District of North Vancouver council is directing staff to implement a 30 kilometre per hour speed limit on Edgemont Boulevard between Ridgewood Drive and Queens Road.
The new speed limit will be a one-year pilot program to be implemented as soon as possible. The proposal will be discussed at an upcoming council meeting on January 9.
The council has also directed staff to consult with the Edgemont Village Business Association and Edgemont and Upper Capilano Community Association to inform a traffic analysis to address the impact of speed, volume and circulation in Edgemont Village and surrounding areas.
Council will also direct staff to report back on the pilot program and consultation for a traffic analysis. A request for 30 kilometres per hour was previously requested by the Edgemont Village Business Association. According to a staff report, Edgemont Village has gone through significant changes in the last 10 years due to redevelopment in and around the village core, and these changes will continue with additional development zoning approved by Council.
“Traffic has increased along with speed and movement through the commercial area of the village. There has also been an increase in pedestrian movement and local businesses have witnessed and expressed concerns for the safety for all involved,” notes the staff report to council.
“As more volume increases in these high populated areas, where cars and pedestrians are circulating, reducing speed limits and managing vehicular traffic to create a safer, slower atmosphere is a benefit to all those working, living, and visiting the village.”
Traffic in the village seldom exceeds 30 km/h. The bigger problem is random pedestrian movement without regard for traffic. BTW, I live on Edgemont and drive in and through the village several times a day.
It’s a village, a shopping district, and tourist destination. Pedestrians should have priority over drivers. Reducing the speed limit to 30km/h is a good first step.
Hi. Can you please comment what proponents of the 30km speed limit can do to help with the proposed changes? We live in the area and strongly believe in this. I have had people not look/stop and drive through while I was walking through a crosswalk many times. Of note… One of the closest calls I have ever had was when I was 1-2 feet from being hit when I crossed with my newborn son in a stroller. Please advise. Thank!
This speed reduction is way over due and badly needed. Pedestrians should have the benefits of safe access and crossing. To back up this change, much more enforcement is needed in the village. Most drivers will not stop in the evening for pedestrians. Also stop signs are routinely ignored with drivers shooting right through them. This all comes back to a lack of enforcement.
I’ve lived on Edgemont for 13 years. The occasional bad behavior by drivers is dwarfed by the random and erratic actions of pedestrians. Vehicles must frequently creep into crosswalk areas to be able to have a sight line. I can only think of a couple of instances over the years where vehicles actually ran stop signs. Typical vehicle speeds in the Village are now in the 30km/h range. At night, there are seldom any pedestrians in the Village. Excessive hyperbole does not a good argument make.