ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: July 17, 2001
Author/Local: S. Brown/ 7693

RTS No. 2126

CC File No. 5752

T&T: July 31, 2001

TO:	Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Burrard Bridge Pedestrian and Cycling Environment Improvements

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT council approve the signage, pavement markings and crosswalk modifications as detailed in this report to enhance the operation of the Burrard Street Bridge sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists.

B. THAT a barrier fence between the roadway and sidewalk not be installed for reasons outlined in this report.

C. THAT funding of $60,000 for of the improvements be provided from Streets Capital Unappropriated Account 30003082, Bicycle Network 2001.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council has indicated an order of priority for transportation that places the highest priorities on pedestrians and cyclists.

Council approved the Vancouver Transportation Plan which emphasizes the need for improved pedestrian facilities (NP8, p47), and the need to raise awareness of and visibility of cycling facilities by using pavement markings such as bike logos and painted bike lanes (C3/C4, p45).

SUMMARY

In light of the increased bicycle and pedestrian volumes across the Burrard Bridge, measures should be taken to enhance the operation and safety of the sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists. This report examines treatments that can be implemented in the short term to improve the shared environment on the bridge. A number of treatments were reviewed, including several treatments that were previously examined.

The treatments that are recommended for installation are summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Burrard Bridge Treatments

Treatment	Existing	Proposed
Stripe dashed centre dividing line on sidewalk	None	Install 1m dashes with 9m spacing.
Create a pronounced entrance to the bridge to increase visibility of shared environment	None	Install single bollards at each sidewalk entrance with solid striped dividing line and signage as indicated on signage and pavement marking plan.
Increase frequency and visibility of sidewalk stencils	Painted white stencils marked every 100m	Install white stencils using reflective skid resistant tape product every 40m.
Increase visibility of sidewalk edge marking	Painted white solid edge marking	Install yellow edge marking using reflective, skid resistant tape product.
Increase visibility and size of signage	3 shared use signs per sidewalk. No signs in counterflow direction for pedestrians.	Install 6 shared use signs per sidewalk with fluorescent border and 6 signs in the counterflow direction.
Increase wrong way signage	2 do not enter signs, one for each counterflow direction for cyclists.	Add do not enter signs to back side of bollards on counterflow direction for cyclists.
Add shared sidewalk information signs at bridge entry points	None	Install 4 information signs, one at each entrance to the bridge on the torch structures to inform pedestrians about the procedures for using the bridge. These signs could also provide information on bridge history.
Increase visibility of obstacles	Sidewalk edge line guides users around the bridge structure.	Install reflective hazard markings on bridge structure as well as an enhanced edge line and gore using reflective tape.
Modify Burrard to Pacific, northbound to eastbound right turn for vehicles	Vehicle right turn channelization is marked as one lane with paint marking until after crosswalk.	Mark right turn channelization as one lane with temporary rubber curb and flexible delineators as outlined in the paint and signage plan. Mark crosswalk with zebra crosswalk pattern.
Modify Pacific to Burrard, eastbound to southbound right turn for vehicles	Two turning lanes with crosswalk marked in front of stop bar.	Move crosswalk west of existing location 10m so that vehicles stop before attempting merge. Mark crosswalk with zebra crosswalk pattern. Mark a bike lane in front of channelization with skid resistant paint coating and bicycle stencil.
Modify Burrard to Cornwall, southbound to westbound traffic control	Stop bar across bike lane. Bike pullout for bikes crossing Cornwall.	Install bike signal for bikes travelling to Cornwall from Burrard and for bikes crossing Cornwall to continue south on Burrard.
Remove bus marking from bike lane at south end of bridge towards Cornwall	Marked as shared bus/bike lane from when bus stop was present.	Remove bus markings from bike lane as bus stop no longer exists at this location.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval to install new signage and sidewalk markings and to modify crosswalks to enhance the shared pedestrian and cyclist environment on the Burrard Bridge.

BACKGROUND

Over the past few decades the continuing increase in pedestrian and cyclist volumes has lead to ongoing operational improvements to the sidewalks on the Burrard Bridge. A number of improvements have been made to signage, sidewalk markings, and the sidewalk entry and exit points. The following is a summary of the items that have been previously considered by staff:

·Create a one-way bicycle couplet across the bridge to improve the operation of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. - Implemented.

·Create a one-way pedestrian couplet across the bridge to improve the operation of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. - Nor Recommended.

·Restrict bicycles to one sidewalk and pedestrians to the other.- Not Recommended

·Create a continuous dividing line along the bridge sidewalks to separate pedestrian and cyclist traffic.- Not Recommended

·Install a railing or gravity barrier along the edge of the sidewalk.- Not Recommended

·Improve transition from sidewalks to roadway. - Implemented

·Add edge marking to make sidewalk edge more visible. - Implemented

·Add bike symbol to sidewalk to emphasis shared environment. - Implemented

·Paint gore area on south east side of island to ensure single exit to Pacific. -Implemented

·Add "cyclists use bell or voice when passing" signs. - Implemented

·Add "cyclists do not enter signs" to help prevent wrong-way cyclists. -Implemented

·Paint gore line around bridge superstructure at midspan - Implemented

·Remove existing railing at southwest end of bridge, adjacent to sidewalk ramp to street level. - Not Recommended

·Install guard rail at north end of the bridge to guide cyclists to use crosswalkinstead of jumping the drop to the street. -Not Recommended.

·Add speed markings to sidewalk and increase signage.- Implemented

The current pavement marking, signage, and access configurations for the Burrard Bridge are as follows:

East Sidewalk

Northbound cyclists access the sidewalk via a curb cut from the marked bike lane in front of the Molson Brewery. There are two signs at this location: one stating that the on-street bike lane ends, and the other indicating that cyclists should use the east sidewalk and yield to pedestrians. Along the length of the bridge there are 2 "Bicycles maximum 15 km/h" signs and 3 "Cyclists keep left - Pedestrians keep right" signs with tabs also stating "Cyclists use bell or voice when passing". There are also pavement markings on the sidewalk with the bicycle symbol on the left (adjacent to the curb) with an arrow in the direction of travel and a pedestrian symbol on the right (adjacent to the railing). Under the bicycle symbol there is a "Maximum 15" sidewalk marking. These markings are spaced at 100m intervals. At the north end of the bridge, cyclists either exit the sidewalk via a sidewalk curb cut to travel north on Burrard or remain on the sidewalk to travel to the Seaside bike route. Cyclists are instructed to travel only in the northbound direction on this sidewalk, but pedestrians are permitted to travel in both directions.

West Sidewalk

Cyclists travelling south on Burrard access the sidewalk via a curb cut east of the crosswalk across Pacific Boulevard. Cyclists travelling east on Pacific access the sidewalk via a curb cut just west of the start of the eastbound to southbound right turn channelization from Pacific to Burrard. There are signs just prior to both sidewalk entry points that state "Cyclists use west sidewalk on bridge - Yield to Pedestrians". The signs and the pavement markings are the same as the east sidewalk described above, with the exception that the directional arrows are marked southbound for cyclists. At the south end of the bridge cyclists exit the sidewalk via a ramp into a shared bike/bus lane. There is a pipe rail just prior to the ramp to direct cyclists to the ramp.

Cyclist and pedestrian volumes over the Burrard Street bridge have been continually increasing. The recent transit strike has resulted in volumes which may reflect the latent demand and may be the norm in the near future. See Figure 1 and Figure 2 to see the dramatic increase in cyclist and pedestrian volumes from a 1996 to 2001, with a transit strike.

Figure 1: Comparison of Pedestrian/Cyclist Volumes on Burrard Bridge 1996-2001

Peak Period Volumes (7-9am, 11-1pm, 4-6pm)

Figure 2: Growth in Pedestrian/Cyclist Volumes on Burrard Bridge 1996-2001

Peak Period Volumes (7-9am, 11-1pm, 4-6pm)

Due to the high pedestrian and cyclist volumes currently being experienced on the Burrard Bridge, measures should be taken immediately to improve the operation and safety of the shared sidewalks. The enhancements discussed in this report can be implemented within a short time frame and do not involve major capital costs. It is important to note that these minor operational changes would not affect the longer term solutions currently being considered as part of the False Creek Pedestrian and Cyclist Crossings Study.

DISCUSSION

As cyclist usage of the bridge has evolved over the years, a number of measures have been proposed and examined to improve the cyclist/pedestrian relationship on the Burrard Street Bridge. Some of these were proposed by members of the public, by the Bicycle Advisory Committee, and by staff. All of these have been reviewed again, including those measures that were examined previously but not recommended for implementation. The following provides a brief discussion of these measures:

1. Stripe a centre dividing line on sidewalk

The idea of creating a continuous centre dividing line down the middle of the sidewalk to help separate the cyclists from the pedestrians has been considered in the past, but not implemented. The sidewalk across the Burrard Bridge is narrow for combined pedestrian/cyclist use and often requires pedestrians or cyclists to cross onto the other side of the sidewalk while passing. A centre dividing line may give cyclists the sense that they have a separate laneway that pedestrians would not step into. A false sense of security may contribute to increased cycling speeds and conflicts.

With the increasing pedestrian and cyclist volumes across the Burrard Bridge, some form of delineator is desirable to make users more aware of its shared nature and expected behaviour when passing others. In order to avoid increasing cyclist speeds while maintaining flexibility of use, a 1m dashed line is recommended with 10m spacing to emphasize the shared nature of the sidewalk without creating a separate lane. The line should be created using a high quality reflective, skid resistant tape, that can be peeled off and replaced when worn. This will avoid the build-up of layers due to re-application.

2.Create a painted bike lane on the sidewalks

The idea of painting a portion of the sidewalks a distinct colour to designate bike lanes for the entire length of the bridge was explored. Similar to the centre dividing line, this treatment may increase cyclist speeds and conflicts with pedestrians. Also, the costs of installing and maintaining this lane would be very high. This treatment was not recommended.

3. Create a pronounced entrance to the bridge to increase visibility of shared environment

Currently, one of the concerns with signing and markings on the Burrard Bridge is that some users say that they do not notice the signing on the bridge which indicates the shared nature of the bridge sidewalks. Two strategies that can be used to address this issue are to use a solid guideline to direct cyclists from the curb cuts to the left portion of the sidewalks and to create a gateway with more visible signage.

The solid guideline can be created using the same reflective, skid resistant tape product that is recommended for the dashed dividing line across the bridge, with short breaks in the line at any points where pedestrians need to cross.

A gateway effect could be created using a single bollard with signage instructing cyclists to keep left and pedestrians to keep right. This bollard can be installed prior to the bridge torches when accessing the bridge sidewalks, where the sidewalk flares to at least 5.5m wide on all approaches. This will allow adequate clearance for bikes past the bollard while maintaining substantial sidewalk width for pedestrians. The bollards will be marked with reflective tape.

4. Increase frequency and visibility of sidewalk markings

There are currently 10 pavement markings on each sidewalk of the bridge, 20 in total, that identify which portion of the sidewalk pedestrians and cyclists should be travelling on. The markings are spaced 100m apart creating long segments where a pedestrian or cyclist can not see any marking. Also, the markings are more difficult to see in lower light conditions. To improve the visibility of these stencils, a high quality reflective pavement marking tape should be used and thefrequency of the markings should be increased to 40m spacing, which would more than double the current number of markings.

5. Increase the visibility of sidewalk edge marking

The edge of the sidewalk is currently marked with a painted white line. The visibility of this line should be increased using a reflective, skid resistant tape product. This will improve the visibility in all lighting conditions and increase the lifespan of the marking.

6. Increase visibility and size of signage

There are currently three shared-use signs per sidewalk, six in total, which instruct pedestrians/cyclists to keep left/right respectively. Some bridge users have stated that they do not notice these signs. To improve the visibility of the signs they should be increased in size and in number. Also, a fluorescent backing to the signs will help to make them stand out. The signs are currently 50cm x 60cm with 50cm x 30cm "Cyclists use bell or voice when passing" tabs. These should be increased in size with "Cyclists use bell or voice to prevent conflicts" tabs and increased in number to 6 per sidewalk, 12 in total. Also, there are currently no signs to instruct pedestrians who are travelling in the counterflow direction to the bicycle traffic of the shared nature of the sidewalk. Signs should be installed on the back of the signs in the opposite direction, that state "Pedestrians keep left".

7. Increase wrong way signage

The number and size of the "Cyclists do not enter - Use east (or west) sidewalk" should be increased and installed with more advanced warning for cyclists. Signs that read "Cyclists do not enter - Use east (or west) sidewalk" should also be installed for the wrong way cycling direction on the bollards described above.

8. Burrard Bridge shared sidewalk information sign

Large signs should be installed at all four sidewalk entrance points on the torch structures that describe how to use the shared sidewalk, including what to do when encountering pedestrians from the other direction. This will be helpful to new users and could include information such as bridge history (date constructed, history behind design, etc.)

9. Increase visibility of obstacles

Obstacles such as the bridge superstructure and existing railing should be signed with hazard markers to warn cyclists.

10. Install barrier along edge of sidewalk

The installation of a barrier along the edge of the sidewalk to prevent cyclists from falling into traffic and to prevent vehicles from mounting the curb and hitting cyclists or pedestrians was previously examined and has been reassessed. There are at least four problems related to the installation of a barrier along the existing sidewalk edge.

a) Any barrier or railing introduced between the sidewalk and the roadway would be required to meet Bridge Code criteria for vehicle impact. A simple pipe railing would not be feasible since it would not be able to withstand the impact or have the ability to deflect a motor vehicle in the event of a collision. Furthermore the horizontal rails could be hazardous if struck on the end by a vehicle or bicycle.

b) In order to deflect a vehicle, the barrier would have to be concrete or structural steel. Due to the high centre of gravity of cyclists it would have to extend at least 1.4m above the sidewalk. On the street side this would mean a wall of about 1.7m height that would significantly reduce the visibility of the sidewalk and the distant views.

c) The installation of any barrier on the existing sidewalk would reduce the available sidewalk width and increase the probability of pedestrian/cyclist conflicts.

d) If a barrier, high enough for cyclists safety and able withstand vehicle impact, were built it would prevent occupants from disabled cars or buses from accessing the bridge sidewalks. It would also reduce visibility of the sidewalks, in violation of CPTED guidelines.

For all of these reasons, a barrier along the edge of the sidewalk is not recommended.

11. Restrict cyclists to one sidewalk and pedestrians to the other

Restricting cyclists to one sidewalk and pedestrians to the other was previously examined and was reassessed. This circulation pattern would break up the direct movement patterns for cyclists and pedestrians and would add considerable delay time, at the ends of the bridge where users would have to traverse a number of signals to cross to, or return from the designated sidewalk. This extra delay would result in non-compliance and would be difficult to regulate without constant enforcement. Therefor, it is not recommended.

12. Modify Burrard to Pacific - northbound to eastbound right turn

The gore on the south-east side of the island for the northbound to eastbound right turn at Pacific is currently painted to restrict the turn to one lane west of the crosswalk. However, some vehicles are turning two at a time across the crosswalk. To further enforce this single lane right turn, the island should be extended on the south west side of the turning island to physically reduce the lane width near the start of the channelization. This should be done using temporary rubber curbs with a space between the new extension and the existing island to direct cyclists back to the roadway. The gore area to the northwest of the existing island should be repainted as a bicycle lane. The vehicle lane to the left of this new bicycle lane should be signed and marked as through only.

The existing island should also be extended on the south side using temporary flexible bollards to reduce the pedestrian crossing distance, and the crosswalk should be marked with the zebra markings. The specifics of this layout are shown in the signage and pavement marking plan in Appendix A. These treatments are to be completed using temporary measures until the completion of the False Creek Cyclist and Pedestrian Crossing study, which may propose other permanent treatments for this intersection.

13. Modify Pacific to Burrard - eastbound to southbound right turn

The existing eastbound to southbound channelized right turn has two turning lanes with the crosswalk in front of the stop sign and stop bar. Currently, drivers often stop on top of the crosswalk and look left for vehicle traffic. By the time there is a gap and the driver is about to proceed, pedestrians can emerge from the sidewalk on the right causing conflicts. Moving the crosswalk to the west by 100m willhelp eliminate this conflict. This will require a new curb cut and a new crosswalk with zebra pavement marking. The pavement along the southbound bike lane on Burrard should also be painted with a skid resistant paint in front of the right turn channelization to make the bike lane more visible and alert drivers to the possiblity of cyclists crossing their path.

14. Modify Burrard to Cornwall traffic controls

At the south end of the Burrard Bridge there is a traffic signal to stop vehicles heading west on Cornwall. In some cases the cyclists do not stop at this light since the bike lane is not conflicting with the left turning vehicles; however, this creates a hazard for pedestrians. To address this problem a signal head should be installed adjacent to the bike lane with the label "Bicycle signal". A similar signal should also be installed for cyclists travelling south over the Burrard Bridge and crossing Cornwall at this location.

15. Remove bus marking from bike lane at south end of bridge towards Cornwall

At the south end of the bridge, where southbound cyclists enter back onto the roadway, there used to be a bus stop. To accommodate this, the bike lane was marked as a shared bus/ bike lane. This bus stop has since been moved from this location and there is no longer a need for buses to utilize this lane. The bus lane markings should be removed and the lane reserved for bikes only.

16. Maintenance

A specialized maintenance schedule will be developed and monitored for signing and pavement marking across the bridge to ensure all signs are present and all markings are adequately visible.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The cost for the proposed treatments to improve the cyclist and pedestrian environment on the Burrard Bridge is estimated at $60,000. Funding for these improvements is available from the Streets Capital Unappropriated Account 30003082, Bicycle Network 2001.

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APPENDIX A - PLANS

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver