CITY OF VANCOUVER

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC

APRIL 27, 1999

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Tuesday, April 27, 1999, at approximately 12:30 p.m., in the Council Chamber, 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 Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Gordon Price
ABSENT:	Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario (Civic Business) Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Civic Business) Councillor George Puil (Conflict of Interest) Councillor Sam Sullivan (Leave of Absence)
CLERK TO THE COUNCIL:	Denise Salmon

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Don Lee,

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
April 27, 1999

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the attached report:

Cl.1: Kits Point Access, Traffic, and Parking Study
Cl.2: High Occupancy Vehicle Network for the Greater Vancouver Region

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1 and 2 of this report, be approved.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,
SECONDED by Cllr. Herbert,

THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ENQUIRIES AND OTHER MATTERS

1. Leave of Absence - Councillor Herbert File: 1254

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Don Lee,

THAT Councillor Herbert be given leave of absence, if necessary, for the morning of Thursday, April 29, 1999.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 12:35 p.m.

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REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC

APRIL 27, 1999

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Transportation and Traffic was held on Tuesday, April 27, 1999, at approximately 9:30 a.m. in the Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor Gordon Price, Chair Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor George Puil (Clause 2)
ABSENT:	Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario (Civic Business) Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Civic Business) Councillor Sam Sullivan (Leave of Absence)
CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE:	Denise Salmon

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting of March 23, 1999, were adopted.

- - -

Council agreed to vary the order of the agenda and consider Item 2 first.

- - -

RECOMMENDATION

2. High Occupancy Vehicle Network for the Greater
Vancouver Region File: 5762-1

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated April 13, 1999 (on file), in which the General Manager of Engineering Services provides an update on the process to identify potential transit priority measures in the City and recommends approval of steps to further the process.

Wayne Pledger, Strategic Transportation Planning Engineer, provided Council with an overview of the report, and confirmed the intent to move forward with the projects set out in the report's recommendations, but not pursue others listed in Appendices A and B. Mr. Pledger advised a report back is anticipated by late fall.

The following motion by Councillor Puil was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

A. THAT the following potential measures to improve transit travel times and reliability be reviewed in more detail:

- Bus/HOV Lane on Hastings Street, between Renfrew Street and the Downtown, in the AM peak period westbound, and PM peak period eastbound.
- Various discrete transit priority measures including signal priority and bus bulges on selected sections of Main, Fraser and Burrard Streets.

B. THAT the 25% City share of a consultant study for the review in Recommendation “A” above, up to a maximum of $25,000, be provided from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account No. 30000169 - Bus Bulges.

C. THAT property owners along Hastings Street from Renfrew Street to the Downtown be informed of, and have an opportunity to provide input into, the study regarding the potential bus/HOV lane on Hastings Street, and that directly affected property owners be consulted on any discrete priority measures that may emerge from the study.

D. THAT staff report back to Council on the conclusions of these studies.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

1. Kits Point Access, Traffic, and Parking Study File: 8014

Councillor Puil stated that due to a perceived Conflict of Interest, he would not participate in discussion of Clause 1, as he is a resident in the Kits Point area. At this point he left the Chamber and did not return for the remainder of the meeting.

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated April 14, 1999 (on file), in which the General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the Manager of Building Management and Director of Office of Cultural Affairs discuss the findings of the consultant’s report regarding access, traffic and parking in Kits Point, and recommend solutions that mitigate neighbourhood traffic impacts while satisfying the needs of the Kits Point cultural institutions and the general public.

Doug Louie, Assistant Neighbourhood Transportation Engineer, provided Council with an overview of the report, and noted recommendation A does not ask for approval to construct the Fir Street extension, but rather the ability to do further consultation with a detailed report back report. He advised while the report is intended to be approved as a package, key recommendations are A, B, D and L. In response to questions from Council it was noted CP Rail is willing to consider only the bus access road at this time. Mr. Louie also noted methods intended to restrict traffic to bus only on Fir would include good signage and enforcement.

The following delegations spoke in opposition to one or more of the recommendations contained in the Kits Point Access, Traffic, and Parking Study report; points raised included the following:

Scott Nelson, SPEC (letter from Musqueam Indian Band filed with Clerk)
Don Buchanan (slide presentation and brief filed)
Eric Wilson, President, Board of Trustees, Vancouver Academy of Music
Bev Ballantyne (brief filed)
Ann Hedley, Harbour Cove Strata Council Member (brief filed)
John Whistler
John Erwin (reads Rob Wynen's letter)
Guy Wera
Sherrill Jackson (brief filed)
John Erwin
Helmet Krutz
Mark Gauthier
Dean McKay, Extreme Mountain Bike People
Ivan Bulic, SPEC

· opposed to Fir Street transit route extension into Vanier Park as outlined in the report; points raised included:
- requires a full public process prior to consideration of Recommendation A
- loss of one of only four remaining natural green spaces in Vancouver, including a small wetland and urban wildlife refuge presently found under the Burrard Bridge
- would render walkers' route to Granville Island uninhabitable and impact cyclists who use the area
- goes against City's approved Transportation Plan and CityPlan, which favour cycling and pedestrian traffic before the automobile
- the roadway through parking lot, adjacent the Vancouver Academy of Music, will negatively impact safety of children attending the Academy
- additional analysis of the roadway will require additional money
- no effective method to ensure only buses use the route
- the question of ownership of lands located beneath the Burrard Bridge

- Extreme Mountain Bike People envisage land under the Burrard Bridge as part of the Trans Canada Trail

· pay parking will not improve the current situation of the underutilized parking lot, but will financially impact parents transporting their children to the Academy of Music

· more pedestrian amenities and better transit access are required for Kits Point; tour buses should be reinstated to the Museum immediately to help with their financing

· residents of 1st and Fir are already heavily impacted by traffic noise; to transfer Kits Point traffic to this area, without prior consultation, is not acceptable

· defer any decision on additional roads until the status of the CPR road has been decided; deferral will allow for a better design and allow for planning of transportation needs for all

· permitted routing for the newer monster buses should be limited to existing truck routes; a standard for allowable size and weight of bus needs to be established for travel in the city

· no options are provided for reduction of motorists, and no suggested improvements for cyclists are made in the report; paving more land will not solve transportation problems, people need to be encouraged to walk

· the survey conducted by the City indicates this is a non-issue for the majority of residents living in Kits Points, while Harbour Cove and adjacent complexes on the west side of Granville Island would be severely impacted by the proposed road

· green space increases privacy and reduces noise; impervious surfaces, i.e. pavement, increases water pollution run-off, and lessens acoustic privacy

· support for extension of interurban line to Vanier Park; no noise problem, no roadneeded, and perfect for tourists

The following delegations spoke in support of the Kits Point Access, Traffic, and Parking Study; points raised included the following:

Lynne Kent, Kits Point Residents Association
Dave Harris, President, Kits Point Residents Association
Rosey Brenan, Pacific Space Centre (also spoke for Vancouver Museum Commission)
Anne Terriss
Jim Storie, President, Vancouver Trolley Company
Walter Hardwick (suggested road be moved from adjacent Academy of Music immediately to the east of their parking lot)
Theo Mallinson
Bruce Wilkie
Janey Cruise
Mike Doyle (brief filed)

· the report contains a comprehensive set of recommendations that all parties have agreed on, which address both marketing and visibility needs of Kits Point institutions

· Recommendation A is a compromise agreed to by all stakeholders; it will not remove traffic, but rather act as a release value for a busy area; further, approval in principle only is sought at this time

· the issue of green space under the Burrard Bridge will be addressed during the feasibility and design phase of the Fir Street extension

· response to Engineering's survey was low because the majority of those concerned attended the consultant's meeting rather than respond to the survey

· increased awareness of, and better access to the Maritime Museum, Vancouver Museum and Pacific Space Centre by tour buses (which act as a vital link with the tourist trade) is of paramount importance to increase revenues for those institutions

· pay parking will also help achieve the goal of financial self-sufficiency for the institutions located on Kits Point

· improved pathways and clear directional signage are required to link all of Vanier Park's facilities

· Vancouver Trolley buses operate on propane, not diesel, and noise levels are no higher than typical utility-type vehicles; bus companies want to increase their services to support the Point's institutions, and thereby assisting their financial self-sufficiency
· approval of the report's recommendations will allow all Vanier Park/Kits Point stakeholders to move forward with workable solutions to problems that have been ongoing for years, which are expected to increase as visitors to the area increase

The following motion by Councillor Clarke was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

THAT decision on this matter be referred to the May 4, 1999, Regular Meeting of Council.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillor Puil not present for the vote.)

The Committee adjourned at 12:30 p.m.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver