ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: June 8, 2000
Author/Local:D.Henderson/7343

RTS No. 01430

CC File No. 1805

Council: July 4, 2000

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services in consultation with the Director of Planning
SUBJECT:	Award of Contract for Consulting Engineering Services

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Hamilton Associates be awarded the contract to conduct the Vancouver Transit Priority Study at a cost of $100,000 (City share $25,000) excluding GST, subject to the approval of a contract to the satisfaction of the Director of Legal Services and the General Manager of Engineering Services.

B. THAT no legal rights shall arise and no consents, permissions or licences are granted hereby and none shall arise or be granted hereafter unless and until all contemplated legal documentation has been executed by the Director of Legal Services.

C. THAT funding for City costs of an expanded public consultation process up to a maximum of $9,000, be provided from Streets Basic capital Unappropriated Account No. 30000169 - Bus Bulges.

POLICY

Council awards contracts over $30,000 except for those contracts involving corporate restructuring.

PURPOSE

To award the consulting contract to conduct the Vancouver Transit Priority Study.

BACKGROUND

The Vancouver Transit Priority Study is continuing step in the implementation of the recommendations of the Regional Transportation Planning Document "Transport 2021" and The City of Vancouver Transportation Plan.

Council reviewed this subject in 1998 when the British Columbia Transportation Financing Authority presented to Council their proposal to conduct a study of Vancouver bus corridors. On April 27, 1999, Council approved the priority locations to be studied and the City share
($25,000) of the $100,000 total consultant budget. The other partners in the funding of this project are TransLink and the BC Transportation Financing Authority (BCTFA). The previous reports are attached as Appendix A for reference. (Appendices A and B on file in the City Clerk's Office.)

DISCUSSION

The Consultant's Proposal

On December 9, 1999, a call for proposals, including a terms of reference, was sent to five engineering firms. Earlier this year, the City received three completed proposals that included four of the five firms. The study will include the evaluation of Transit Priority Measures on the following routes:

· Main Street
· Fraser Street
· Hastings Street
· Burrard Street
· Georgia Street

The proposed work plans will address each route separately by including the following study activities:

· review existing data and collect additional data where necessary
· analyse data and develop options for additional review
· develop evaluation criteria and select preferred alternative
· prepare a functional design of a preferred option

A range of transit priority measures that could be appropriate, include priority at signals, bus bulges and in the highest priority locations, transit-only lanes and queue jumpers. The 1998 BC Transit study did not include transit-only lanes as a measure to be studied on Main and Fraser Streets. For this reason, City staff believes that consideration of transit-only lanes need not form a part of this more detailed transit priority study on Main, south of Kingsway, and Fraser.

The consultant study is expected to start in June and conclude by December for routes outside the Downtown and by May 2001 for routes in the Downtown. Engineering and Planning will work closely together with the consultant on this study and jointly prepare reports to Council. Council would be updated periodically and informed about public consultation events.

The proposals were reviewed by BCTFA, TransLink and City staff, who recommend that Hamilton Associates be awarded the consulting assignment, subject to the completion of a contract to the satisfaction of the Director of Legal Services and the General Manager of Engineering Services.

Public Participation Proposals

The time frame of the proposed study has been modified to reflect the need to have the public consultation activity coordinate with the consultation on other City initiatives, such as the Downtown Transportation Plan and the Sunset Community Vision. This coordination will increase the amount of public consultation from that proposed by the consultant. The Transit Priority Study will provide valuable technical information and analysis to the Downtown Transportation Plan and the Vision program in the Sunset area.

Arrangements will reflect the special needs of each of four areas, and will be structured around the consultant's work program.

· Within the Downtown, including Hastings Street, west of Main, and Main Street, north of Terminal, all public consultation will be coordinated with the Downtown Transportation Plan program.

· For Main and Fraser Streets, south of 41st Avenue, the public program will coordinate with the Vision program, with the possibility of the general concept of transit priority measures included within the Sunset Vision Choices survey.

· For Main Street, between 41^st. Avenue and Terminal Avenues, for Fraser Street, north of 41st Avenue, and for Hastings Street, east of Main, the public programs will be stand-alone programs.

For each of the three areas outside the Downtown, the public program will be structured to allow public participation from the beginning of the study, with the communities encouraged to become involved through open house public meetings.

Specific arrangements for the public program are included in Appendix B.

It is proposed to utilize City staff to conduct the additional consultation to ensure a complete and coordinated approach with other City initiatives. The consultants will prepare displaymaterial and be present at meetings to hear directly from the public and to explain information collected, available options and the evaluation of options. The City consultation effort will utilize staff who would be monitoring the consultant study; however, there would be costs for advertising and conducting about 12 meetings at a cost of approximately $9,000. Funding is available in Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account No. 30000169 - Bus Bulges.

CONCLUSION

Based on the review of the proposals by the funding agencies, it is recommended that Hamilton Associates be retained to conduct the Vancouver Transit Priority Study, and to supplement the public consultation process from the Hamilton proposal, funding of $9,000, to provide additional public consultation to coordinate with City programs, is recommended.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver