CITY OF VANCOUVER
VANCOUVER TRAFFIC COMMISSION
June 20, 1995
A Special Meeting of the Vancouver Traffic Commission was held on
Tuesday, June 20, 1995 at approximately 7:30 p.m. in Committee Room No.
1, Third Floor, City Hall.
PRESENT: Councillor Clarke, Acting Chair
Councillor Chiavario
Councillor Price
ABSENT: Councillor Bellamy (Sick Leave)
Councillor Sullivan (Sick Leave)
MANAGER'S Dave Rudberg, General Manager,
REPRESENTATIVE: Engineering Services
CLERK: Gary MacIsaac
Power to Act
On January 11, 1994, the Council, by the required majority, granted
this commission Power to Act on all unanimous decisions. The decision
of the Commission contained herein was unanimous and, therefore, stands
approved.
1. Blenheim Street Traffic Measures
This matter was deferred from the June 14, 1995 Traffic Commission
meeting to allow residents surrounding Blenheim Street additional time
to review the material.
In an Administrative Report dated May 31, 1995, the General Manager
of Engineering Services reviewed a number of traffic control measures
which could be installed along Blenheim Street, and recommended several
that would be effective in downgrading two sections of Blenheim Street
between 16th Avenue and 4th Avenue, as specified in the Kitsilano
Traffic Plan.
Mr. Paul Pinsker, Transportation Engineer, advised three new
traffic signals have been installed along Blenheim Street since 1991.
Lights were installed at King Edward Avenue in 1991, at 10th Clause No.
1 cont'd
Avenue in 1992, and at 16th Avenue in 1993. At the time of approval of
the signal at 16th Avenue, concerns were expressed by the neighbourhood
that the flow of traffic would increase, and Council instructed the City
Engineer to monitor the impacts and report back on measures to mitigate
them. Subsequently, Council approved the Kitsilano Traffic, Cycling,
and Parking Plan. This plan includes recommendations that Blenheim be
downgraded from a collector to a local street between 4th Avenue and
Broadway and from an arterial to a collector street between Broadway and
16th Avenue.
Mr. Pinsker advised that staff from Engineering Services have been
meeting with local residents since May of 1994 to explore what measures
could be implemented to decrease the traffic flow, which are consistent
with Council approved policies for Blenheim. Mr. Pinsker described the
measures recommended for installation between 4th Avenue and Broadway
which are designed to ensure this portion of Blenheim functions as a
local street, and the measures recommended between Broadway and 16th
Avenue which are designed to ensure this section of Blenheim functions
as a collector street.
Approximately 810 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to
area residence to obtain their preferences and another 175 were mailed
to non-resident owners of local properties. Results indicated support
for:
- Right in/right-out diverter at 4th;
- Traffic circle at 6th;
- All 4 bulges;
- Mandatory right turn northbound at 16th;
- No left turn northbound to 10th, weekday peak periods; and
- New pavement, curbs, and gutters from 16th to the lane north of
10th.
The results also indicated the neighbourhood split on the following
issues:
- Traffic circles at 12th and 14th;
- No left turn Broadway westbound to Blenheim, weekday p.m. peak
period; and
- Removal of the dividing line.Clause No. 1 cont'd
The latter items were not recommended in the report before Council,
although the issue of traffic circles at 12th and 14th Avenues was
presented for Council's consideration. Mr. Pinsker further advised
that staff do not recommend traffic circles at 12th & 14th Avenue as
this section of Blenheim Street is still a collector street and traffic
circles are not intended for this kind of situation. The traffic flow
on Blenheim Street is greater than the traffic flow from the side
streets, but traffic circles assign equality to traffic from all
directions, so this measure will not be effective in this instance.
The following speakers addressed the Commission:
- Dr. Chris Overall (petition on file)
- Mr. David Walker
- Mr. Bob Wilmot
- Mr. Perry McGinity
- Mr. Harold Leprie
- Mr. John Kidder (brief on file)
- Mr. Murray Margolis (brief on file)
- Ms. Theresa Thompson
- Mr. Randall Sharpe
- Ms. Sue Wisener.
The foregoing speakers all recommended the Commission approve
recommendations A, B, D, and E, and that recommendation C be approved
only if recommendation E is approved. Support was also given to the
resolutions of the Blenheim Street Residences Group Report which is
attached to the May 31st Administrative Report.
These speakers based their recommendations on one or more of the
following points:
- There has been a dramatic increase in traffic on Blenheim Street
over the past 10 years, and recently over the past 3 years,
especially since the traffic signals were installed. Much of the
increase is commuter traffic, or traffic destined for McDonald's
Restaurant, Blockbuster Video or Jericho Beach;
- The traffic is making the neighbourhood a less desirable and more
dangerous place to live, and some residents have sold their homes
due to the increase;
- It is not fair to inconvenience Blenheim Street residents because
people want an easier commute downtown;
Clause No. 1 cont'd
- The resolutions recommended by the Engineering Department will not
have a significant impact on decreasing traffic; traffic circles
are required;
- The Residents Group stated an initial preference for stop signs at
12th and 14th Avenues, but in the spirit of compromise, agreed with
the Engineering Department preference for traffic circles.
However, the Engineering Department is now recommending against
traffic circles at 12th and 14th Avenues;
- If traffic circles are not approved by the Commission, then either
stop signs or a traffic median is required;
- As the traffic on Blenheim directly affects residents living in the
immediate vicinity of the street, their views should be given more
weight in the survey;
- The types of problems facing Blenheim Street are similar to the
problems of residents on Cypress and Trafalgar Street, who are
presently working on solutions with the Engineering Department and
will be appearing before the Commission in the near future;
- The solutions being advanced by the Blenheim Street residents are
consistent with the policies stated in the CityPlan and Clouds of
Change reports. The City needs to look at solutions designed to
decrease traffic flow and encourage healthy neighbourhoods. The
current emphasis is on moving traffic efficiently rather than
calming it.
Members of the Commission queried Engineering staff on the
rationale for not recommending traffic circles at 12th and 14th Avenues.
Mr. Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer, advised this section of the
street serves not only as a collector, but as a distributor of traffic.
Even after the traffic circles are installed, Blenheim Street will be
busier than the cross streets, and the circles are intended for
intersections with equal traffic. Also, the neighbourhood is evenly
split on the issue of installing traffic circles. In other areas of the
city where traffic circles have been successfully installed, such as
Mount Pleasant, the residents were 70%-80% in favor of their
installation. Experience has shown that when the City has installed
traffic circles without this level of support, they have sometimes ended
up removing them.
Clause No. 1 cont'd
The following motions by Councillor Chiavario were put and CARRIED.
The Commission therefore
RESOLVED
A. THAT the following traffic measures be implemented along
Blenheim Street, with funding of $41,000 provided from
Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account No.
13/32/9801/999 - Local Area Plans:
i) Traffic circle at 6th Avenue;
ii) Corner bulge at Broadway, northeast corner;
iii) Corner bulge at Broadway, southwest corner;
iv) Corner bulge at 10th Avenue, northeast corner;
v) Corner bulge at 16th Avenue, northeast corner;
vi) Right-in/right-out diverter in the south leg
at 4th Avenue;
B. THAT the following traffic measures be implemented along
Blenheim Street, provided out of existing funding in the
appropriate operating accounts:
i) Left turn prohibition during weekday rush periods for
northbound Blenheim at 10th Avenue; and
ii) Mandatory right turn from curb lane northbound
approaching 16th Avenue;
C. THAT a local improvement for street paving, curb and
gutter for Blenheim Street between 16th Avenue and the lane
north of 10th Avenue be advanced on the Initiative and, should
it be defeated, that staff bring forward, for Council's
consideration, a recommendation to proceed on Special Grounds;
D. THAT staff continue to monitor the impacts to traffic
that result from the measures of Recommendations A, B, and
C, and use stop sign infill as necessary to mitigate changes
or resolve existing problems on adjacent local streets; and
E. THAT temporary traffic circles on Blenheim Street at 12th and
at 14th Avenues be installed at an estimated cost of $13,000,
funded from Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account
13/32/9801/999 - Local Area Plans, if the street improvements
of Recommendation C are approved and constructed.
Clause No. 1 cont'd
The Commission members enquired about the length of time necessary
to install the temporary traffic circles. Mr. Dave Rudberg, General
Manager of Engineering Services, advised he would ask staff to expedite
this work, and it will likely be completed within a few weeks, hopefully
before the next meeting of the Traffic Commission.
2. Other Business
a) HOV Lane on Granville Street
Commission members requested an update on the status of the
HOV lane on Granville between 63rd and 70th Avenues, and requested
this project be accelerated in light of the Oak Street bridge
closures.
Mr. Dave Rudberg, General Manager of Engineering Services
advised staff are preparing ballots for distribution and speaking
to the local merchants, and hope to be able to extend this HOV lane
as soon as possible.
b) Park Board Resolution - In-line Skating
Councillor Chiavario advised the Commission of a June 19, 1995
Park Board resolution that the City be approached to establish a
joint working committee to develop a strategy to better integrate
in-line skating and other alternate transportation modes into our
City and Park system. The Commission noted this matter should be
referred to the newly formed Committee on Transportation issues.
This resolution was received for information
c) Cypress Street/Trafalgar Street
Traffic Measures
Responding to a query from a member of the Commission on the
status of these projects, Mr. Ian Adam advised there is an open
house scheduled for the following evening which is intended to look
at some of the options available for Cypress Street residents,
while the Trafalgar Street project may be the first in which
traffic circles are brought forward through the local improvement
process.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:55 p.m.
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