CITY OF VANCOUVER
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC
JUNE 17, 1997
A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held
on Tuesday, June 17, 1997, at approximately 11:35 a.m., in Committee
Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on
Transportation and Traffic meeting, to consider the recommendations of
the Committee.
PRESENT: Mayor Philip Owen
Councillor Don Bellamy
Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario
Councillor Jennifer Clarke
Councillor Alan Herbert
Councillor Daniel Lee
Councillor Don Lee
Councillor Gordon Price
Councillor George Puil
Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT: Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Leave of Absence)
CITY MANAGER'S
OFFICE: Ken Dobell, City Manager
Dave Rudberg, General Manager of
Engineering Services
CLERK TO THE
COUNCIL: Denise Salmon
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Puil,
THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Mayor
Owen in the chair.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Report of Standing Committee on
Transportation and Traffic
June 17, 1997
Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as
contained in the following clauses of the attached report:
Cl.1: Wall Street Area Traffic Plan
Cl.2: Award of Contract #9702: Pressure Reducing Station
Construction and Related Work
Cl. 3: Trolley Service Improvements and
Downtown Route Hookup Changes
MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses
1 and 3 of this report, be approved.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
THAT the recommendation of the Committee, as contained in Clause 2
of this report, be approved.
- CARRIED
(Councillor Sullivan and the Mayor opposed.)
RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Puil,
THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
The Council adjourned at 11:40 a.m.
REPORT TO COUNCIL
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC
JUNE 17, 1997
A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on
Transportation and Traffic was held on Tuesday, June 17, 1997, at
approximately 9:30 a.m. in the No. 1 Committee Room, Third Floor, City
Hall.
PRESENT: Councillor Gordon Price, Chair
Mayor Philip Owen
Councillor Don Bellamy
Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario
Councillor Jennifer Clarke
Councillor Alan Herbert
Councillor Daniel Lee
Councillor Don Lee
Councillor George Puil
Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT: Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Leave of Absence)
CITY MANAGER'S
OFFICE: Ken Dobell, City Manager
Dave Rudberg, General Manager of
Engineering Services
CLERK TO THE
COMMITTEE: Denise Salmon
RECOMMENDATION
1. Wall Street Area Traffic Plan File: 5762
The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated May 28,
1997 (on file), in which the General Manager of Engineering Services
recommended approval for implementation, on a trial basis, of the
traffic calming plan for the Wall Street Area.
Wayne Pledger, Strategic Transit and Transportation Engineer,
reviewed the main points of the report with the Committee, and advised
the plan is well supported by neighbourhood residents.
Giselle Stellmacher, area resident, noted:
speed of traffic, especially during the last three years, has
become unacceptable
the extremely dangerous situation for those residents who must exit
their driveways onto Wall Street
speeding drivers short-cut through Wall Street to reach downtown
making it unsafe to walk along, or cross, the street
due to the limited vision, coupled with the curved slope of Wall,
her car has been hit three times while parked in front of her home
urged Council to approve the Traffic Plan
Barbara Fousek, area resident, noted:
Wall Street is used as a commuter roadway, although not an arterial
street
closures are preferable to cul-de-sacs to address commuter traffic
and speeding problems
the need for a wording change on three signs to be posted in the
area from "Traffic Calmed Area" to "Local Traffic Area"
the need to upgrade the adjacent road surface to enable the
elderly, disabled in scooters, and moms with strollers, easy access
urged Council to approved the Traffic Plan
Engineering staff advised once the Plan is in place local residents
could address the poor street surface condition through the Local
Improvement Program. Staff will meet with the neighbourhood to discuss
future potential Greenway design for the area. Staff also indicated the
change in wording of the three signs to "Local Traffic Area" could be
done.
Nathan Davidowicz, speaker, advised:
the no left turn (3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday) for eastbound Powell to
northbound Wall was not advisable, with only 56% of those surveyed
in favour
traffic problems will shift to Templeton Drive and Eton which will
become the only route which allows access to the area
a 27-foot pavement width is too narrow if cars are permitted to
park on both sides on the street
Staff advised Council all measures, apart from the traffic circles,
are temporary; following a six-month trial another opinion survey will
be conducted, for report back to Council.
The following motion by Councillor Don Lee was put and carried.
The Committee, therefore,
RECOMMENDED
A. THAT the following traffic measures be installed on a
temporary basis:
1) No left turn (3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday) for eastbound
Powell to northbound Wall
2) 3-way stop at Eton/Wall
3) Corner bulges, plus 3-way stop at Trinity/Wall
4) 3-way stop at Penticton/Wall
5) One-way eastbound on Yale between Nanaimo and Kamloops
6) No right turn from southbound Nanaimo to westbound McGill
7) Traffic Calmed Area signs at 3 Locations
B. THAT Council approve the future narrowing of Wall
Street, adjacent to Oxford Park and that staff pursue
this narrowing with the Park Board and adjacent
developments(8).
C. THAT the following traffic circles and closure be
installed on a permanent basis:
9) Traffic circle at Nanaimo/Wall
10) Traffic circle at Kaslo/Wall
11) Closure of Wall at McGill
12) Traffic circle at Slocan/Trinity
13) Traffic circle at Penticton/Trinity.
D. THAT following the trial period, area residents be
surveyed, traffic counts be taken and the results be
reported to the Standing Committee on Transportation
and Traffic to determine the permanent plan.
E. THAT the estimated cost of $51,000 for the installation
be provided from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated
Account No. 13/32/9801/999 - Local Area Plans.
F. THAT funding of $500 per year per traffic circle, for a
total of $2,000 per year, be added without offset to
the Operating Budget for maintenance, reduced to $100
per year per circle for each circle residents agree to
adopt.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
2. Award of Contract #9702:
Pressure Reducing Station Construction and Related Work
The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated
May 15, 1997, (on file), in which the General Manager of
Engineering Services recommended that the contract for the
construction and related work of the pressure reducing valve
(PRV) stations at 49th & West Boulevard, 33rd Avenue & Victoria
Drive and Beach Avenue & Jervis Street be awarded to the low
bidder, Westport Construction Group.
Also before the Committee was a letter dated June 5, 1997,
from Westport Construction Group Inc. indicating some serious
errors were made in their tender, and a request that it be
withdrawn.
Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services,
advised no arithmetic error or other apparent discrepancy was
found in the tender document, and therefore staff recommend the
contact proceed as awarded, or alternatively if Westport
Construction so choose, there is the opportunity to forfeit their
bid bond. However, Mr. Rudberg did indicate the tenderer would
proceed if awarded the contract, as a forfeit of the bid bond
would impact the reputation of the company. He further advised,
under the circumstances, the City would work carefully with the
company to make the project as successful as possible.
Mark Webber, Westport Construction Group Inc., advised:
Westport is a small general contractor, with excellent
references
eight City projects have been successfully completed over
the past two years, one with a voluntary credit returned to
the City
Westport's request to withdraw its tender was received by
the City one hour after the tender opening
of the stressful tender process, with some prices coming in
only one hour prior to tender closing
Council members discussed the following issues:
the serious financial burden and impact on Westport's
viability if awarded the contract
the availability of the second lowest bidder to complete the
job (Engineering staff advised Cicuto and Sons Contractors
Ltd. were available to proceed with the project, and noted
all bids are irrevocable within 60 days of the tender
opening)
the difficulty in judging the impacts on a small firm versus
a large company, and the nature of the legal contract
entered into
The following motion by Councillor Puil was put and carried.
The Committee, therefore,
RECOMMENDED
THAT the contract for Pressure Regulating Valve Station
Construction and Related Work at the three sites be awarded
to the second lowest bidder meeting specifications, Cicuto
and Sons Contractors Ltd., at a lump sum cost of $635,366;
source of funds to be Account Code 17/36/4205/999; and
FURTHER THAT the City Engineer be authorized to execute a
contract with Cicuto and Sons Contractors Ltd. in a form
satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services.
- CARRIED
(Councillor Sullivan and the Mayor opposed.)
3. Trolley Service Improvements and
Downtown Route Hookup Changes
The Committee had before it a memorandum dated June 10, 1997
(on file), in which the General Manager of Engineering Services
discussed enhanced service frequencies and changes to Downtown
trolley route hookups proposed by BC Transit, for implementation
on September 1, 1997. The changes will be presented to the
Vancouver Regional Transit Commission for approval on June 25th.
Wayne Pledger, Strategic Transit and Transportation
Engineer, advised the above noted memorandum responds to the
Standing Committee's request of June 3, 1997, for additional
information on the impact on suburban Vancouver routes of the
proposed West End Transit Service. Mr. Pledger noted the proposed
route hookups targeted for September 1st, will:
allow the new West End route to be separated from the Main
and Fraser Street services, and thereby increasing
reliability
facilitate the introduction of enhanced frequencies for
various City trolley routes, with the intent to interline
routes that have similar frequencies and ridership patterns
Council members raised the following issues:
the number of transfers required to move through the
downtown either west or east does not provide a meaningful
opportunity for drivers to use transit
request for information on status of San Francisco's trolley
order from the Czech Republic
concern re the future of Vancouver's trolley buses
the potential lifting of the liquor moratorium in Downtown
South, and the need for late night service on affected
routes
recent weekend use of diesels on Granville Street ( Transit
staff advised this was due to road work in the area)
Dave Harlow, Independent Canadian Transit Union, advised:
of his opposition to changes to the No. 3 Main/Downtown and
No. 20 Victoria/Downtown routes
his uncertainly on the purpose of the move from Granville
to Richards of the above routes, as Richards currently shows
low pedestrian use
potential problems with the routing along Robson on weekends
and evening hours, when congestion is at its worst
the unused trolley wires currently in place on Burrard,
adjacent St. Paul's Hospital to Davie, could be used as a
route option to the City's financial core, at no cost , with
connections to the Mall and SkyTrain at Burrard
Transit's original Figure 8 route for downtown service would
better serve the area
the five minutes headway on the proposed No. 20 Downtown/No.
3 Main has potential to result in a "bus train" if schedule
delays occur
of the lack of washroom facilities along the new routing
Brian Sagman, Acting Manager of Scheduling, BC Transit
advised:
if service levels were reduced, a rerouting to utilize the
Burrard trolley wires could be accommodated; however this
would delay implementation and Transit's desire to
co-ordinate all proposed routing changes by September 1st
of the advantage to hooking together the No. 3 and No. 20
service which provides options for short-turning to
accommodate late runs, and service recovery at Davie and
Richards
discussed the anticipated improvements to service between
the current routes for the No. 3 and No. 20 and the
connected route
testing is currently underway on loop detectors to allow for
efficient bus movement and faster travel times
a marketing plan to advise the public of route changes will
be in place for September
Dale Laird, Independent Canadian Transit Union, noted:
the negative consequences of hooking together the No. 3 and
No. 20 bus routes, including missed short turning
opportunities
an efficient route would move from the west through the
downtown to the east and vice versa, dropping off passengers
from one side to the other; however two routes from the
east, hooked together downtown, offers no efficiency
the proposed No. 3/20 route will be a 90 minute trip, in one
direction, providing no break for drivers
coupling of the two routes means reliability is jeopardized
in both directions
every route change heightens the public's confusion unless a
high degree of marketing is involved
BC Transit has only recently invited the Union to comment on
proposed changes prior to implementation, although ICTU's
comments have not been reflected in current routing
proposals
Nathan Davidowicz:
advised of the availability of the Auditor General's Report
on BC Transit Productivity and Marketing (Council requested
a copy of this report )
supported ICTU's points on the negative impacts of the Main
and Victoria route hookups
suggested the one-way routing on Richards would confuse
transit riders
noted one block of trolley wire installed on Drake between
Howe and Granville would enable short turning and should be
constructed prior to implementation of the new routes
A Council member indicated the need for further details in
a report back from BC Transit prior to implementation of the
services. Staff advised this would result in the West End Loop
service not being implemented by September. However other
Council members agreed the proposed changes should proceed to
ensure service in September.
The following motion by Councillor Chiavario was put and
lost.
THAT BC Transit be requested to provide Council with
detailed information on route changes, discussed at the June
3, 1997, Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic,
Transit's Marketing Plan related to all changes, and details
of driver and transit user surveys, to allow for further
discussion prior to implementation in September.
- LOST
(Councillors Bellamy, Clarke, Herbert, Dan Lee, Don Lee,
Price, Puil, Sullivan and the Mayor opposed.)
The following motion by Councillor Chiavario was put and
carried. The Committee, therefore
RECOMMENDED
A. THAT the memorandum from the General Manager of
Engineering Services, dated June 10, 1997, be received
for information.
B. THAT BC Transit be requested to report back to Council
in three month's time with detailed information on
route changes, as discussed at the June 3, 1997,
Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic,
Transit's Marketing Plan related to all changes, and
details of driver and transit user surveys, to allow
for further discussion.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
The following motion by Councillor Bellamy, was put and
carried. The Committee, therefore,
RECOMMENDED
C. THAT Council request BC Transit ensure the appropriate
Union representatives are present at the table when
suggested changes to routes are discussed.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
The Committee adjourned at 11:35 a.m.