CITY OF VANCOUVER

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

 

Date:

August 31, 2004

 

Author:

N. Hood

 

Phone No.:

871-6472

 

RTS No.:

04384

 

CC File No.:

5560-1

 

Meeting Date:

September 14, 2004

TO:

Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services in consultation with the Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Downtown Transportation Plan - Two-Way Street Conversion of Homer, Cambie, Georgia and Beatty Streets and Bike Lanes on Beatty Street

RECOMMENDATION

COUNCIL POLICY

Council approved the Downtown Transportation Plan (DTP) on July 9, 2002, to improve downtown accessibility and liveability by creating a balanced transportation system, including the conversion of several streets from one-way to two-way operation and the establishment of a bike lane network.

Council approved the DTP Implementation Schedule on June 10, 2003, which recommended amongst other things, that the two-way street conversions and a significant portion of the bike lane network be implemented within three years.

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council's approval for funding to proceed with the conversion of Beatty Street, Cambie Street (south of Dunsmuir), Homer Street (south of Georgia) and Georgia Street (Beatty to Cambie) from one-way to two-way operation and the installation of bike lanes on Beatty Street, as identified in the DTP.

BACKGROUND

The DTP identified several streets for conversion from one-way to two-way operation to improve local traffic circulation. Abbott Street, Carrall Street and the north end of Cambie Street were converted on April 24, 2004, in the Gastown and Victory Square neighbourhoods. The conversions proceeded smoothly on the morning of April 24 with good adherence by drivers to the new two-way traffic regulations. In the weeks following the conversions, a few minor adjustments to parking regulations and signal timings were made to fine-tune operations. There continues to be some minor traffic congestion northbound on Abbott Street in the afternoon rush period, but there is sufficient capacity on either Cambie Street or Carrall Street to accommodate additional traffic and balance northbound traffic flow.

The three street segments converted on April 24 have been successful at improving accessibility to the Gastown and Victory Square neighbourhoods and have been met with approval by area residents, businesses and the general public.

DISCUSSION

Traffic Operations

Homer Street (south of Georgia Street), Cambie Street (south of Dunsmuir Street), Georgia Street (Beatty Street to Cambie Street) and Beatty Street are scheduled for conversion to two-way operation in the Fall of 2004 (see Attachment A).

An evaluation of the planned changes was made using a transportation microsimulation model. The model results indicate that, after an initial adjustment period, north and southbound traffic will be redistributed on the new two-way streets, and the overall road network will operate at a similar level of service to existing conditions. The model identified two areas of concern: bus travel times on Georgia Street (North Shore buses) and delays for all southbound traffic on Cambie Street at Robson Street. These concerns are addressed in greater detail below.

Although contained in the DTP, the original project scope and consultation process excluded the two-way conversion of Georgia Street between Beatty Street and Cambie Street. Through review of the two-way project with Police, special event organisers and City Engineering staff, it is now recommended to expand the scope to include this one block section of Georgia Street. To ensure Georgia Street can be converted at the same time as Beatty, Cambie and Homer Streets, trucks will be temporarily restricted from turning right from southbound Beatty Street into westbound Georgia Street. This location will be further reviewed and any required geometric changes will be coordinated with street reconstruction activities related to adjacent developments.

Bicycle Lanes

Bicycle lanes on Beatty Street were approved in the DTP. The proposed lanes would connect with the existing bicycle lanes on Pender Street and future bicycle lanes on the Georgia Street viaduct, Dunsmuir Street viaduct and the Cambie Bridge. The bicycle lanes would be double striped except where the removal of parking for special events allows for only a single stripe. Typical cross-sections are shown in Appendix B.

Stakeholder response to the proposed bicycle lanes has generally been positive but TransLink has expressed a concern with the proposed lane widths along Beatty Street. The terminus of North Vancouver buses is on the eastside of the 600 block of Beatty Street, between Georgia and Dunsmuir Streets. The buses eventually travel northbound on Beatty Street to Pender Street before looping back on southbound Cambie Street for their return service on Georgia Street to the North Shore. In discussions between City and Translink staff the 3.0 m lane widths in conjunction with the bicycle lanes, as shown in Appendix B, are sufficient in this circumstance. The low volumes of traffic expected on this section of Beatty and the reduced friction from physical obstructions (parked cars and curbs) provided by the bike lanes will provide adequate space for bus movements. Engineering staff have agreed to monitor this situation and make future adjustments if required.

Transit Service

Transit service on Beatty Street is limited to the terminus and return routing of North Vancouver buses. The impact of installing bicycle lanes on transit has been discussed above and the transportation model results did not indicate that the conversion of Beatty Street to two-way operation would have an impact on transit service. However, bus travel times, to and from the Beatty Street terminus used by the North Shore buses will be negatively impacted by the overall two-way conversion project. A review of other suitable locations for the bus terminus is currently underway in order to address the travel time issue. The relocation of the bus terminus would also resolve potential concerns with changing land uses in the 600 block of Beatty Street.

There is no transit service on Homer Street, south of Georgia Street. A community bus service at the south end of Homer Street is being considered by the Area Transit Plan (ATP) team, and the two-way conversion project allows for the implementation of this service if it is proposed at a future date.

The east side of Homer Street, north of Georgia Street, is the terminus for all but one of the West Vancouver bus routes. In the peak hour, 11 buses travel on this one block of Homer Street. The existing pavement is 11m wide and 6 m of this width would need to be allocated to northbound traffic to ensure a moving bus can pass a bus stopped at the curb. This would leave only 5m of width available for southbound traffic. Therefore to accommodate southbound traffic, either parking on the west side of the street would need to be removed or the street would need to be widened. Widening the street would result in the loss of seventeen established and healthy trees. Neither of these solutions is seen as desirable by either staff or stakeholders because of the impact on the public realm and nearby businesses. The relocation of the bus terminus is being considered as a potential solution. Any new terminus location needs to take into account impacts on adjacent land uses, the public realm, end of trip facilities for transit drivers and travel time added to transit routes.

As well, there is a mid-block driveway where over 100 delivery vehicles exit the Post Office per day, including seventeen semi-trailers. The conversion of the north end of Homer Street to two-way traffic will also need to take the safety of postal vehicle operations into account. A final resolution of these outstanding concerns has not yet been identified. Resolution of the concerns will continue to be pursued and a report on the two-waying of Homer Street, north of Georgia Street, will be brought before Council when a solution has been identified.

Cambie Street is used by two local transit routes and several suburban routes, including the terminus of one West Vancouver route, south of Georgia Street. North of Georgia Street the two-way conversion is not expected to have any noticeable impact on transit service. South of Georgia Street, the intersection of Cambie Street and Robson Street is identified as a point of congestion. The congestion is caused by a corner bulge which was installed on the north west corner to protect transit vehicles making wide turns. Southbound to eastbound left turn restrictions are being considered to improve capacity, in the short term. In the long term, the corner bulge could be removed if a suitable location is found to relocate the West Vancouver bus terminus, currently located in the 700 block of Cambie Street. City and Translink staff will continue to seek solutions so that southbound capacity is maintained on Cambie Street for all road users.

The conversion of Cambie Street to two-way traffic is also taking into account the possibility of a future northbound community bus service, currently under review by the ATP team.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The estimated cost of converting Beatty Street, Cambie Street, the south end of Homer Street and part of Georgia Street to two-way traffic is $580,000. Of this, $220,000 is to modify sixteen traffic signals, $300,000 is for geometric changes and $60,000 is for traffic paint and sign changes. Funding is available for this project from:

The first phase of the project came in under budget when the electrical infrastructure in Gastown was found to be in much better condition than expected.

As the Beatty Street bike lanes are eligible for Translink cost sharing, it is recommended an application be made to Translink requesting cost-shared funding for the Beatty Street bike lanes in the amount of $118,500.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The infrastructure work associated with the two-way conversion project is being coordinated with the Seymour Street Water Works project to ensure the traffic impacts of each project do not overlap. The conversion, scheduled to occur in mid- October, allows for two full weeks in which drivers in evening rush hour traffic can become familiar with the new regulations in daylight hours, prior to the return to standard time and shorter days. As well, major events in and around the stadiums will be taken into account and avoided as much as possible when finalizing the date the conversions will take place.

COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

Residents and businesses in the downtown were invited to an open house held at the Roundhouse Community Centre on the evening of Thursday, May 20. Staff from the DTP team and Neighbourhood Transportation were in attendance to provide information and answer questions about the two-way conversion project and five proposed bicycle lanes in the easterly end of downtown. Approximately 20 people attended the open house. Completed surveys indicate strong support for the two-way conversion project, ranging between 75% and 88% for the different streets.

Various stakeholders have been consulted, including the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, Yaletown Business Improvement Association, Yaletown Residents Association, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, Canada Post and TransLink. Identified issues are being addressed and staff continue to work with stakeholders in the review of ongoing concerns. In particular, TransLink and City staff will monitor traffic conditions after the conversion to two-way traffic to ensure that current transit service levels are maintained and that capacity levels for general traffic are comparable to existing conditions.

Traffic signs advising drivers and pedestrians of the change in traffic patterns will be posted from one month prior to and until three months after the conversions take place. Finally, a media campaign will be developed for the weeks leading up to the conversions, consisting of a series of press releases and newspaper ads.

CONCLUSION

The DTP seeks to improve access to downtown businesses and residences within the context of a sustainable transportation system. The implementation of two-way traffic on Homer, Cambie, Georgia and Beatty Streets contributes to the City's liveability and sustainability initiatives by creating more direct and shorter routes for the movement of both goods and vehicles in and around downtown. The addition of bike lanes on Beatty Street also increases downtown accessibility and the mode choices available to downtown road users. This in turn leads to lower vehicle emissions and the provision of a range of transportation options for downtown residents and businesses. Community support for the project from both individuals and organizations is largely a result of the extensive public consultation that went into the development of the DTP and the individual recommendations contained therein.

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LINK TO APPENDICES A AND B

tt20040914.htm

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© 2002 City of Vancouver