ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: November 14, 1997

Author/Local: David Kim, 7912

File No. H123-4/13058 (93000)

CC File No. 113

TO:	Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Revisions to the Granville Mall By-law No. 4792

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RECOMMENDATION

A.THAT the Granville Mall By-law No. 4792 be revised to establish fees for permits issued to commercial vehicles at the rate of $200 for an annual permit and $25 for a one to fourteen day permit.

B.THAT the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the General Manager of Engineering Services, be requested to report back on the ramifications of implementing a 30 kilometre an hour zone.

C.THAT the Granville Mall By-law No. 4792 be revised to regulate loading activities on the Mall, as shown in Appendix A.

D.THAT the Director of Legal Services be requested to prepare the necessary by-law amendments to the Granville Mall By-law No. 4792.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council's priorities for transportation are walking, cycling, transit, goods movement and the automobile.

BACKGROUND

In January of this year, BC Transit requested changes to the Granville Mall By-law to improve pedestrian safety and transit safety and operations on the Mall. Engineering Services staff met with staff from the Police, Bylaw Prosecution, BC Transit and the Independent Canadian Transit Union (ICTU) to find workable solutions to the concerns raised by BC Transit. As well, discussions were held with the consultants hired by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) to review the operation of the Granville Mall.

DISCUSSION

Granville Mall Permits are currently issued free of charge, on an annual basis. The issuance of permits serves a dual role by restricting the number of commercial vehicles on the Mall and by providing staff with an opportunity to advise drivers of where and when loading is allowed, as regulated by the Granville Mall By-law.

An annual permit, with a fee of $200, is proposed for commercial vehicles which make regular deliveries to the Mall throughout the year. A short-term permit, with a fee of $25, is proposed for commercial vehicles which require limited access to the Mall for a specific contract such as renovations, carpet cleaning or office moves. The fees are not intended to be prohibitive to those businesses with limited loading options, but should discourage unnecessary commercial loading activities on the Mall which could otherwise occur from rear lanes or loading areas on side streets (Diagram 1). The short-term fee is an administrative cost recovery fee and the annual fee adds less than $4 per week to the cost of deliveries.

Appendix A contains revisions to the By-law pertaining to speed limits and loading activities. Currently, the speed limit on the Mall is 50 kilometres per hour. Vehicles passing buses stopped for passenger loading conflict with pedestrians, who are legally permitted to cross mid-block. Lowering the speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour will improve pedestrian safety, and is proposed. Because of possible conflicts with Provincial legislation, the Director of Legal Services and the General Manager of Engineering Services will be reporting back shortly on this item.

It is proposed that new restrictions be imposed on loading activities. These would include a thirty minute time limit and specifications for leaving a clear path of travel for other traffic on the Mall. These restrictions are similar to those found in the Street and Traffic By-law governing commercial loading.

As well, it is proposed that commercial vehicles be restricted from entering the Mall during rush hours. This is the peak time for transit with about 150 buses per hour and there are correspondingly high pedestrian volumes. Staff have been encouraging deliveries to be made outside of the rush hours; however, a bylaw is needed to make it enforceable. The proposed bylaw would improve the efficiency of transit operations during their peak ridership times as well as enhance pedestrian safety.

The remaining revisions in Appendix A are designed to give limousines the same status on the Mall as taxis, since they provide a similar service to the public.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Revenue from the introduction of permit fees is estimated at $30,000 per annum. This estimate is based on issuing 150 permits which is about half of the 287 permits currently issued.

NOTIFICATION

Property owners on the Mall, ICTU, BC Transit, the Transit Users Group, Transport 2000, the DVBIA, the Granville Street Task Force and the Theatre Row Business Association were notified of the proposed changes to the Granville Mall By-law. The DVBIA requested that the proposed revisions to the By-law be delayed until after their consultant’s study on the Granville Mall was complete. Consideration was given to their request, but Engineering Services felt it necessary to proceed at this time given the safety and operational concerns of BC Transit and the difficulty enforcing the existing By-law. The proposed changes to the By-law will not preclude any of the options being considered by the Granville Street Task Force.

CONCLUSION

It is recommended that fees be established for Granville Mall Permits and that the Granville Mall By-law be revised, as detailed in Appendix A, to clarify and strengthen restrictions on non-transit vehicles on the Mall and to discourage unnecessary trips to the Mall by those vehicles.

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APPENDIX A

Sections 2, 6(c), 8 and 10

Add limousine

Section 7

Add a thirty minute maximum time limit for commercial vehicles and a three minute maximum for taxis and limousines, and

Replace "parked as far as possible upon the sidewalk parallel and adjacent to the Transitway" with "stopped or parked parallel to the Transitway with the two left side wheels remaining on the Transitway with no greater that 1.5 metres of the vehicle encroaching on the Transitway."

Section 9

Add, after "except", to make a prearranged pick up or delivery

Draft the following new sections of the By-law:

-Commercial vehicles are prohibited from driving upon or along the Transitway between the hours of 7:00 to 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

-No person shall stop or park a vehicle, other than a bus, in such a manner as to leave available less that 6 metres of the Transitway for the free movement of two-way traffic.

-Fees for a Granville Mall Permit shall be established at the rate of $200 for an annual permit and $25 for a 1 to 14 day permit.

-Permit must be prominently displayed in the front windshield of the vehicle.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver