The Richmond News inquired about the efforts the City of Richmond is making to improve road congestion and traffic safety. Here is the reply from Ted Townsend, senior communications manager at the city:
Road Capacity
· Traffic modeling undertaken as part of the Official Community Update indicates that based on forecast population and employment, Richmond’s internal road network is sufficient to accommodate anticipated growth in traffic with congestion occurring only at the river crossings. All of the river crossings are not within the City’s jurisdiction but the City works with the respective agencies (i.e., MoTI, TransLink, YVR).
o The City also is undertaking strategic expansion of road network to respond to growth in development and goods movement including Highway 911 overpass on Westminster, Westminster Hwy widening, Nelson Rd widening, No 6 Rd widening, new road along CPR corridor and other incremental improvements to City Centre ring road network
o The opening of the Canada Line greatly added to our transportation capacity, moving people through and in and out of Richmond. Estimates are that Canada Line passengers is equivalent to removing 10 lanes of traffic from the road. The City will be working with TransLink on the upcoming Richmond Area Transport Plan, which will identify future transit/cycling/walking improvements for Richmond.
o Council approved the update of Richmond’s Official Community Plan (OCP) in November 2012. The OCP has a broad theme of sustainability as well as specific targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, over 50% of which come from on-road motor vehicle transportation. With respect to mobility, there is a target to increase the mode share of alternate modes of travel (transit, cycling, walking) to 51% by 2041 (from 17% in 2008) with a corresponding decrease in auto mode share from 83% (2008) to 49% by 2041. Encouraging the use of alternate travel modes, particularly for shorter local trips, will not only reduce GHG emissions but also traffic congestion as well as provide health benefits for residents.
o Car-Share: came to the City last year with Modo (one car each at Brighouse & Lansdowne Stns) and Zipcar (2 cars at Richmond Centre). This year, Car2Go will be coming in the fall with the establishment of a Home Area in the City Centre. Modo also plans to expand with a car at Bridgeport station.
o Cycling: annual expansion of the City’s active transportation network to encourage more cycling with a focus on facilities that either provide separation from motor vehicles (on major arterials) or are located on quieter local streets. Recently or soon to be completed projects include the Railway Greenway, Middle Arm Greenway, Crabapple Ridge Bikeway (local street) and Parkside Bikeway.
o Walking: annual construction of pedestrian pathways in local neighbourhoods with a focus on roads that provide connections to schools, neighbourhood centres, bus stops, parks, and other destinations.
Traffic Safety Design
· The City annually implements various traffic safety measures to improve the safety of all road users. Examples include:
o Traffic Calming: speed humps, curb bulges, traffic circles, etc to reduce traffic speeds and volumes, particularly around school zones.
o Pedestrian Crosswalks: upgrade of crosswalks on 3- to 4-lane arterial roads to a higher standard of a “special” crosswalk with pedestrian-actuated overhead flashing amber lights.
o Accessible Pedestrian Signal Features: upgrade of all special crosswalks, pedestrian and full traffic signals with features to assist those with mobility challenges (e.g., chirp/cuckoo sounds, verbal wayfinding).
o Cycling: spot improvements such as installation of delineator posts to prevent motorists from encroaching into bike lane and installation of green surface treatment to highlight potential conflict areas. The establishment of local street bikeways also includes the upgrade of arterial road crossings (e.g., typically, upgrade of crosswalk to a pedestrian signal) to facilitate cyclists and pedestrians to cross the busier major street.
· The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) was established in 1997 and provides input and feedback on a wide range of traffic safety issues such as school zone concerns, neighbourhood traffic calming requests and traffic-related education initiatives. TSAC meets regularly and has representation from the following groups: ICBC, Richmond School District, Richmond RCMP, Richmond Fire-Rescue, and the City’s Transportation and Community Bylaws Divisions.
· The City works with ICBC and Richmond RCMP on various education and enforcement strategies to improve road safety. Examples include annual pedestrian safety campaigns that typically occur during the Fall & Winter when there is less daylight (e.g., distribution of reflective items and safety literature in high pedestrian locations) and “Project Swoop” where high crash locations are targeted with speed limit enforcement.
· ICBC provides crash data to the City that can be used to identify problem locations. ICBC and other agencies provide funding assistance to the City to make improvements that enhance traffic safety.
Overall, we’re spending $6 million in 2014 on roadway and traffic maintenance and improvements from new signals to crosswalk and other improvements as well as re-paving to rehabilitate existing roads.
