ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: November 27,1995
Dept. File No. H193-29
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT: Traffic Issues, Clark Drive and Broadway
Queen Alexandra School
INFORMATION
The General Manager for Engineering Services submits this report
for Council's INFORMATION.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council's transportation policy places highest priority on
pedestrians, bicycles and transit.
PURPOSE
At the September 12, 1995 meeting, City Council deferred a motion "that
residents in the area of Queen Alexandra Elementary School and Vancouver
School Board representatives be invited to meet with the Vancouver
Traffic Commission to discuss traffic issues in the area and potential
solutions" pending a report back on the status of discussion with the
Vancouver School Board on traffic issues in the area of Clark Drive and
Broadway. This report will summarize discussions with the Vancouver
School Board as well as the Vancouver Police Department staff and inform
City Council of the resultant actions.
DISCUSSION
Queen Alexandra School is located at the intersection of Clark Drive and
Broadway. Both are busy arterial streets as well as truck routes, and a
substantial number of turning movements occur at the intersection. Some
Queen Alexandra students must cross one or more legs of this
intersection to travel between home and school.
Queen Alexandra School has a high student turnover from year to year.
This results in many new students unfamiliar with area traffic
conditions and a low level of volunteer participation. A student school
patrol is not a viable option for the Clark Drive and Broadway
intersection.
A well-established liaison program exists among School Board, Police
Department and Engineering Services staff to address school-related
safety issues. Liaison group members have dealt with Queen Alexandra
School issues on an on-going basis and have also met with the Queen
Alexandra principal and parent representatives on a number of occasions.
Prior to the summer of 1994, the following measures were implemented:
- signal timing at Clark and Broadway adjusted to provide more
crossing time;
- bus stop and shelter on Broadway moved to minimize sidewalk
congestion in the area used by students travelling to and from
school;
- additional north and south facing signal heads installed at Clark
and Broadway, with funding assistance from ICBC;
- Police School Patrol safety sessions delivered with twice the usual
frequency (ongoing).
On July 21, 1994, Council approved recommendations that left-turn bays
be constructed on Clark at Broadway and also that the Vancouver School
Board be asked to fund adult crossing guards for the intersection. The
latter recommendation resulted from concerns raised at neighbourhood
meetings held to discuss the left-turn bay proposal. The School Board
declined to fund crossing guards and asked that pedestrian overpasses be
installed.
Subsequently, the School Board Director of Planning and Facilities, the
Queen Alexandra School principal, the Assistant City Engineer,
Transportation, and members of the school safety liaison group met to
discuss possible improvements. School Board representatives reiterated
their support of pedestrian overpasses as the best solution for students
travelling to Queen Alexandra School. The Queen Alexandra catchment
area includes all four quadrants of the Clark and Broadway intersection
and, therefore, a minimum of three overpasses would be required to serve
all students. Engineering Services representatives noted there are
significant negative aspects to overpass installation, including the
difficulty of enforcing their use, their unsuitability for a city street
environment and the substantial costs involved in construction and land
acquisition.
However, pedestrian overpasses could be considered as a longer term
option when funding is available. In the meantime, shorter term
improvements should continue to be looked at, including adult crossing
guards. Without compromising future possibilities, the following
measures were agreed on:
- enhanced signing on Clark and Broadway to increase motorists'
awareness of school children (completed);
- an additional pedestrian railing on the south side of Broadway, in
supplement to an existing railing, to prevent pedestrians from
stepping onto the roadway except at the marked crosswalk
(completed);
- the installation of additional east and west facing signal heads,
with funding assistance from ICBC, following the success of the
previously installed north and south facing signal heads
(completed);
- a protective barrier to be installed adjacent to Clark Drive, to
provide better separation between vehicles and pedestrians as well
as to channel all pedestrians to the crosswalk (to be constructed
in conjunction with the left-turn bays in summer of 1996);
- a request to the Police Department that the Clark/Broadway
intersection be considered as a candidate for camera enforcement if
and when this technology is made available by the Province and
accepted by the City (this intersection is already a priority
enforcement location);
- a continued high level of traffic safety education for the
students, to compensate for the high student turnover and lack of
familiarity with appropriate safety practices;
- ongoing monitoring to determine whether additional measures could
further improve safety, both before and after left-turn bays are
installed. The left-turn bays themselves are also expected to
improve safety at the intersection.
CONCLUSIONS
Clark Drive and Broadway is a very busy intersection and challenging for
some students to cross given the particular circumstances at Queen
Alexandra School. Overpasses could potentially provide the best
protection for pedestrians, but there are significant questions
regarding their suitability. In the interim, some safety measures have
been implemented and more are planned. Additional interim options could
include crossing guards and consideration of a pedestrian-actuated
signal at 10th and Clark.
School safety liaison group members are continuing to address traffic
safety issues around Queen Alexandra School. Additional resources from
the three agencies involved - School Board, Police Department and
Engineering Services - are called upon as required.
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