Administrative Report dated April 29, 2003 , entitled "Downtown Transportation Plan - Report Back on Transportation Mode Share Data, Transportation Demand Strategies and Potential Additional Bike Routes" be postponed to the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting on July 8, 2003 .

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillors Green and Stevenson absent for the vote)

 

The Committee adjourned at 12:45 p.m.

 

* * * * *

CITY OF VANCOUVER   REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC   JUNE 10, 2003

 

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 , at 12:45 p.m. , in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

PRESENT:	Councillor Raymond Louie, Deputy Mayor Councillor Fred Bass Councillor David Cadman Councillor Peter Ladner Councillor Tim Louis Councillor Anne Roberts Councillor Sam Sullivan Councillor Ellen Woodsworth
ABSENT:	Mayor Larry Campbell (Leave of Absence, Civic Business) Councillor Jim Green Councillor Tim Stevenson (Leave of Absence, Civic Business)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Brent MacGregor, Deputy City Manager
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:	Lori Isfeld , Meeting Coordinator

 

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Councillor Cadman

SECONDED by Councillor Woodsworth

THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Deputy Mayor Louie in the Chair.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

Report of Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic

June 10, 2003

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the foregoing report:

  Cl. 1:   Segway Human Transporter

  Cl. 2:   TransLink Capital Project Funding

  Cl. 3:   Works Yard Traffic Mitigation

  Cl. 4:   Downtown Transportation Plan - Implementation Timetable

Cl. 5:   Downtown Transportation Plan - Report Back on Transportation Mode Share Data, Transportation Demand Strategies and Potential Additional Bike Routes

 

MOVED by Councillor Bass

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1-5 of this report, be approved.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

 

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Councillor Cadman

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

 

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Councillor Cadman

SECONDED by Councillor Woodsworth

THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

MOTIONS

B.   Motions on Notice

 

1.   Public Health Care

MOVED BY Councillor Woodsworth

SECONDED BY Councillor Roberts

WHEREAS Vancouver residents and Canadians alike pride ourselves on the fact that Canada has provided universal, publicly accessible health care to its' citizens for over thirty years;

WHEREAS the principles of the Canada Health Act are the basis upon which our public health system was formed and have provided public access to life saving and life enhancing care for over a generation;

WHEREAS Canadians are challenged as we have never been before to protect, restore and upgrade where necessary our public Medicare system;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT Vancouver City Council supports Canada's public health care system and the principles of the Canada Health Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Vancouver City Council calls upon the federal and provincial governments to ensure that the principles of the Canada Health Act are maintained, and the public health care system is publicly delivered and upgraded where necessary, and that adequate public funding be provided to do so.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

 

NEW BUSINESS

1.   Leave of Absence - Councillor Stevenson (File 1254)

MOVED by Deputy Mayor Louie

SECONDED by Councillor Bass

THAT Councillor Stevenson be granted Leave of Absence for Civic Business from 11:30 a.m. and for the remainder of the June 10, 2003 , Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting and Council meeting immediately following.

CARRIED

(Councillor Ladner opposed)

 

The Council adjourned at 12:47 p.m.

 

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