ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: May 25, 2000
Author/Local: P. Stary/6437
RTS No. 1404

CC File No.: 5757

TO:	Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Corner Bulges for School Crosswalks

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve the construction of corner bulges to improve the pedestrian environment at the existing school crosswalks on Pender Street at Princess, on Slocan Street at Norquay, on 16th Avenue at Balaclava, on 22nd Avenue at Cassiar and on 22nd Avenue at Penticton, and that funding of $123,000 be allocated from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account 30000326 - Local Area Traffic Plans and Other Improvements.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council’s priorities for transportation are, in order: walking, cycling, public transit, goods movement and private automobiles.

The Vancouver Transportation Plan emphasizes the need to provide more comfortable pedestrian environments.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s approval to construct pedestrian corner bulges at five existing school crosswalks.

BACKGROUND

Corner bulges, also known as “curb extensions”, have been approved for use at local street intersections and are now integrated into the City’s Local Improvement Program. They have also been approved for use on arterial streets with full time on-street parking in order to improve the pedestrian environment. Corner bulges of the latter type presently exist at 3 locations on Victoria Drive, 3 locations on West 57th Avenue and on West Boulevard at 42nd.

Corner bulges improve crossing conditions for pedestrians by:
- increasing pedestrian visibility;
- increasing pedestrians’ sight distance;
- reducing crossing distance for pedestrians;
- preventing parking too close to an intersection; and
- preventing passing on the right.

DISCUSSION

The five proposed corner bulge locations are all at well-used school crosswalks. These locations have been identified by the School Traffic Working Group, comprised of staff members from the Vancouver School Board, the Police School Safety Patrol and Engineering Services. Three of these locations are served by student school patrols. The principals of the five schools involved (Beaconsfield, Carnarvon, Norquay, Renfrew and Strathcona) have been consulted and support the proposal. Adjoining residents have been notified.

No vehicle movements will be restricted. The only anticipated effect will be to prevent vehicles from passing on the right while other vehicles are turning left (or stopped for pedestrians), which will be a safety benefit for crossing pedestrians. The corner bulges will be located within existing corner clearances; therefore, no parking will be displaced. Cyclists will be appropriately accommodated. On arterial streets the corner bulges will leave a travel lane at least 4.3 metres (14 feet) wide suitable for bicycle / motor vehicle lane sharing. On non-arterial streets corner bulges will not extend farther into the roadway than parked vehicles.

The proposed corner bulges address two of the recommendations of the City’s Transportation Plan:
- R5, Small changes to improve pedestrian environments; and
- NP8, Improve pedestrian spaces.

They also address a recommendation contained in a recent Vancouver School Board report entitled Traffic Safety Around Vancouver Schools, which supports “developing and implementing innovative engineering measures such as corner bulges, speed humps and painted clearance panels at school locations, in cooperation with individual schools.”

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The total cost of installing corner bulges at the five proposed locations is estimated at $123,000. Funding for this project is available from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account -Local Area and Other Improvements. Corner bulge areas will be finished in concrete and turf to match the existing sidewalks and boulevards; therefore, there should be no extraordinary maintenance costs.

CONCLUSION

Pedestrian corner bulges have been identified as an effective, relatively low cost means of enhancing the pedestrian environment and are therefore recommended for installation at the five school crosswalks noted above. It is anticipated that additional school safety related corner bulge locations will be identified and recommended in subsequent years.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver