ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services

SUBJECT:

Permanent Conversion of School Avenue to One-way Westbound Between Joyce and Tyne Streets

 

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT the temporary conversion of School Avenue from a two-way street to a one-way westbound street between Joyce Street and Tyne Street be made on a permanent basis.

B. THAT the lane south of School Avenue between Joyce Street and the lane west of Harold Street be converted to one-way westbound on a trial basis.

COUNCIL POLICY

· In 1997, Council approved the Vancouver Transportation Plan that emphasizes the need to mitigate the effects of traffic in local neighbourhood areas and to give priority to streets and neighbourhoods where traffic impacts are most serious.

· It is Council's policy to implement diversionary traffic calming measures on a trial basis before making them permanent.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval for the following traffic measures:

· Permanent conversion of School Avenue, between Joyce and Tyne Streets, to one-way westbound.
· Trial conversion of the lane south of School Avenue, between Joyce Street and the lane west of Harold Street, to one-way westbound.

BACKGROUND

School Ave., between Joyce St. and Tyne St., is a residential street with a relatively narrow street allowance. The adjacent land uses along School Ave. are mainly residential and some commercial (north side at Joyce St. and Tyne St.) areas. This street carries as many as 4,500 vehicles per day, which is significantly greater than other residential streets in the city. The street has neither concrete curb nor sidewalk to separate pedestrians from vehicles. The combination of high traffic volume, narrow street allowance, poor street condition, and lack of appropriate pedestrian accommodation, has resulted in safety issues and many complaints from the public.

In 2002, City staff in both the Local Improvement and Neighbourhood Transportation Branches began efforts to address the street-related (lack of concrete curb and gutter, and sidewalk) and traffic-related (high traffic volume) issues, respectively. Street-related issues were addressed with sidewalk and street improvements, which were approved as part of the City's Local Improvement Program on February 12, 2003. Traffic-related issues were addressed with the trial conversion of School Ave., between Joyce St. and Tyne St., to a one-way westbound street. The purposes of the measure are as follows:

· To reduce the amount of non-local traffic in the neighbourhood;
· To allow room for sidewalk improvement on School Ave., thereby improving pedestrian safety; and,
· To reduce, by eliminating eastbound vehicles, the potential of both vehicle- and pedestrian-related conflicts on School Ave., especially in the sections with narrow street allowance.

Affected neighbourhoods were surveyed prior to the installation of the trial conversion and residents were told that they would be resurveyed after the trial period to solicit their opinions. The majority of respondents (80%) supported the proposal. Subsequently in November 2002, Council approved the one-way conversion of School Ave. on a trial basis.

DISCUSSION

The effects of the temporary one-way conversion have been monitored by staff. See Appendix A for the traffic counts taken before and after the implementation of the trial measure. A comparison of the before and after counts indicates that the measure has had different effects on traffic patterns in the neighbourhood. South of (and including) School Ave., where the land use is predominately residential, the total amount of traffic has decreased by approximately four percent after the street was converted. North of School Ave., where significant commercial activities take place, the overall traffic volume on Harold, Wessex, Senlac, and Tyne Streets has increased by approximately 15 percent. The changes in traffic patterns likely stem from the fact that the one-way measure has made it less convenient for the short-cutting (eastbound traffic travelling on 41st Ave. accessing Kingsway) and circulating (traffic entering or exiting shops located between Kingsway and School Ave.) vehicles to use School Ave. and other residential streets in the neighbourhood.

TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS

The results of the traffic counts also indicate that following the one-way implementation, there are approximately 190 vehicles per day travelling the wrong way (eastbound) on School Ave. On-site investigation conducted by City staff on June 3, 2003, between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM, further revealed that this violation problem is especially prominent between Wessex and Senlac Streets. To address this problem, additional police enforcement have been requested to enforce the one-way measure. This violation problem would be further addressed with the corner bulges proposed as part of the permanent one-way measure and streets improvements. The proposed corner bulges would reduce the width of road at intersections, thus making it more apparent to drivers that it is a one-way street and less convenient to make illegal turns at intersections.

NEIGHBOURHOOD CONSULTATION

In June 2003, affected residents and businesses within the area bounded by Joyce St. and Tyne St., between Kingsway and 45th Ave., were surveyed to seek their opinion on making the one-way conversion permanent. See Appendix B for the survey sent out and Appendix C for the survey area. Survey comments are included in Appendix D. The results of the survey, as summarized in Table 1, show that the majority of area respondents (82%) support the proposed permanent measure. A total of 14 respondents (17%) did not support the retention of the one-way measure. Their main concerns are that the one-way measure would cause inconvenience to local residents and divert traffic to adjacent streets. As discussedpreviously, while traffic has increased on some streets, the one-way measure has effectively diverted some of the non-local, especially the circulating traffic, to streets where commercial activities take place.

Table 1. Survey Results

Number of surveys distributed

430

Number of surveys returned

85 (20% response rate)

Responses in favour (approval rate)

70 (82%)

Responses not in favour (disapproval rate)

14 (17%)

Neutral

1 (1%)

OTHER ISSUES

Traffic Short-Cutting via Back Lanes

Following the implementation of the one-way measure, City staff received concerns from residents regarding eastbound traffic short-cutting through the neighbourhood using the lane south of School Ave. at Joyce St. Staff have subsequently conducted an on-site survey on June 20, 2003, and confirmed the problem. It is therefore proposed that "Do-Not-Enter" signs be posted on the lane at Joyce St. This measure would convert the lane south of School Ave., between Joyce St. and the lane west of Harold St., to one-way westbound. An information letter was subsequently sent to the affected residents. No concerns about the proposed traffic measure were expressed. In fact, two residents contacted City staff and indicated their support for the proposal. See Appendix E for the information letter sent out.

Parking on South Side of School Ave., Between Joyce St. and Harold St. (3200 block)

On-street parking is currently restricted on both sides of School Ave., between Joyce and Harold Streets (3200 block). Since the trail one-way implementation, City staff have received requests from residents of the block to remove the parking restriction on the south side of the street. A survey of the affected residents was subsequently conducted. However, due to the lack of support (43%), on-street parking will remain restricted on both sides of School Ave., between Joyce and Harold Streets (3200 block).

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There would be no financial implications related to the proposed traffic measures, as they would be funded as part of the City's Local Improvement Program approved on February 12, 2003.

CONCLUSION

Permanent one-way conversion of School Ave., between Joyce St. and Tyne St., and trial conversion of the lane south of School Ave., between Joyce St. and the lane west of Harold St., to one-way westbound are recommended based on the strong neighbourhood support, and the overall traffic-calming and pedestrian safety benefits. A review will be made on the temporary traffic measure (one-way lane) after the trial period and reported back to City Council.

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LINK TO APPENDICES

tt20030729.htm

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© 2002 City of Vancouver