ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: October 26, 1999
Author/Local: I. Adam/7331
RTS No. 1080

CC File No. 5808
T&T Date: November 2, 1999

TO:	Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM:	General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:	Enhancement of Pedestrian Facilities at Richards Street and Pacific Boulevard

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT the right-turn cutoff on Richards Street at Pacific Boulevard be removed, the intersection normalized, the additional sidewalk area enhanced, and ongoing traffic management measures be applied as discussed in this report, at a cost of $150,000, $55,000 funded from the GreenLinks Account and $95,000 from the New Sidewalks Account.

CONSIDERATION

B. THAT the right-turn cutoff on Richards Street at Pacific Boulevard be narrowed and pedestrianized with a raised crosswalk and stop sign, at a cost of $25,000, funded from the GreenLinks Account.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council has approved residential zoning in Downtown South and in North False Creek.

The City Transportation Plan indicates that pedestrians should be able to cross roads safely, easily and comfortably.

BACKGROUND

At one time, Pacific Street curved directly onto Richards Street, as shown in Figure 1a. When Pacific Boulevard was extended onto the then-BC Place site, this curve was converted into an intersection, and a right-turn cutoff was provided to replace the arterial connection from southbound Richards to westbound Pacific (figure 1b). As a result, this turn became one of the heaviest right-turn volumes in the City, at 900 vehicles per hour. These are some comparable locations:

Nanaimo at Dundas 1350 vph dual turn lanes, turn arrow, crosswalk closed
Pacific at Burrard 1150 vph dual turn lanes, cutoff
Hastings at Cassiar 900 vph right-turn lane and cutoff
Richards at Pacific 900 vph
70th at Oak 800 vph dual turn lane, crosswalk closed
Georgia at Denman 750 vph crosswalk closed
Nelson at Howe 620 vph dual turn lanes, turn arrow

However, Richards at Pacific differs from most of these other locations, in that residential development is replacing industrial activity in both Downtown South and False Creek. The existing arrangement is increasingly incompatible with growing pedestrian volumes. As illustrated by Figure 2, Richards is likely to become the main pedestrian route to George Wainborn Park and the Seawall. Although pedestrian accidents have not been reported to date, the potential may increase with increasing pedestrian volumes.

IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGE

· The character of this intersection is likely to change dramatically over time. It will become a major pedestrian linkage between the western Concord site, and the Downtown area.

· Normalization will create a very wide sidewalk space in a prominent location that will need landscape design and careful treatment, with quality in accordance with Downtown South standards. This design would be addressed by the Greenways team.

· In a number of other instances, the City has simply removed right-turn cutoffs that were less heavily used, and normalized the intersection. In this instance, the combination of strong pedestrian demand and high turning volumes requires that changes to the intersection be carefully planned.

· The current turn volume would exceed the conventional capacity of a normalized intersection. If some of the traffic were diverted from this routing, it would relocate to other streets in the area, notably Pacific Boulevard. Since Council has already indicated a desire to calm traffic on Pacific, such a change would be counter-productive.

· The turn volumes could be accommodated in a normalized intersection through traffic-management measures such as dual turn lanes and a right-turn arrow. As the list above indicates, these are typical measures for heavy turn volumes. Dual turn lanes are also “unfriendly” to pedestrians, so closure of the west crosswalk could also be a longer-term option.

· Normalization will require extensive changes to utilities, including trolley poles and the signal. Buses do use this turn, and BusLink’s work to relocate trolley overhead is expected to require one to two months to complete.

ALTERNATIVES

1. Retain the existing design. This is not recommended, for reasons noted above.

2. Normalize the intersection, expand and enhance the sidewalk space, and review traffic management measures for application when necessary. This would resolve the pedestrian conflict, and would normalize the intersection. It would require ongoing assessment of traffic management measures (such as dual-turn lanes, green arrow, or crosswalk closure) to ensure the intersection operates safely. Because pedestrian volumes are expected to build over time, these measures would likely be at a later date. (Approximate cost: $150,000.)

3. Pedestrianize the cutoff - as shown in Figure 3b, the cutoff could be narrowed, and have a raised crosswalk with textured surface. This would meet the needs of both pedestrians, and turning traffic, and would make a very clear statement about the priority of pedestrians. However, the right-turn cutoff would still remain. (Approximate cost: $25,000.)

Option 2 is recommended, based on the improvement to pedestrian realm and the desire to normalize the intersection. This modification requires extensive relocation of utilities. The preliminary cost estimate is $150,000; approximately half is related to the relocation of overhead trolley and signal poles, and half to enhancement of the sidewalk space.

Option 3 presents a viable alternative, should Council be concerned about the cost of Option 2, and its potential for diverting traffic to other streets. This option is presented for Council’s consideration.

PUBLIC REVIEW, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

These options have not yet been subject to public discussion and review. During the 6 to 8 weeks required for utility relocation, staff will meet with adjacent property owners and others to prepare a suitable design. As the adjoining areas develop, this site will become quite prominent, and the space could become a significant feature. The sidewalk and landscaping plan will be prepared by the Greenways team, in consultation with the Urban Design staff and adjoining owners, to reflect this prominence.

In the meantime, the site will be made safe, and access to the new development will be provided. Primary construction would be conducted in the Spring.

The development of this space conforms very closely to Council’s description of the GreenLinks fund, being to provide enhanced pedestrian and other connections from the Concord Pacific site into Downtown. Therefore, up to $55,000 funding available from that fund should be applied to this project, with additional funding as necessary from the New Sidewalk Account.

ATTACHMENTS THAT DO NOT HAVE ELECTRONIC COPY ARE AVAILABLE ON FILE IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
PURPOSE

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver