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CITY OF VANCOUVER
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC
MARCH 28, 2000
A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Tuesday, March 28, at 11:58 a.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: |
Mayor Philip Owen
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CITY CLERK'S OFFICE: |
Laura Kazakoff, Meeting Coordinator |
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,
SECONDED by Cllr. McCormick,
THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Mayor Owen in the chair.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Report of Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
March 28, 2000
Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the attached report:
Cl.1: Accommodation of Bicycles on Pender Street - Cardero to Cambie
Cl.2: Alma Street and West 8th Avenue - Median
Clause 1 - Accommodation of Bicycles on Pender Street
MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clause 1 of this report, be approved.
- CARRIED
(Councillors Bass, Louis, Price and Sullivan opposed to Recommendation A)
(Councillor Louis opposed to Recommendation B)
Clause 2 - Alma Street and West 8th Avenue - Median
MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clause 2 of this report, be approved.
- CARRIED
(Councillor Puil opposed)
RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,
THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MOVED by Cllr. McCormick,
SECONDED by Cllr. Daniel Lee,
THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
ENQUIRIES AND OTHER MATTERS
1. Provincial Budget/Infrastructure Funding File: 1756
Councillor Kennedy reported on a conference call earlier that day with the Union of BC Municipalities Executive and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Cathy McGregor, and provided Council with a briefing on implications of the Provincial budget and infrastructure funding. She noted traffic fine revenues are going to be maintained at $13.2 million. There also will be no increased allocation of money for urban areas.
During discussion it was noted that as municipalities pay one-third of infrastructure costs, they should be included as equal partners in the decision-making process concerning infrastructure projects.
MOVED by Cllr. Puil,
SECONDED by Cllr. Don Lee,
THAT the Mayor, on behalf of Council, send a letter to the Provincial and Federal Governments requesting that municipalities be involved as equal partners in decisions regarding approval of infrastructure projects.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
The Council adjourned at 12:04 p.m.
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REPORT TO COUNCIL
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC
MARCH 28, 2000
A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Transportation and Traffic was held on Tuesday, March 28, 2000, at 9:30 a.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.
PRESENT: |
Councillor Jennifer Clarke, Chair
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CITY CLERK'S OFFICE: |
Laura Kazakoff, Meeting Coordinator |
ADOPTION OF MINUTES
The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting of February 22, 2000, were adopted.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Accommodation of Bicycles on Pender Street
Cardero to Cambie File: 5553
The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated March 13, 2000, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the Director of Current Planning, presented options for on-street cycling facilities on Pender Street between Cardero and Cambie Streets, and recommended approval of one of the options which would provide shared wide curb lanes (Cardero to Granville) and dedicated bus/bicycle lanes (Granville to Cambie). It was further recommended these facilities be installed for a trial period of six months, after which staff would report back to Council.
Scott Edwards, Assistant Neighbourhood Transportation Engineer, with the aid of overheads, provided an overview of the report and reviewed the four options for accommodating cycling on Pender Street. He advised staff were recommending Option C as it would minimize impacts to road users and use existing curb to curb widths. Mr. Edwards, Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer - Transportation, and Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services, responded to questions regarding the four options.
Dave Currie, TransLink (brief filed), with the aid of overheads, spoke in favour of the recommendations put forward by City staff as they would provide benefits for bus operations on Pender Street. He noted Pender is a significant transit corridor, and TransLink's Five Year Plan is looking at increasing bus capacities in the downtown area. He expressed concern regarding dedicated bicycle lanes and reviewed the possible negative impacts they would cause to bus services.
The following speakers were opposed to the recommendation for approval of Option C put forward in the report:
· Kari Hewett (brief filed)
· Don Buchanan (brief filed)
· John Whistler (letter from Henderson Development filed)
· Ray Straatsma, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation
· Carmen Mills, Emerald City Communications
· Guy Wera
· Richard Campbell, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition
· Rachel Jamieson
· Julie Archer
Option A was the preferred option put forward by the majority of the above-noted speakers, and others spoke in favour of Option B.
The following is a summary of comments put forward by the foregoing speakers:
· proposal does not meet the intention of City policies as stated in the Transportation Plan and the Comprehensive Bicycle Plan which support the creation of better bicycle facilities;
· Option C does not change the current situation for cyclists, and will not encourage new cyclists; “patchwork” of three types of facilities on one street will cause confusion and safety concerns even for experienced cyclists;
· the area has thousands of off-street parking spaces, therefore reduction in on-street parking to accommodate bike lanes is not an issue;
· area businesses would benefit from increased cyclist traffic;
· a common barrier to cycling is the issue of “perceived” safety, which dedicated bike lanes can address;
· as Pender Street is going to be the first downtown bike lane, it is critical to do it right;
· Vancouver is one of the last cities not to have dedicated bike lanes downtown;
· cyclists need safe and efficient routes through the downtown, like all other road users;
· City should look to Amsterdam for a model of bike lanes that work;
· concern was expressed regarding shared bus/bike lanes from Cambie to Granville -buses and bikes will be continually passing one another; better to have dedicated bike lanes and designated places to allow passing.
The following motion by Councillor Puil was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,
RECOMMENDED
A. THAT bicycles be accommodated on Pender Street, from Cardero to Cambie Streets, as described in Option C in the Administrative Report dated March 13, 2000, which includes shared wide curb lanes (Cardero to Granville) and dedicated bus-bicycle lanes (Granville to Cambie) for a trial period of not less than six months.
B. THAT funding of $100,000 for the implementation of these bike facilities be provided from Streets Capital Unappropriated Account 30000130, Bicycle Network ($50,000), and $50,000 in advance of approval of the 2000 Streets Capital Budget - Bicycle Network submission.
C. THAT following a trial period of about six months after installation, further public consultation be undertaken regarding the trial bike facilities for report back to Council.
- CARRIED
(Councillors Bass, Louis, Price and Sullivan opposed to A)
(Councillor Louis opposed to B)
2. Alma Street and West 8th Avenue - Median File: 5553
The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated March 6, 2000, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services recommended the construction of a median on Alma Street at 8th Avenue to enhance the Off-Broadway Bikeway by improving the crossing conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.
Doug Louie, Downtown Transportation Engineer, provided an overview of the report.
Brian Palmquist, Pro Pacific Architecture, expressed opposition to the recommendation for a median and raised concerns regarding the difficulty he had in faxing in his response to the survey, the loss of parking in front of and adjacent his business, and whether the installation of a median will actually address problems of safety on Alma Street.
Penny Pearson spoke in favour of the recommendation but noted that she would like to see a sign on the northwest corner of Alma Street at West 7th to prevent cars parking too near the intersection and blocking views of cars turning onto Alma.
Norman Brooks spoke in favour of the recommendation, citing current difficulties in walking across Alma at 8th.
Doug Louie and Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer - Transportation, responded to questions concerning technical difficulties with the fax machine which was used to receive responses to the survey, the public notification process, and parking restrictions at intersections.
The following motion by Councillor Louis was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,
RECOMMENDED
A. THAT a modified median refuge on Alma Street at West 8th Avenue be installed at a cost of $15,000 to be funded from the Bicycle Network portion of the 2000 Streets Basic Capital Budget (A-2e), in advance of approval of the 2000 Capital Budget.
Clause No. 2 Continued
B. THAT, commencing in 2001, the annual Engineering Operating Budget be increased, without offset, by $1,300 for Horticultural Maintenance, Traffic Operations, and Street Cleaning.
- CARRIED
(Councillor Puil opposed)
The Committee adjourned at 11:58 a.m.
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