SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 1(a)
VTC AGENDA
JULY 9, 1996
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: June 28, 1996
Dept. File No.: 4051
TO: Vancouver Traffic Commission
FROM: General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT: Cypress Street Bike Route - Kitsilano Portion, from Ogden
Avenue to 16th Avenue and 1997 Provincial Bicycle Network
Program Cost Share Update
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT the portion of the Cypress Street Bike Route north of
16th Avenue be implemented as shown in figure 1 and detailed
in this report, at a total cost of $450,000, the sources of
funds are to be $130,000 previously approved by Council,
$165,000 from the Provincial Government, and $155,000 from
Streets Basic Capital Unappropriated Account No.
12/31/6903/999 - Bicycle Network.
B. THAT public consultation and design for the 37th Avenue, Kent
Avenue, Heather Street, Nanton/28th Avenues and Lakewood Drive
bike routes be undertaken with funding of $50,000 provided
from Streets Basic Capital Unappro-priated Account No.
12/31/6903/999 - Bicycle Network.
C. THAT the Streets maintenance budget be increased by $500
without offset, for the maintenance of the traffic circle
proposed in this design, starting in 1997, and the signal
maintenance budget be increased by $8,000 without offset, for
the maintenance of 4 traffic signals proposed in this design,
starting in 1997.
COUNCIL POLICY
The Vancouver Comprehensive Bicycle Plan (1988) and the Clouds of
Change Report (1990) established the City's policy of promoting and
encouraging cycling as a transportation alter-native.
On May 14, 1992, Council approved a City-wide bicycle route network
with priority given to local street integration, and with the Cypress
route identified as high priority.
On October 8, 1992, Council approved the Kitsilano Traffic Plan which
recommends a bike route be built on Cypress Street as part of the
Citywide bicycle route network.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to obtain approval for the implementation
of the Kitsilano portion of the Cypress Street bike route. Also,
approval is sought for the preliminary design work and public
consultation for additional bike routes recently approved as part of the
1997 Provincial Bicycle Network cost share program.
SUMMARY
In consultation with Kitsilano residents and the Bicycle Network
Subcommittee of the Bicycle Advisory Committee to Council, a proposal
for the Kitsilano portion of the Cypress Street bike route was
developed. The route follows Cypress Street from the English Bay and
the Burrard Bridge to 16th Avenue. This route connects with the
Off-Broadway Bikeway and the Seaside Bike Route and will eventually
connect with the proposed 37th Avenue Greenway and S.W. Marine Drive
bike route.
It is proposed that some intersections be modified for additional
comfort and safety for cyclists and that cyclists be given appropriate
priority along the route. Traffic calming devices such as diverters and
traffic circles are recommended to discourage vehicle short-cutting and
speeding. Street lighting will be upgraded where necessary. Pavement
improvements are also recommended to improve the riding surface.
Measures are proposed at arterial street crossings to enhance safe bike
crossings and a signage system similar to the existing Bikeways will be
adopted.
The total cost for the Kitsilano portion of the Cypress Street bike
route project is estimated at $450,000. As $130,000 was previously
approved for preliminary work and $165,000 will be provided by the
Province, an allocation of $155,000 is being sought.
Based on support from the Bicycle Advisory Committee, participants at
the open house, and resident surveys, staff recommend that the proposed
Kitsilano Portion of the Cypress Street bike route, detailed in this
report, be approved.
Approval is also requested for preliminary design work on 37th Avenue
and Kent Avenue bike routes and three Bikeway Links: Heather Street,
Nanton/28th Avenues and Lakewood Drive. This work is estimated to cost
$50,000. These projects were recently approved for cost sharing by the
Provincial Government.
The additional City cost for all of the above will be funded by the
Streets Basic Capital unappropriated account set aside for the Bicycle
Network.
BACKGROUND
After extensive public consultation in 1991 regarding bike route
facilities, the option of enhanced integration on local streets was the
preferred option for encouraging more bicycling. On May 14, 1992,
Council approved the following recommendation:
THAT the development of the first trial bike routes along
local streets be based on the following priorities:
- Adanac/Union Corridor
- Broadway Corridor
- Ontario Corridor
- Arbutus Corridor
In pursuit of the foregoing bike routes, Engineering staff has worked
closely with the Bicycle Advisory Committee to Council and the Bicycle
Network Subcommittee. Also, residents and cyclists have been encouraged
to participate through open houses and surveys.
The Adanac, Off-Broadway and Ontario Bikeways were opened in 1993, 1994
and 1995 respectively. The bikeway along Cypress Street, adjacent to
the Arbutus Corridor, as proposed in this report, will complete the
first priority corridors.
In 1995 the Province announced a two million dollar per year
cost-sharing program designed to encourage local municipalities to build
commuter cycling facilities as an alternative to the automobile. Since
then the City of Vancouver has applied for and received cost-share
monies toward cycling projects.
RECOMMENDED CYPRESS STREET BIKE ROUTE DESIGN -
KITSILANO PORTION
The recommended Cypress Street bike route design meets the comfort and
safety needs of cyclists while addressing the impacts on local
residents. Affected residents, businesses and schools have been
surveyed and the majority support the route as detailed herein. Traffic
diverting measures are to be installed on a trial basis and will be
monitored by staff. Cyclists and residents will be surveyed again after
this trial period and the results will be reported to Council as
necessary.
(a) Route Alignment and Improvements
Initially, route alignment was sought along, or adjacent the
Canadian Pacific Rail Right-of-Way. The cost of acquiring this
land and the lack of usable adjacent land or streets negate the use
of this route at this time. It is hoped that in the future this
Right-of-Way can be developed into a Greenway/Bikeway that will
complement the bike route currently proposed.
The general route alignment and details are proposed as shown on
Figure 1. The route is as direct and user-friendly as possible.
Some further comments are provided as follows:
i) Two traffic diverters and one traffic circle are proposed
along the route to slow motor vehicles, minimize through
traffic and improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians. All
traffic calming will allow cyclist, pedestrian and emergency
vehicle access.
ii) Miscellaneous pavement upgrades are recommended along the
route and include repairing potholes, uneven pavement, bumps
and large cracks.
iii) Crossing arterial streets will be made easier with
cyclist-activated signals. An existing signal will be upgraded
and four new pedestrian/cyclist signals are proposed. The
locations of these measures are shown on figure 1.
iv) Street lighting improvements along the route are proposed to
improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and residents.
Overhead lighting will be added at some intersections and
better spacing of lighting will be achieved mid-block, where
necessary.
v) Traffic calming on the portion of Cypress Street north of 4th
Avenue is subject to a separate process, and will therefore be
reported separately.
(b) Neighbourhood Compatibility
Input regarding this proposal from residents, schools and business
was gathered through surveys, letters, phone calls, E-mail and an
open house. All proposed measures were supported by the majority
of residents and a summary of the survey results can be found in
Appendix A. Overall, 84% of respondents indicated support for
these types of measures, versus 7% opposed. Support for individual
measures ranged from 56% (vs. 28% opposed) to 89%.
Between Broadway and 16th Avenue the bike route measures were
combined with a traffic calming plan done for the Arbutus
Industrial Area. All measures in this traffic calming plan were
supported by residents as well and this will be reported to
Commission shortly.
As with all bikeways, the route will be monitored and residents and
cyclists will again be surveyed as to the effectiveness of the bike
route and its impact on the neigh-bourhood. Adjustments will be
made if this route does not meet the needs of cyclists or the
neighbourhood.
Existing bikeways generally have been seen by residents as having a
positive impact on the neighbourhoods traversed by those routes.
This is partially because reducing non-local traffic on local
streets is a shared goal of local residents and the cycling
program.
(c) Implementation
Route improvements would begin immediately and completion of the
route is expected this Fall with the installation of the new
pedestrian/cyclist signals.
(d) Maintenance
Elements of the proposed Cypress Street bike route could be
considered for maintenance levels above those of a normal street.
However, due to current budget constraints it is recommended that
the bicycle route receive the same level of service as would a
normal street, at no additional cost. This may require refusing
some public requests for extraordinary maintenance levels.
There is one traffic circle proposed and this will be landscaped to
improve aesthetics and visibility. There will be an annual
maintenance cost for repair, landscaping and signage of
approximately $500. It is not appropriate to offset these costs
from other maintenance budgets; therefore, the overall maintenance
budget should be increased to accommodate the new traffic circle.
As an alternative, if resident volunteers can be encouraged to
adopt the traffic circle and agree to maintain it as per the City's
traffic circle adoption program, then the cost may be reduced to
$100.
Each of the four cyclist activated signals will incur an annual
maintenance cost of $2,000, for a total of $8,000.
(e) Route Name
The route was generally called the Arbutus Bicycle Corridor during
the planning stages. This name should be reserved for a potential
future route on the actual rail right of way. Therefore, several
alternative route names have been suggested, such as:
- Shaughnessy Bikeway
- Cypress Bikeway
- Cypress-Angus Bikeway
- X-press Bikeway
After discussions with the public and the Bicycle Network
Subcommittee, it is recommended that the route be named the Cypress
Bikeway.
(f) Route Signage
The signage, including route markers, destination signs, and
brochures, will be similar to those that have been successful along
the Adanac, Off-Broadway and Ontario Bikeways. All are based on
the use of clear, internationally recognized standard symbols with
a minimum of wording. The route markers will be placed at one
block intervals alternating directionally.
Free brochures for the bike route will be available at City Hall
and other public areas and will be distributed at cycling related
events. They will provide help to users, promote the route and
reinforce cyclist etiquette. These will be of leaflet size similar
to other Bikeway brochures. Information and maps describing
Vancouver's cycling program are also available on the Internet
through the City's home page.
PRELIMINARY WORK FOR ADDITIONAL BIKE ROUTES -
1997 COST SHARE PROGRAM
As described in a February 27, 1996 Council report, the City applied for
cost-share funding for four cycling-related projects. Three of these
projects were recently approved for Provincial cost sharing under the
Cycling Network Program and they must be completed by March 1997.
Preliminary design work and public consultation for cycling improvements
on 37th Avenue, Kent Avenue, Heather Street, Nanton/28th Avenues and
Lakewood Drive needs to begin this summer.
An allocation of $50,000 for the preliminary work is requested now from
the Basic Capital Account set aside for the Bicycle Network. The work
will include public consultation and surveys, traffic counts, geometric
designs, and preliminary route signing. This is similar to the work
required for the start up of the other City Bikeways.
Sufficient funds to provide the City's matching share for the total cost
of these projects will be submitted for approval in the next three-year
capital program.
The cost breakdowns for the 1997 cost share projects are as follows:
Provincial Share Total City Share 237th Avenue $ 550,000 $350,000 $200,000
Kent Avenue 356,000 178,000 178,000
Bikeway Links 413,000 213,000 200,000
TOTALS $1,319,000 $741,000 $578,000
FUNDING
The cost to implement the Kitsilano portion of the Cypress Street bike
route is as follows:
Upgrade existing signal at Cypress/Cornwall $ 10,000
Install new cyclist/pedestrian actuated signal at
Cypress/4th 65,000
Install new cyclist/pedestrian actuated signal at
Cypress/Broadway 60,000
Install new cyclist/pedestrian actuated signal at
Cypress/12th 80,000
Install new cyclist/pedestrian actuated signal at
Cypress/16th 70,000
One traffic circle 5,000
Two right-in/right-out diverters 50,000
Street lighting improvements. 20,000
Route signs 25,000
Pavement improvements 60,000
Brochures, public consultation, advertising, etc. 5,000
TOTAL COST OF CYPRESS BIKE ROUTE - KITSILANO PORTION $450,000
Previously Approved by Council ($130,000)
Senior Government Cost Share ($165,000)
1997 Provincial Cost-share Program -
Preliminary Work on New Routes $ 50,000
FUNDING REQUIRED AT THIS TIME. $205,000
The amounts of $40,000 and $90,000 for preliminary work were approved
through Council reports dated April 11, 1995 and February 27, 1996,
respectively.
The remaining cost of $205,000 is available from the Streets Basic
Capital Budget allocation for the Bicycle Network (Account No.
12/31/6903/999).
BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND NETWORK SUBCOMMITTEE
The Network Subcommittee of the Bicycle Advisory Committee fully
supports the recommendations outlined in this report.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Information letters and surveys regarding the proposed bike route were
distributed to approximately 800 households, businesses, schools and
community associations along the route. Approximately 1,100 letters and
surveys regarding the bike route and a neighbour-hood traffic plan were
distributed to residents in the area bounded by Broadway, 16th, Burrard
and Arbutus. All deliveries included notification of an open house and
a survey form to be mailed back or brought to the open house.
People not living on or adjacent to the route were notified through
newspaper advertisements and development signs along the route. The
detailed survey results and a summary of the comments are located in
Appendix A.
Following the completion of the route, follow-up surveys of residents
and cyclists will be conducted for report to Council, as necessary.
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