Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services

SUBJECT:

Report on 2001/2002 Pedestrian Study

 

INFORMATION

The General Manager of Engineering Services submits this report for INFORMATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

The City of Vancouver Transportation Plan includes the following policies:

3.10.1 The Engineering and Planning departments will undertake regular monitoring and reviews of transportation services and use, to establish how transportation patterns are developing, and to recommend additional policies and measures needed to achieve the Transportation Plan policies and targets.

On June 22, 1999, Council approved an improved transportation monitoring program to assist with implementation of the Transportation Plan, including a report back from staff on details and funding of a commercial/retail pedestrian study.

SUMMARY

Results of a recent study which counted pedestrian volumes on Vancouver's commercial streets, and surveyed pedestrians on their opinions regarding pedestrian facilities, are contained in the report titled "2001/2002 Pedestrian Study", available from the General Manager's Office. Comparison is made with the results of the previous pedestrian study, which counted pedestrian volumes on downtown commercial streets in 1991. For the current study, the number of counting locations was increased, to include more streets downtown, commercial streets outside downtown, and additional counts to analyze weather, daily and monthly variations.
On the downtown streets that were counted in 1991, there was a significant increase in overall pedestrian activity, although results varied for individual blocks and Business Improvement Areas. Although the busiest pedestrian blocks in Vancouver are still concentrated on Robson Street and Granville Mall, other streets such as Seymour experienced very strong growth. On several of the busiest streets downtown, the number of pedestrians exceeded the number of people being moved by automobile, in the peak pedestrian hour. While volumes are generally lower outside downtown, several locations still ranked highly compared to many downtown streets.

Analysis found that Saturdays are generally busier than weekdays, and Sundays are generally less busy than weekdays. Weather effects increase the variability of volumes, and this needs to be taken into consideration when comparing results for individual blocks. Although general conclusions can be drawn from these extra counts, more work is required to fully understand all the sources of variability.

The volume data will be utilized by staff involved in a variety of engineering and planning applications. A new analysis tool that has been developed as part of the study is pedestrian flow rates and Level of Service. The results of the opinion study should also help with prioritizing pedestrian improvements. Issues identified as requiring the most attention include crossings at unsignalized intersections, the amount of sidewalk amenities, the behaviour of drivers and cyclists, and concerns about personal security. Origin/Destination and mode questions in the opinion survey also confirm that the success of the downtown in attracting high pedestrian volumes is a combination of both its high-density mixed land use, and its status as a regional business centre.

PURPOSE

This purpose of this report is to present Council with the results of the 2001/2002 Pedestrian Study.

BACKGROUND

At its meeting on April 10, 2001, Council approved a recommendation to carry out a 2001 Pedestrian Study, which included both expanded pedestrian counts on commercial streets and a new pedestrian opinion survey. At this meeting, Council also passed a recommendation that staff carry out a Pedestrian Study every five years. Counting was delayed until 2002 due to the 2001 transit strike. Opinion Survey data was collected in both 2001 and 2002.

Increasing the number of pedestrian trips is a key strategy for both the City's Transportation Plan and Downtown Transportation Plan. To help ensure City transportation objectives are being met and that City expenditures are effective, it is important to assess changes in the usage of pedestrian facilities on a periodic basis. Over the past three decades, the City has carried out periodic studies to count pedestrian volumes along sidewalks in the downtown. The previous pedestrian study was carried out in 1991.

Pedestrian data has a number of uses:
· Serves as a benchmark for growth on individual streets and within sub-areas,
· Assists staff in making more informed decisions on a number of engineering and planning applications, and
· Assists in assessing progress towards Transportation Plan goals.

Examples of some current City initiatives that can utilize the study data include implementation of recommendations related to the Downtown Transportation Plan, the Sidewalk Task Force, and Streetscape Design Guidelines. Other examples include prioritizing pedestrian and greenway improvements, designing transportation facilities, and reviewing new building access points. The data is also useful for businesses, for monitoring the success of their marketing initiatives, and comparing activity to other similar areas.

Additional counts were also carried out at two control locations to gain a better understanding of weather, daily and monthly variations. To assist with interpreting results, an opinion survey was also carried out. This survey asked pedestrians at a number of locations in or near downtown, what their opinions and concerns relating to pedestrian facilities were.

DISCUSSION

The methodology used for the pedestrian volume counts is shown in Appendix 1.

Changes in Pedestrian Volumes

Since 1991, there has been a significant growth in pedestrian volumes on Downtown commercial streets. For the same blocks counted in 1991 (total of 101 blocks), in 2002 there was an additional 103,000 pedestrians. These results are consistent with the data from a Trip Diary Survey carried out by TransLink in 1999, which showed a large increase in walking occurring in Vancouver between 1994 and 1999. The Trip Diary results suggest that the 2021 Plan target for Walk and Bike modes has already been achieved.

Although overall pedestrian traffic increased, volumes varied on individual blocks and within Business Improvement Areas. Some blocks and sub-areas experienced higher than average growth, while some others experienced declines. Blocks with the highest growth, and changes in Business Improvement Areas are summarized in the tables on the following page.

Changes in Business Improvement Areas

Gastown BIA +4%

Robson BIA +1%

 

Busiest Pedestrian Blocks

A map showing Downtown Pedestrian Counts by Block for 2002 is shown in Appendix 2. Robson Street (between Jervis and Granville) and Granville Mall (between Hastings and Robson) continue to be the busiest pedestrian corridors in the downtown (and the city).

The ten busiest downtown locations are summarized in the table below.

A sampling of the 25 busiest downtown locations showed that on many of these streets, in the peak pedestrian hour, pedestrian volumes were higher than the volumes of people in automobiles.

As can be seen in the table on the following page, pedestrian volumes on the busiest streets outside downtown were lower. However, these streets still ranked high compared to many downtown streets.

Outside Downtown Blocks with Highest Pedestrian Volumes (10am-2pm and 3pm-6pm)

Pedestrian Flow Rates and Level of Service

In addition to count data, staff also measured the average width of sidewalks at each location (excluding the width used for trees). Using the volume counts and sidewalk widths, pedestrian flow rate on each sidewalk can be calculated (measured in pedestrians per minute per metre of sidewalk width). The most recent version of the National Research Council's Highway Capacity Manual (2000) includes a method of calculating pedestrian Level of Service (LOS) based on flow rate. LOS levels vary from A through F, with A representing unrestricted and free flowing conditions, and F representing extremely congested conditions, where pedestrians have to frequently alter their path or speed to avoid contacting another pedestrian.

LOS during the peak pedestrian hour for streets studied was typically in the range of A to C, with only a handful of streets operating at LOS D. The LOS calculation should be useful for staff as a guide for decision making regarding sidewalk services and improvements. However, some caution is required in interpreting the LOS ratings -some pedestrians might find LOS A sidewalks to look too deserted, and some may be attracted to the areas with LOS D because of their vibrancy.

Variations in Volume

For a count on a single block, variations of up to 25% can be expected if weather influences are not accounted for. If weather influences are taken into account (e.g. comparing a rainy day to only another rainy day), variations were more in the range of 10% on individual blocks, for counts in May and June. Accordingly, some caution is needed in interpreting results for single blocks, including rankings. If data is collected over several days, or for several locations, variation decreases as the changes average out.

In general, Saturday volumes tended to be higher than average weekday volumes, while Sundays were less busy. Evenings were counted in a three hour period (6pm to 9pm). Robson Street was busier in the evening period then in the morning. However, Water Street was less busy in the evening. Based on these observations, it can be expected that evening volumes will vary considerably for different locations, depending on the nearby land uses.

Opinion Survey Results

The Opinion Survey was carried out on streets in the Central Area (Downtown and West Broadway) during week days. Approximately 1400 pedestrians were asked for information on their origins and destinations, their opinions on pedestrian facilities and concerns. Results show that 74% of pedestrians surveyed started their trips in Vancouver, including 48% who started downtown. 58% of trips were business related (work, shopping or restaurants and other services) and just over 50% of pedestrians walked the entire distance. These results help confirm that the high pedestrian volumes in the Central Area can be attributed to a combination of its high-density mixed land use, and its status as a regional commercial destination.

Pedestrians were generally satisfied with crossing conditions at signalized crosswalks, the amount of sidewalk space, and sidewalk maintenance. There was less satisfaction with crossing conditions at unsignalized intersections, the amount of sidewalk amenities, and the behaviour of both cyclists and drivers. In an open-ended question regarding specific concerns, the largest response was concern about people who were perceived to be threatening (pan handlers, street people, etc.).

Further pedestrian data, including discussion of impacts of the 2001 transit strike, False Creek Bridge volumes and recreational route volumes is contained in the "2001/2002 Pedestrian Study" report.

CONCLUSION

The 2001/2002 Pedestrian Study confirms that downtown Vancouver has very high levels of pedestrian activity, and that total volumes have continued to grow. On 101 blocks in the downtown that were counted in 1991, in 2002 there was an additional 103,000 pedestrians. On the busiest streets in the downtown, peak hour pedestrian volumes can exceed the volume of people being moved in automobiles. The downtown's success at attracting high pedestrian volumes is attributable to both its high-density mixed land use, and its status as a regional destination for business. High pedestrian volumes were also recorded in areas outside downtown, such as West Broadway, South Granville , Collingwood and Commercial Drive.

The results of the Opinion Survey suggest that pedestrian conditions could be improved the most by focussing on improving crossings at unsignalized locations, providing more sidewalk amenities, and addressing concerns about the behaviour of motorists, cyclists and threatening individuals (e.g. pan handlers).

Additional volume and opinion data collected in 2001 and 2002 will help form benchmarks for reviewing changes in future studies (next study to be carried out in 2006). The data will also assist staff with decision making on various engineering and planning applications.

- - - - -

Appendix 1. - Pedestrian Volume Count Methodology

To be able to compare data from 2002 to data collected in previous years, the same methodology was used as for the 1991 Downtown Vancouver Pedestrian Survey. Temporary staff counted week day mid-block pedestrian volumes, during a regular count period of 10am to 6pm , with a 1 hour break at 2pm. The July to August period was intentionally avoided so as to miss the peak tourist season. A limited number of evening counts and extra counts for tracking weather, daily, and monthly variations were made at two control locations on Robson St. and Water St. Although the majority of counting for the current study was carried out in May and June 2002, some additional counts were also carried out in Fall 2002.

Appendix 2. - Downtown Pedestrian Counts by Block (2002)

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