|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
September 22, 2004 | |
Author: |
Peter Navratil | |
Phone No.: |
604-871-6619 | |
RTS No.: |
4503 | |
CC File No.: |
5757 | |
Meeting Date: |
November 2, 2004 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic |
FROM: |
General Manager of Engineering Services |
SUBJECT: |
Clark Drive at 6th Avenue - Left Turn Bay |
RECOMMENDATION
A. That a northbound left-turn bay on Clark Drive at 6th Avenue as shown in Appendix 1 be approved for construction at an estimated cost of $3,300,000 ($1,300,000 of this amount has been previously approved and expended for property acquisition) with funding from the following sources:
· 2003 Street Basic Capital for Clark-Knight Corridor Improvement $1,070,000 (Order Group CB1EA4AX2X)
· Cost- shared funding contribution from Translink $1,070,000
· Federal Border Infrastructure Fund $500,000
· Cost-shared funding contribution from False Creek Flats Developers $660,000.
B. That the Operating Budget for traffic signals and road markings be increased by $1,500 annually, commencing in 2006 and subject to budget review.
COUNCIL POLICY
New roadway geometric designs are approved by Council.
On May 27th, 1997, Council approved the Vancouver Transportation Plan, which recommended that staff develop improvements for goods movement along Knight Street.
On April 10, 2003, Council approved the Clark-Knight Corridor Whole Route Analysis project to develop a Corridor Plan that will recommend improvements for the goods movement, pedestrians, transit users and improve the look and feel of the street.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to obtain Council's approval for the construction of a left turn bay on Clark Drive at 6th Avenue.
BACKGROUND
Clark Drive and Knight Street provide a vital transportation corridor through Vancouver. It is the most heavily used truck route in the City and is a key regional connection between the Port, the City, and region, and the United States border.
In addition to the north south good movement, the developing area of False Creek Flats is served by two main streets, Clark Drive on the east and Main Street to the west. Because of area topography and abundance of rail lines, east west linkages are limited. The Central Valley Greenway will improve pedestrian and bicycle access to False Creek Flats. The Expo and Millenium Skytrain lines provide stations in the NW and SE corners of the area, but bus access remains a concern. The intersection of Clark and 6th Avenue provides access along Great Northern Way to the flats.
It is this important transportation function that led to a direction in the 1997 Vancouver Transportation Plan to undertake improvements for goods movement, subject to a Whole Route Analysis (WRA) of the corridor. On April 10, 2003, Council approved the Clark-Knight Corridor WRA project. The WRA is now complete and will be reported to Council this fall. During consultation with stakeholders along the Clark-Knight Corridor the Clark at 6th Avenue Left Turn Bay was identified as an important transportation link between this north south Corridor and the False Creek Flats area.
In addition to the WRA, there have been two other Traffic Impact Studies that have analyzed the situation at Clark Drive and 6th Avenue. In 1999, Finning commissioned ND LEA, a local Transportation consulting firm, to study traffic impacts from the proposed development. In the report, ND LEA reviewed the existing conditions at Clark and 6th and recommended that a northbound LTB at Clark and 6th would improve access and safety and should be built as soon as possible. This proposed LTB became an integral part the rezoning agreement for the Finning Lands. The rezoning agreement for the Finning Lands development requires financial participation from the Developer for a "left-turn bay at Great Northern Way and Clark Drive".
In a second report commissioned by Vancouver Community College this year, those results were once again verified as the consultant recommended that a LTB at Clark and 6th be constructed to address current left turn volumes and anticipated future volumes.
Funding for this and other Clark-Knight projects has been approved in the 2003-05 Capital Plan and funding has been allocated in the 2003 Capital Budget. In addition to the approved City Funding, revenue sharing opportunities from TransLink, ICBC, Property owners and the Federal Border Infrastructure Fund exist. Complete details on the Financial Implications are detailed in a later section of this report.
DISCUSSION
A left turn bay at Clark Drive and 6th Avenue has been a priority for a number of years. Key property acquisitions have occurred over the past 10 years. Recently, all of the required parcels of land on the west side of Clark Drive were purchased. Construction of a left turn bay is now possible.
This report is proceeding in advance of the Clark/Knight WRA report, because Council has already approved the project in principle, and the VCC station will open in 2006 and will require increased bus movements through the intersection. Construction will commence in spring 2005 after the WRA has been reported to Council.
There are many advantages for installing this left turn bay:
1) protects the nearby neighbourhood from shortcutting;
2) it would improve safety by eliminating the need for through-traffic to change lanes near the intersection in order to by-pass left-turning vehicles;
3) it would reduce the level of stop-and-go vehicular noise, air pollution and fuel consumption at the intersection;
4) it would provide a connection for buses destined for the VCC station and other False Creek Flats developments. (Educational consortium, Vancouver Community College expansion, QLT etc.)
5) it would help facilitate the flow of goods from Clark/Knight to the neighbouring industrial area and the Port of Vancouver as recommended in the 1997 Transportation Plan;
Case studies of nine City intersections indicated left-turn-bays can prevent 30-50% of all intersection accidents. Between 1990 and 2004, there have been 141 reported accidents resulting in 44 injuries and 1 fatality at the intersection of Clark and 6th Avenue.
Conversely, without left-turn-bays, left-turning vehicles northbound on Clark Drive at 6th Avenue are causing serious concerns related to access, safety and delay. Given the high volume of traffic on Clark Drive, left turning vehicles are continuously blocking through-traffic in the left lane. Consequently the through-traffic would often make lane changes near the intersection in order to by-pass these left-turning vehicles, thereby creating potentially unsafe situations.
Pedestrian access to the VCC station will be improved as new sidewalks on both sides of Great Northern Way between Clark and Keith will be built in conjunction with the left turn bay.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Recent surveys completed for similar left turn bay projects along the Clark-Knight corridor have received strong public support. Local residents were notified of the project and a public meeting was held on March 4, 2003 at Queen Alexandra School. While turnout was relatively small, only one of the 6 attendees opposed the project.
ALTERNATIVES/OPTIONS
Staff has reviewed alternatives to deal with these safety concerns without the installation of a left turn bay, such as:
1) installing separate left-turn signal arrows;
2) modifying signal phasing for north and southbound traffic; and
3) leaving the intersection as is.
These measures are not recommended because:
1) The intersection has been operating with a left turn advance arrow and lane configuration for the past several years. The volume of left turns has exceeded the capacity of the green light advance. With increasing vehicle volumes and turning movements, modifications are required to the intersection to allow access to the VCC station, as well as existing and future developments.
2) Having separate signal phases for north and southbound traffic will result in increased congestion on Clark Drive and longer delays for pedestrians at Clark and 6th Avenue and likely at Clark Drive and Broadway as well.
3) Leaving the intersection "as is" would not improve traffic safety or improve the flow of goods to and from the False Creek Flats industrial area.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The overall cost of this project is estimated to be $3,300,000. Property acquisitions costs totalling $1.3 Million to date, represent $1.6 Million of this total. Land transfers from the PEF to Engineering will round out the property acquisitions. As mentioned previously, all of the required property on the west side of Clark Drive has been purchased with Council authority. Construction can start in the spring of 2005.
Funding is available from three sources. In the 2003 Capital Budget, funding was approved for improvements to this intersection and is located in order group CB1EA4AX2X.
Translink has committed up to $1,250,000 as matching funding through its Major Road Network Minor Capital fund. This funding is set to expire December 31, 2004; if approved, an application for an extension will be sent to Translink. Extensions have been approved by Translink in the past and we expect this project to receive an extra year in order to complete construction.
A further $500,000 is available through the Federal Border Infrastructure fund.
Through requirements of rezoning, developers in the False Creek Flats have agreed to cost share in this project. Staff will discuss with ICBC possible funding contributions as part of their commitment towards Road Safety Improvements.
FUNDING SOURCES |
AMOUNTS |
2003 Basic Capital |
$1,070,000 |
TransLink |
$1,070,000 |
Federal Border Infrastructure Fund |
$500,000 |
ICBC |
To be determined |
Flats Developers |
Up to 20% of total cost potentially $660,000 |
TOTAL |
$3,300,000 |
CONCLUSION
It is recommended that the installation of the left-turn bay on Clark Drive at 6th Avenue proceed as shown in Appendix 1, in order to improve traffic safety and improve the flow of goods to the port and the False Creek Flats.
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