ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: October 5, 2001
Author/Local: P. Stary/

604-871-6437

RTS No. 01784

CC File No. 5757

T&T: October 30, 2001

TO:	Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Corner Bulges for School Crosswalks , 2001 Program

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve the construction of corner bulges at the existing school crosswalks on Clarendon Street at 37^th Avenue, on Earles Street at Euclid Avenue, on Earles Street at Horley Street, on 16^th Avenue at Manitoba Street, and on 33^rd Avenue at St. Catherines Street, and that funding of $125,000 be allocated from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account 30003091 - Local Area Traffic Plans and Other Improvements.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council's priorities for transportation are, in order: walking, cycling, public transit, goods movement and private automobiles.

The Vancouver Transportation Plan emphasizes the need to provide more comfortable pedestrian environments.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval to construct pedestrian corner bulges at five existing school crosswalks in the year 2001.

BACKGROUND

Corner bulges, also known as curb extensions, have been approved for use on arterial streets with full time on-street parking in order to improve the pedestrian environment. Corner bulges were approved for construction at five school crosswalks in 2000. Four locations have been completed and the fifth is scheduled for construction this fall. All of the responses received to date from both the schools and the public at large have been favourable.

Corner bulges improve crossing conditions for pedestrians by:
- increasing pedestrian visibility;
- increasing pedestrians' sight distance;
- reducing crossing distance for pedestrians;
- preventing parking too close to an intersection; and
- preventing passing on the right.

DISCUSSION

The five proposed corner bulge locations are all at well-used school crosswalks. These locations have been identified by the School Traffic Working Group, comprised of staff members from the Vancouver School Board, the Police School Safety Patrol and Engineering Services. Two of these locations are served by student school patrols. The principals of the four schools involved (Cunningham, McBride, Norquay and Simon Fraser Elementary Schools) have been consulted and support these proposals.

No vehicle movements will be restricted. However, vehicles will be prevented from passing on the right while other vehicles are turning left or stopped for pedestrians. Cyclists will be appropriately accommodated. The corner bulges will leave a travel lane at least 4.3 metres (14 feet) wide suitable for bicycle / motor vehicle lane sharing for each direction of travel. The corner bulges will be located within existing corner clearances; therefore, no legal parking spaces will be displaced.

The proposed corner bulges address two of the recommendations of the City's Transportation Plan:
- R5, Small changes to improve pedestrian environments; and
- NP8, Improve pedestrian spaces.

They also address a recommendation contained in a 1999 Vancouver School Board report entitled Traffic Safety Around Vancouver Schools, which supports "developing and implementing innovative engineering measures such as corner bulges, speed humps and painted clearance panels at school locations, in cooperation with individual schools."

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The total cost of installing corner bulges at the five proposed locations is estimated at $125,000. Funding for this project is available from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account -Local Area and Other Improvements. Corner bulge areas will be finished in concrete and turf to match the existing sidewalks and boulevards; therefore, there should be no extraordinary maintenance costs.

CONCLUSION

Pedestrian corner bulges have been identified as an effective, relatively low cost means of enhancing the pedestrian environment and are therefore recommended for installation at the five school crosswalks noted above. It is anticipated that additional school safety related corner bulge locations will be identified and recommended in subsequent years.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver