HomeMy WebLinkAboutTAC 2018-09-26 Agenda
City of Maple Ridge
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
AGENDA
September 26, 7:00 pm
Blaney Room, Maple Ridge City Hall
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES –July 25, 2018
4. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
4.1. Speed limit consideration on Dewdney Trunk Road from 222 Street to 227 Street
Links to the staff report and video from the January 9, 2018 Council Workshop meeting.
Item 5.3 Active Transportation Advisory Committee: Bicycling on Sidewalks and Speed Limits
in the Town Centre
Report – Item 5.3: http://mapleridge.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01092018-2989
Council Workshop Video – Item 5.3 (minute 1:57:00)
http://media.mapleridge.ca/Mediasite/Play/ec303b3d9810443ab0a31e8bec3108251d
4.2. Active Transportation Technologies and Programs
4.3. 240 Street Bike Lane Extension
4.4. 2019 Business Planning
5. CORRESPONDENCE
5.1. Polygon/Morningstar Development 2015-297-RZ
Letter dated August 13, 2018 from Barry Bellamy, Co-Chair HUB Cycling, retracting HUB
support for the Polygon/Morningstar development at 232 Street and Lougheed Hwy.
Letter dated September 10, 2018 from Jackie Chow, HUB Cycling, regarding the active
transportation connection.
6. QUESTION PERIOD
7. ROUNDTABLE
8. ADJOURNMENT
QUESTION PERIOD
Question Period provides the public with the opportunity to ask questions or make comments on
subjects that are of concern to them. Each person will be given 2 minutes to speak. Up to ten
minutes in total is allotted for Question Period.
/aa
City of Maple Ridge
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
The Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, held in the
Blaney Room, at Maple Ridge City Hall on July 25, 2018 at 6:59 pm.
____________________________________________________________________________________
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Councillor Duncan Council Liaison
Kino Roy, Chair Member at Large, Youth Representative
Dave Rush Cycling Representative
Ineke Boekhorst Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association
Kim McLennan Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness
Representative
Cpl. Steven Martin Ridge Meadows RCMP – Traffic Services
Susan Carr School District No. 42
Wayne Stevens, Vice Chair Seniors Community Representative
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT
David Pollock Municipal Engineer / Staff Liaison
Purvez Irani Manager of Transportation
Amanda Allen Committee Clerk
ABSENT
Paul Yeoman Member at Large
Franklin Salguero Member at Large
Note: Paul Yeoman was not in attendance. Kino Roy chaired the meeting as Vice Chair.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
R/2018-003
It was moved and seconded
That the agenda for the July 25, 2018 Active Transportation Advisory Committee be
amended to add Item 4.6 DropBike Program and that the agenda as amended be approved.
CARRIED
3. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES
R/2018-004
It was moved and seconded
That the minutes of the Maple Ridge Active Transportation Advisory Committee meeting
dated March 28, 2018 be adopted.
CARRIED
Active Transportation Advisory Committee Minutes
July 25, 2018
Page 2 of 4
4. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
4.1. 2018 Chair and Vice Chair Elections
Note: Ineke Boekhorst joined the meeting at 7:09 pm.
The Staff Liaison opened the floor to nominations for a Chair.
By acclamation, Kino Roy was selected Chair of Active Transportation Advisory Committee for
2018.
By acclamation, Wayne Stevens was selected Vice Chair of the Active Transportation Advisory
Committee for 2018.
Note: Councillor Duncan joined the meeting at 7:13 pm.
Note: Kino Roy resumed as Chair at the meeting.
4.2. Bicycles on Sidewalks – 224 Street from North Avenue to 122 Avenue
The Staff liaison reported on the Council discussion and queries which arose at the January
9, 2018 Council Workshop meeting with regards to excluding bicycles on particular sidewalks
and reducing the speed limit along 224 Street. There was discussion on the speed of
roadways with existing bike lanes and concerns of other people powered modes of
transportation being pushed from the sidewalk to the roadway.
R/2018-005
It was moved and seconded
That only bicycles be excluded from sidewalks along 224 Street from North Avenue to 122
Avenue.
CARRIED
Councillor Duncan - OPPOSED
The Staff liaison advised that Council is seeking input on limiting the speed along 224 Street
from 122 Avenue to North Avenue. There was discussion on reducing the speed in that
particular stretch of road to 30 km/h and whether or not the current speed matches the road
design. The Staff liaison advised of future plans to install a roundabout at 224 Street and
124 Avenue and there was discussion on passive traffic calming along 224 Street.
R/2018-006
It was moved and seconded
That the Active Transportation Advisory Committee support reducing the speed limit on 224
Street from North Avenue to 122 Avenue from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.
CARRIED
Active Transportation Advisory Committee Minutes
July 25, 2018
Page 3 of 4
4.3. Speed limit consideration on Dewdney Trunk Road from 222 Street to 227 Street
The Staff liaison advised that during the January 9, 2018 Council Workshop meeting,
members of Council questioned the idea of reducing the speed limit along Dewdney Trunk
Road from 222 Street to 227 Street. Further information on the matter was requested. Staff
will forward Council reports and link to Council Workshop video for review and add the item
to the next agenda for further discussion.
4.4. 2018 ATAC Work Plan
The Staff liaison clarified capital projects and cycling funding. The Chair spoke to cycling
infrastructure and the funding approved by Translink for the Major Bike Network. There was
discussion on the flashing amber crosswalks installed along Dewdney Trunk Road and
potential locations, guidelines and TAC standards for future installations. It was requested
that the next agenda include a discussion on extending bike lanes along 240 Street from
Dewdney Trunk Road to Lougheed and what can be accomplished with the existing road
structure.
The Council liaison suggested that the 2019 work plan include a review of current cycling
facilities and infrastructure to determine a focus and recommendation from the committee.
Another item suggested was a contest or draw to promote people powered modes of
transportation to engage the community and encourage active transportation. Installation of
a bike storage facility at the bus loop was discussed. The Staff liaison reviewed the process
of the business planning model at the City of Maple Ridge.
4.5. Communities on the Move – Request for Endorsement
The Chair reviewed the correspondence from HUB Cycling. There was discussion on Translink
and its core mandate.
R/2018-007
It was moved and seconded
That the following recommendations be forwarded to Council:
1. That the City of Maple Ridge endorses the Communities on the Move Declaration
published on the BC Alliance for Healthy Living's website.
2. That the City of Maple Ridge add its name to the growing list of endorsers of the
Communities on the Move Declaration.
CARRIED
4.6. DropBike Program
Ms. Boekhorst introduced the program and shared her experience with DropBike in Kelowna.
There was discussion on the program, bicycle parts, and popular spots in Maple Ridge where
the program may work well. There was interest in learning more about the program and Ms.
Boekhorst will bring additional information to a future meeting.
Active Transportation Advisory Committee Minutes
July 25, 2018
Page 4 of 4
5. CORRESPONDENCE - Nil
6. QUESTION PERIOD - Nil
7. ROUNDTABLE
David Rush discussed the topic of an anti-idling campaign. The Staff liaison will provide
previous City of Maple Ridge reports and research to members.
Kino Roy reported on pedestrian maps installed at skytrain stations that show nearby points
of interest and how far of a walk it is to reach them. There was discussion on how active
transportation can be encouraged in Maple Ridge and the possibility of working with
Translink to install pedestrian maps at bus stops around town.
Kim McLennan noted an opportunity to work with the Municipal Advisory Committee on
Accessibility and Inclusiveness Age-Friendly Initiative subcommittee to install location maps
and signage at targeted sites around the city.
Wayne Stevens spoke to promoting local tourism and advised of the passport program run by
the City of Vancouver that encourages people to visit attractions and collect stamps. Mr.
Stevens will investigate the program further as well as any existing apps available to promote
local attractions and will report findings at a future meeting.
8. ADJOURNMENT – 8:47 pm.
K. Roy, Chair
/aa
312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2
To: Frank Quinn, <fquinn@mapleridge.ca>
David Pollock P.Eng <dpollock@mapleridge.ca>
Michael Canning <mcanning@mapleridge.ca>
Rachel Ollenberger <rollenberger@mapleridge.ca>
Purvez Irani <pirani@mapleridge.ca>
Mayorandcouncil@mapleridge.ca>
Maple Ridge Active Transportation Advisory Committee <aallen@mapleridge.ca>
cc: Addie Anderson, Morningstar Homes /
Polygon Homes <aanderson@mstarhomes.com>
Re: 232nd Street / 2015-088-DP
Polygon/Morningstar development
August 13, 2018
Mayor and Council, City of Maple Ridge Engineering staff,
The cycling and pedestrian infrastructure planned as part of the present road design for the
Polygon/Morningstar development along Lougheed Highway and 232nd Street will pose serious safety issues
for both people walking and people cycling.
Before Public Hearing, at the request of Ms. Anderson as the representative of Polygon/Morningstar, our HUB
Committee sent our letter of support for this development to Mayor and Council based on her assurances that:
Bike lanes would be part of the design throughout the development.
There would be ample opportunity for our HUB Cycling Committee to provide further feedback.
However:
Our HUB Cycling Committee was given no opportunity to provide further feedback and was given no
information about the road design until the design had already received final approval.
The final design shows infrastructure that contravenes best-practice design guidelines used
widely by private and public sector practitioners.
We strongly suggest that the City reconsiders the final road design for the reasons given above. Our HUB
committee would appreciate a participatory role with the City and the developer to ensure safe cycling and
pedestrian facilities are part of the design of this development.
Without changes, we will unfortunately have to publicly retract our support for this development.
Sincerely,
Barry Bellamy, co-chair
HUB Cycling
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Chapter JC/BB/IC/EoM/JL
20TH ANNIVERSARY
604.558.2002
info@bikehub.ca
bikehub.ca
312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2
September 10, 2018
To Mayor and Council <mayorandcouncil@mapleridge.ca>
cc: David Pollock, P.Eng. <dpollock@mapleridge.ca>
Purvez Irani <pirani@mapleridge.ca>
Michael Canning <mcanning@mapleridge.ca>
Rachel Ollenberger <rollenberger@mapleridge.ca>
Adrian Kopystynski <akopystynski@mapleridge.ca>
Members of Active Transportation Advisory Committee <aallen@mapleridge.ca>
Addie Anderson, Morningstar Homes <aanderson@mstarhomes.com>
Re: 2015-297-RZ; Polygon/Morningstar development Lougheed Highway/232nd Street
Mayor and Council,
Regarding the above development, we have the following remarks.
First of all, this development presented a very rare and unique opportunity for us at HUB
Cycling to help ensure that, as part of this large development at close proximity to the
downtown, high quality cycling infrastructure would be included in the design along two
important arterials (involving the complete re-design of a section of one!), as well as the
new connecting road between these arterials, at no cost to the taxpayer.
Seizing any potential opportunity to improve cycling along arterials is very important,
especially in a community like Maple Ridge, where due to topography and lack of a grid
system, cycling connectivity is very challenging to achieve.
We were thrilled to see the high level of engagement with our HUB Committee on the part
of the developer, resulting in clear promises by the developer of "bike lanes throughout the
development", and "many opportunities to provide feedback and suggestions throughout
the development process".
As you know, at the request of the developer, our HUB Cycling Committee sent a letter of
support for this development to Mayor and Council prior to Public Hearing, based on these
clear promises. We were truly impressed and encouraged by this opportunity to be invited
to work with this developer in order to help design a walk- and bike friendly, livable and
sustainable neighbourhood.
We are happy to see that one of the promises made by the developer, i.e. physical
separation of existing bike lanes on Lougheed Highway, will be fulfilled. Hopefully this will
l 20TH ANNIVERSARY
604 .558.2002
info@bikehub.ca
bikehub.ca
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 2
set the stage for further such improvements along Lougheed Highway east of the Town
Core, so that more of this important #UnGapTheMap gap in our cycling network is fixed,
and more people can more easily and safely get around town without a motor vehicle.
Unfortunately, due to the promises made, we wrongly assumed that we would be informed
of the "many opportunities" that would arise to provide further input. When we asked for
an update in July, we were told that the design was already final:
232nd Street
Only one, southbound, bike lane was part of the design along 232nd Street, with the
addition of a substandard 2 meter wide multi-use path (i.e. a slightly widened sidewalk)
starting from the entrance to the lawn bowling club.
On the east side, a 2 meter wide multi-use path (again, this is basically a sidewalk which is
slightly wider than normal) would be built to "accommodate" pedestrians and people on
bikes.
The multi-use paths did not conform to any of the commonly used minimum standards (see
attachment A).
We were told by the City that this was the chosen design because of space restrictions due
to the ravine and creek on the east side, but no explanation was given why the road could
not be pushed further to the west. A representative of the developer clarified that on the
west side, the decision was made to maximize lot yield, which meant that no space would
remain for a bike lane on the east side.
This was not what we had been promised: "bike lanes throughout the development". We
raised our objections.
Swiftly, the City notified us that the design would be changed as follows:
No cycling facility on the east side of the road
A bi-directional 3 meter wide multi-use path on the west side of the road, from the entrance
to the bowling/tennis club to Cottonwood Drive
We were told that these changes were, once and for all, final.
The result:
Northbound people on bikes (the "strong and fearless" and "enthused and confident"
types) will either avoid 232nd Street, or stay on the road, sharing a narrow 3.2 meter uphill
car lane with cars and trucks, resulting in potential conflict with drivers of motor vehicles.
Less confident people on bikes coming from Kanaka Way will likely prefer to continue to
bike on the narrow 1.5 m sidewalk on the east side, for convenience, rather than dismount
at the new crosswalk at Cottonwood and then ride along the multi-use path up to just north
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 3
of the northern edge of the development, then cross this arterial again mid-block to get
back to the "right" side of the road in order to continue their journey.
Southbound (downhill), people on bikes tend to move at fairly high speeds. They will find
themselves sharing the path with people on foot, dogs, and other people on bikes, in both
directions. Note that user conflict is most likely to occur during times of school travel.
We've been told that this multi-use facility will eventually be extended to 116 Ave. We
suspect this may actually even set the stage for potential extension beyond 116 Ave.
Neither solution is satisfactory to us, however the latter is even less so than the first one:
A bi-directional shared facility is not appropriate in this location, in an increasingly
urbanized area, on a sloping arterial, and in the vicinity of two schools.
Obviously, the shared use of a bi-directional path on a sloping road by people of all ages and
abilities, with cars crossing at the new connecting collector road as well as the entrance to
the bowling and tennis clubs (and possibly a new swimming pool in future?), as well as the
entrance roads to existing strata developments to the south of this development, will lead to
dangerous situations.
The added inconvenience to people on bikes, having to cross this arterial twice (once mid-
block) in order to use the multi-use path.
Providing a facility on one side of the road only, leads to reduced accessibility for people on
bikes, especially along arterials where opportunities to cross are infrequent, and crossing
mid block adds danger.
Bi-directional infrastructure
We feel it's important to continue to raise awareness among Council members and City
staff of the significant safety issues with regard to bi-directional cycling infrastructure in a
more urban environment (in particular multi-use paths, which are generally less safe than
bike-only infrastructure, see below). Bi-directional can work fine along more rural roads,
with little traffic, and few side streets and driveways, but as pointed out, the context here is
quite different.
In spite of the concerns raised on multiple occasions, we continue to see more and more bi-
directional facilities added in our community along busy streets in a more urban context:
the existing multi-use facility along Lougheed Highway between 216th Street and Laity
Street, to be extended eventually all the way from 222nd Street to Maple Meadows Way
(crossing major intersections at 216th, Laity, 207th and 203rd Streets, as well as various
commercial- and other driveways),
cycle track on 203rd Street between Dewdney and Golden Ears Way/128th Ave,
240th Street between Hill Ave. and 104 Ave,
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 4
a planned multi-use bi-directional facility along 207th Street (we oppose this, and are
awaiting the opportunity to give further feedback),
the planned bi-directional multi-use facility on 104 Ave. (we oppose this)
planned narrow multi-use (i.e. , by definition, bi-directional) facilities along both sides of
123 Ave. between 203rd Street and Laity Street. We understand that bike lanes will also be
added along part of 123 Ave., where possible. We are awaiting the opportunity to see the
design and give our feedback.
A study1 we referred to in previous correspondence, has shown that cycling in the
direction opposite to car traffic is on average eight times more dangerous than cycling in
the direction of car traffic.
It's critical to put people on bikes where drivers expect them to be.
(driving is a complex enough task as it is!).
Vélo Québec's Planning and Design for Pedestrians and Cyclists, recommends that:
"On-road bike paths should preferably be unidirectional. Bi-directional paths offer
effective safety between intersections but complicate traffic at intersections. In fact,
they increase the number of conflict points between bicycles and turning vehicles."
For further reading, we recommend this article by Mikael Colville-Anderson of the
Copenhagenize blog: Explaining the Bi-directional Cycle Track Folly.
Multi-use vs. bike-specific
Multi-use paths improve perceived safety, especially for inexperienced people on bikes,
but actual safety is worse than for bike-specific facilities:
1 Comparing the effects of infrastructure on bicycling injury at intersections and non -intersections using a
case–crossover design, Harris et al
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 5
For future reference, attached are some examples of preferred uni-directional, protected
bike lanes (attachment B).
Cycling network
Although the section of 232nd Street between Kanaka Way and 116 Ave. is not part of the
cycling network according to the 2014 Transportation Plan, both arterials are
#UnGapTheMap gaps, i.e. gaps that were identified by HUB Cycling as important gaps in
our cycling network. This was the case even prior to the connecting road being added to
the design of this development.
The connecting road was added to the design as a result of the suggestion made at the
October 2017 Active Transportation Advisory Committee meeting by the ATAC member
with a cycling interest. The intention was to provide a level, convenient active
transportation connection between Lougheed Highway and 232nd Street.
The City decided to classify this road as a "collector" road. It's obvious that the addition of a
brand new collector road will result in a change of traffic patterns.
All this would have been ample justification, in our opinion, for a review of the need to
further extend the designated bike route along 232nd Street from 116th Ave. to Kanaka
•
Multi-use
paths
0
Major streets
•
•
Bike-specific facilities
Cycl
•
Les.s safe •----c::=======--~---===-------•
Route Safety
•
re safe
A study by Dr. KayTeschke et al . from UBC found a correlation between bike route preferences and actual safety. The graph shows that
bike-specific routes are preferred and safer, in addition to cycle tracks, bike-only paths, multi-use paths, and residential street bike routes .
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 6
Way. We have been told that such a review will not take place until the next time the
Transportation Plan will be reviewed.
It's truly puzzling to our HUB Cycling Committee why such a review would only take place
after a brand new collector road is built, when this road wasn't even in the 2014
Transportation Plan. Once 232nd Street is re-built to the design presently chosen by the
City, it will be extremely unlikely that any changes will be made in future.
New connecting road
Rather than bike lanes on both sides of the road, the City opted for a multi-use facility on
the north side of the road, with a traffic circle connecting to the local street into the
development to the north.
As the original intention of this connecting road was to provide a convenient, level
connection for people on bikes and people walking, one would expect this connection
to be convenient for both types of users. Our HUB Committee requested the City to provide
a raised crossing at the traffic circle across the local street.
We understand that instead of a convenient, relatively straight, raised crossing, people on
bikes will be required to ride into the residential street to the north, on the sidewalk, get off
their bikes in order to cross at the pedestrian crosswalk, and get back on their bikes on the
other side of the street to ride south on the sidewalk back to the traffic circle, to be able to
continue their way on the multi-use facility.
This design fails people on bikes.
In summary
In summary, our HUB Cycling Committee is very disappointed that the promises made to us
were not fulfilled. If we would have known the outcome, we would not have supported this
development.
Most sincerely,
Jackie Chow
HUB Cycling
Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Chapter JC/BB/EoM/JL
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 7
Attachment A
Commonly used standards for Multi-Use Paths
TAC (Transportation Association of Canada) standards:
Recommended lower limit: 3 m
Practical lower limit: 2.7 m
Absolute lower limit: 2.4 m
City of Vancouver's Transportation Design Guidelines for AAA facilities:
Recommended minimum for bi-directional bike lane: 3 m
Recommends to create separate spaces for walking and cycling due to increased risk of
collisions for multi-use pathways.
Alta Planning + Design's Rural Design Guide:
Recommended minimum width for side path: 2.4 - 3.6 m (2.4 m being the
absolute minimum), + 1.5 m minimum roadway separation.
Roadway separation may be accommodated with the use of a physical barrier
between the sidepath and the roadway. The barrier and end treatments should
be crashworthy.
AASHTO Bicycle Facilities Guide:
Recommended minimum width 10' (= 3 m). In very rare circumstances, a
reduced width of 8' (2.4 m) may be used. Referenced in ANPRM on Shared Use
Path Accessibility Guideline, page 5/9.
NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide:
Gives no recommendations for shared paths.
NACTO Urban Street Design Guide:
Same. Recommended minimum for sidewalks: 6' (1.8 m). Where a sidewalk is directly
adjacent to moving traffic, the desired minimum is 8 feet (2.4 m).
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 8
Attachment B
Examples of uni-directional separated bike lanes
Figure 1 - 105a Ave, Surrey
Figure 2 - Example cheap parking protected bike lane with delineator posts
HUB Cycling | 312 Main Street (2nd Floor), Vancouver BC, V6A 2T2 Page 9
Figure 3 - cheap separated bike lane design with delineator post
from US DOT Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide
Deli neator Posts
. 10ft-~ft
-. Typical . . . Sp 1ng
~ 3 ft Prmrred