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CITY OF VANCOUVER

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC

JULY 20, 1999

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Tuesday, July 20, 1999, at approximately 11:55 a.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

PRESENT:	Deputy Mayor Alan Herbert Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Gordon Price Councillor George Puil
ABSENT:	Mayor Philip Owen (Civic Business) Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Sick Leave) Councillor Sam Sullivan (Civic Business)
CLERK TO THE COUNCIL:	Denise Salmon

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
SECONDED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Deputy Mayor Herbert in the chair.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report of Standing Committee on
Transportation and Traffic
July 20, 1999

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the attached report:

Cl.1: Bike Lanes on Pender Street, West of Cambie Street
Cl.2: Fraser River Trail Greenway - McCleery Golf Course

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1 and 2 of this report, be approved.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Herbert,
SECONDED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ENQUIRIES AND OTHER MATTERS

1. Travel - Councillor Puil File: 1254

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,
SECONDED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT Councillor Puil be granted permission to travel to Toronto in either July or August of this year, if required, to continue discussions on compensation for NHL Canadian Clubs.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 12:00 noon.

- - - - -

REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC

JULY 20, 1999

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Transportation and Traffic was held on Tuesday, July 20, 1999, at approximately 9:30 a.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor Gordon Price, Chair *Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario *Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee *Councillor George Puil *Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Councillor Lynne Kennedy (Sick Leave)
CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE:	Denise Salmon

*denotes presence for portion of the meeting

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic meeting of June 22, 1999, were adopted.

- - - - -

Council agreed to vary the order of the Agenda to deal with Clause 2 first. The minutes are recorded sequentially in order to ensure clarity.

- - - - -

RECOMMENDATION

2. Fraser River Trail Greenway - McCleery Golf Course File: 5767

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated July 6, 1999 (on file), in which the Director of City Plans and General Manager of Engineering Services, in consultation with the General Manager of the Park Board, seek Council approval for the design of the neighbourhood greenway along the McCleery Golf Course, adjacent to the Fraser River, the allocation of funds for its construction and maintenance, and direction for staff to negotiate a maintenance agreement with the Southlands Riding Club.

Peter Bremner, Greenways and Local Improvement Engineer, introduced Nancy Hill, Greenways Engineer, who, with the aid of renderings and copies of photographs (circulated at the meeting and on file) provided Council with an overview of the project. Staff responded to questions from Council on status of walkway through the Musqueam (Eagle Ridge) Golf Course and planned retention of natural vegetation. It was also noted the pathways would be constructed to allow for future use by equestrians, if desired.

Terry Slack, representing Southlands River Trail and Dyke Committee and the Celtic Greenway Group, advised of his support for the greenway link through the McCleery Golf Course. He further suggested the trail be made wheelchair accessible to the top of the dyke, the area's natural history be addressed, perhaps by means of a brochure, and the fisheries aspects of the river be taken into consideration during construction. A trail users survey was circulated for Council's information, and Mr. Slack advised many overseas tourists and patients from surrounding hospitals currently make use of the trails. He requested information on the type of volunteer activities the Park Board would condone adjacent the trail. Engineering staff advised discussions are currently underway with various parties on planned maintenance for the area.

The following motion by Councillor Chiavario was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

A. THAT Council approve the construction of the trail along the McCleery Golf Course, adjacent to the Fraser River, as shown in Appendix A of the Administrative Report dated July 6, 1999;

B. THAT funding of $147,000 be approved from the Neighbourhood Greenways - Unappropriated/Unallocated Account (30000135) for construction of the greenway;

Clause 2 Cont'd

C. THAT commencing in 2000, the Streets Operating Budget be increased by $2,500 (without offset), for path maintenance and brush clearing;

D. THAT equestrian traffic be allowed only on the McCleery Street portion (Celtic Avenue to the Fraser River) and that staff work with the Southlands Riding Club to reach a maintenance agreement which will allow equestrian use along the river section.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Councillors Clarke and Puil not present for the vote.)

1. Bike Lanes on Pender Street, West of Cambie Street File: 5757

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated July 15, 1999 (on file), in which the General Manager of Engineering Services presents two options for a trial of bike lanes on Pender Street between Cambie and Burrard Streets. However, he notes there has not been sufficient time to perform the needed detailed analysis and public consultation on this important issue. The recent resurfacing of Pender Street did not affect the curbs, so there is no opportunity lost by deferring decision while these issues are addressed.

Accordingly, both the City Manager and the General Manager of Engineering Services recommend deferral of a decision at this time. However, if Council wishes to proceed, Option "B2" as contained in the report, on the basis of general traffic capacity, safety, and transit benefit, is recommended , along with recommendations C, D and E. Proposals for the extension of the bike lanes west of Burrard Street would be reported back following further public consultation.

- - - - -

(Councillors Puil - Civic Business - and Clarke arrived during discussion of this item. Mayor Owen and Councillor Sullivan left on Civic Business during discussion of this item and did not return for the remainder of the meeting.)

- - - - -

Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer, Transportation, advised Council had, on June 22nd, requested a report back on cycling options west of Cambie on Pender Street. He then introduced Doug Louie, Assistant Neighbourhood Transportation Engineer, who provided Council with an overview of the report, and with the aid of diagrams, described options for a trial of bike lanes on Pender between Cambie and Burrard Streets.

Clause 1 Cont'd

Staff answered questions from Council on existing street configuration, impacts of delaying a decision from a physical planning standpoint, and the notification/consultation process.

Stuart Swain, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, circulated a copy of a letter dated July 19, 1999 (on file), from the President of the DVBIA, which highlighted the lack of an adequate consultation process. While Mr. Swain was neither pro nor con on the issue of bike lanes on Pender, he advised of his support for deferral of a decision until adequate study can be done on impacts of the proposal.

Dave Currie, TransLink, advised of support for cycling initiatives; however he noted Pender Street has high bus volumes, with potential negative impacts resulting from the proposals before Council this day. He requested Council defer decision for approximately six months to allow sufficient lead time to design new schedules and routing, and allow for public consultation.

The following speakers were in favour of proceeding with bike lanes on Pender, between Cambie and Burrard Streets:

Don Buchanan
Kari Hewett (brief filed) (letter dated July 19, 1999 from Executive Director of BEST circulated)
John Whistler (letter dated July 19, 1999, from Vice President, Business Services, WestCoast Energy circulated)
Marc Erickson
Carmen Mills
Scott Nelson, SPEC
Richard Campbell, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition
Ted Buehler, UBC Bike Co-op
Paul Bogart

Points noted by the speakers included:

· Option B2 (one hybrid bus-bicycle lane and one general traffic lane in each direction between Seymour and Cambie) has significant safety concerns from a cyclists' perspective
· currently there is no easy or safe way to enter or move through the downtown core on a bike; bike lanes into the downtown are the cycling community's highest priority
· separate bike lanes are important for safety reasons, as is adequate signage and driver education
Clause 1 Cont'd

· Pender Street is the viable route into the downtown core
· Option B2 was not discussed at the public meeting; however the portion of Pender from Burrard to Cardero which was discussed, is not included in the report options
· bike lanes into the downtown core are not a new concept, they have been discussed in the City's Transportation Plan and Clouds of Change reports; proceed with the trial
· a greater perceived degree of safety is required (i.e. bike lanes) to provide an incentive for those considering cycling
· a one year trial, rather than six months, would be more effective and avoid the seasonal winter dip in ridership
· proceeding with the bike lanes now would provide an opportunity for study, and complement work on the upcoming downtown transportation plan
· concern some motorists and cyclists may attempt unsafe passing when all traffic must stop with only one westbound lane, whenever a bus stops at a bus zone
· Option B1 is a well designed plan for a tight corridor, lacing all three transportation needs through that corridor

The General Manager of Engineering Services noted bike lanes into the downtown have long been intended; however, due to the tight time frame for preparation of the report, further analysis is required on loading and unloading activities that support businesses along Pender, as well as impacts on transit. Council was therefore advised to defer decision at this time. However, if Council wishes to proceed, two options have been provided.

A number of Council members agreed on the need for further consultation.

The following motion by Councillor Puil was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

THAT the proposed bike lanes on Pender Street, west of Cambie Street be deferred until further analysis and consultation has been undertaken, with a report back to Council by February 28, 2000.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

(Mayor Owen and Councillor Sullivan not present for the vote.)

The Committee adjourned at 11:55 a.m.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver