ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: September 8, 2003
Author/Local: S.Brown/7693
F.Lin/7693
RTS No.03593
CC File No.5553
Meeting Date: October 7, 2003
TO: |
Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic |
FROM: |
General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
Hawks / Union Mini-Park Improvements |
RECOMMENDATION
That Council approve the improvements to the mini-park at Hawks and Union as outlined in this report at a cost of $45,000 to be provided from the Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account Group set aside for the Bicycle Network (SCA2E-Unap).
POLICY
· Council approved the Vancouver Transportation Plan that emphasizes the need for developing more bikeways and ranks cyclists second priority after pedestrians.
· Council approved the recommendations of the 1992 Bicycle Network Study in which the major recommendation was the priority to integrate bicycles on local streets through the construction of locally integrated bikeways.
· On November 3, 1994, Council approved the report that recommended installing traffic calming measures on Adanac permanently as part of the bike route.
PURPOSE
This report seeks approval for the installation of measures to help improve the pedestrian and cycling environment through the Hawks/ Union mini-park.
BACKGROUND
The Adanac bikeway is one of the busiest bike routes in Vancouver, with over 1000 cyclists per day. As this route passes through the mini-park at Hawks and Union, cyclists and pedestrians share the two narrow sidewalks. City staff are proposing changes to this mini-park to improve the pedestrian and cycling environment. This process was initiated by residents and park users that contacted City Hall with petitions regarding the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in the mini-park, as well as the speed of cyclists travelling through the mini-park. City staff have consulted with cyclists, park users, park maintenance personnel, residents, Bicycle Advisory Committee, and the City Police to develop a plan to improve the safety and help control the speeds.
PLAN ELEMENTS
There were a number of concerns that were expressed about the current environment in the park. The proposed plan (please see Figure 1) was developed to address these concerns. The following describes the proposed improvements and the concerns that they intend to address.
Figure 1: Proposed Park Improvements
Separated Path
One of the primary concerns expressed was regarding the narrow width of the shared paths and the numerous conflicts that occur on these paths due to the high volume of cyclists. By separating the cyclists from the pedestrians, the number of conflicts can be reduced. Pedestrians will then be able to travel east or west through the park on the existing sidewalks and cyclists will travel through the new path. The proposed path will be aligned with Union St. at both ends of the paths, thus making cyclists more visible to vehicles.
Speed Reducing Measures
Another main concern expressed was the speed of the cyclists traveling through the park. To deal with this concern, the proposed path will be curved, with bollards at the entrance and a hump over the garden area. These improvements will reduce the speed of cyclists coming from the west down the long hill. At the east side of the mini-park, there will be a raised sidewalk to give visible priority to the pedestrians traveling along the sidewalk. Once the improvements are in place, the speed should be monitored to see if further speed reducing measures are required.
Combine Bike Routes into One Park
Currently, the Trans Canada Trail passes through another mini-park located just one block north of the Hawks/Union intersection, on Georgia at Hawks. The configuration of that mini-park is similar to the one in question, with cyclists and pedestrians sharing narrow sidewalks. Similar conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists have been reported by many park users and observed by City staff. To alleviate this problem, cyclists currently traveling through the Hawks/Georgia mini-park will be redirected one block south, to the proposed exclusive bike path at the Hawks/Union mini-park. This will effectively combine both the Adanac bikeway and Trans Canada Trail into the improved mini-park at Hawks and Union.
Maintain Park Aesthetics
A number of park users and residents expressed concerns about changes to the mini-park that would affect the existing vegetation and trees. To help maintain the aesthetics of the park, all trees will be retained and the mature shrubs will be relocated where necessary. The path through the mini-park will be constructed with stamped asphalt that looks like brick and a bulge will be constructed on Hawks to create a net increase in planted space.
Increase Vehicle Restriction
As part of the proposed improvements, additional bollards will be installed to restrict vehicle access to the proposed bike path. This improvement would not only benefit the cyclists, it would also increase vehicle restriction to the mini-park and the safety of many other park-users.
NEIGHBOURHOOD CONSULTATION
The proposed changes were presented to the Strathcona Residents Association early in 2003. Positive feedback was received at this meeting and members of the Association expressed an interest to get the improvements completed. They suggested that user feedback could be obtained by posting information boards in the mini-park. These boards were posted at both ends of the mini-park for the summer and a number and email address were provided for comments. Comments received were generally positive, with some requests for ongoing monitoring of cyclist speeds and concerns about maintaining the mini-park aesthetics. Please see Appendix A for the received comments.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The estimated cost of the new path, bulges and bollards is $45,000 to be provided from the Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account Group set aside for the Bicycle Network (SCA2E-Unap).
CONCLUSIONS
The improvements to the Hawks/Union mini-park, as detailed in this report, are recommended based on the benefits to both cyclists and pedestrians, and the support from the affected users.
* * * * *
