A new dedicated left-turn lane at Queens Avenue and 15th Street

District of West Vancouver is planning to install a new northbound, dedicated left-turn lane separate from the through lane at the intersection of Queens Avenue and 15th Street.

The new lane will help ease traffic backup in the area, the district says.

It also plans some pedestrian improvements at the intersection of 15th Street and Queens Avenue. In 2018, it identified Queens Avenue, between 15th and 19th Streets, as an area in need for road and sidewalks improvements.

New road surfacing, new concrete sidewalks on the north side of Queens Avenue, new curb and gutter installation, storm water management and drainage improvements and upgrades to the bus stop are some of the works the district has completed, or is in the process of completing.

A local resident, however, is concerned that the road work has narrowed Queens Avenue by five feet, which has made it unsafe for cars to safely pass on the road.

“The right-hand turn from 15th street going south onto Queens was possible due to the road being wide enough for a ‘slipway’ – has been made much more difficult. This will cause delays to cars making that turn and will cause further congestion on 15th street going up to the Highway,” the resident wrote.

However, according to Raymond Fung, the director of Engineering and Transportation, the road width changes are in the interim stage.

“In other words, the full width of the road from gutter to gutter is not fully usable yet, until the final lift of asphalt is placed flush with the concrete gutter pan,” Fung said.

As for vehicles turning on to Queens Avenue from 15th street, Fung said district had given due consideration to the available space.

“A typical passenger vehicle up to a medium-sized commercial vehicle are able to negotiate the turn adequately without having to cross the centre-line. In fact, the lane widths of 3.5rn for a total of 7.0 m from gutter to gutter is slightly above standard for a typical, residential, collector/local road,” he said.

Fung said the road width was consistent with similar work completed on Queens Avenue from 21st to 19th street.

“Overly wide lane widths tend to result in speeding issues, and traffic calming was a top concern for residents on Queens Avenue. Additionally, the Queens Avenue/15th Street intersection has a high-use pedestrian crosswalk due to nearby schools,” Fung noted.