Traffic calming measures in Steveston will be extended throughout the month of August following the long weekend.
Council voted at Monday’s general purposes committee meeting to limit Bayview and Moncton streets to one-way traffic after the B.C. Day weekend until the end of August.
Meanwhile, from Saturday morning to Monday evening during the B.C. Day weekend (Aug. 1 to Aug. 3), Moncton Street from No. 1 Road to Third Avenue will be closed completely to vehicle traffic, and Bayview Street will have one-way traffic.
This road change was first piloted on Canada Day.
According to a city staff report, the estimated cost of the B.C. Day weekend road changes is $30,000: $27,500 for traffic control personnel and $2,500 for set up/take down activities and signage.
From Aug. 4, traffic will be one-way eastbound on Moncton Street, to allow for increased social distancing during the busy summer period. Parallel parking will still be allowed on the north side of the street, according to a city report. Bayview Street will continue to have one-way traffic.
Coun. Kelly Greene opposed the one-way traffic measure for August, arguing that the street closures shouldn’t be a “partway job.”
A city survey of merchants in Steveston revealed that 43 per cent were in favour of extending the road closures beyond Aug. 3, while 49 per cent were opposed. Of the total 102 merchants fronting Bayview and Moncton streets, 82 responded to the survey.
“I had the opportunity to talk to some businesses, and their feedback is do (the road closures) or don’t do it, but don’t do it halfway, because they can’t have any benefit from that,” said Greene.
“There’s benefits to both ways (full closure or no closure) for them, but there’s no benefits for doing it halfway.”
She added that while it’s important to consider merchants concerns and work with them in the event any issues arise due to the traffic measures, it’s also important to look out for the wider community, for example, by giving them space to physically distance in popular areas such as Steveston.
Details on signage, costs and communication with merchants for the month-long measures will be provided to council at next week’s council meeting.
