The District of North Vancouver will reduce the speed limit on Mount Seymour Parkway to 50 km/h, bringing it in line with the speed limits on other arterial roads in the district.
Despite the current posted speed limit of 60 km/h, actual speeds along Mount Seymour Parkway have been recorded significantly higher, ranging between 73 km/h and 77 km/h, according to the District of North Vancouver. Over the past five years, there were 29 collisions involving cyclists or pedestrians on Mount Seymour Parkway between Seymour Boulevard and Deep Cove Road have occurred.
On average, a driver collides with a cyclist or pedestrian about six times yearly on Mount Seymour Parkway.
The speed reduction is among several changes the District of North Vancouver is making along Mount Seymour Parkway between Seymour Boulevard and Mount Seymour Road to improve safety for people who bike, drive, and walk in this area. DNV plans to lower speed and increase separation between vehicles and cyclists while maintaining existing travel lanes and parking for drivers. Construction will begin in May 2024 and is anticipated to take approximately four months to complete.
“With approximately 400 cyclists and an average of 20,000 vehicles passing through this stretch of road daily, we are working with TransLink to improve safety for all users,” DNV says.
Proposed safety cycling improvements include concrete low barriers, flex posts, precast curbs complete with flex posts, and protected bike lanes. Safety upgrades will be installed without heavy construction and lengthy delays. “Our goal is to be flexible with our installation approach and allow for adjustments and changes as required and in response to feedback from residents about safety,” DNV says.
This project is being delivered using TransLink’s Rapid Implementation approach to installing improved cycling infrastructure quickly and cost-effectively. For questions about this work, please email Shane Devine, Senior Project Manager, at eng@dnv.org.
In my 18 years living just off the Parkway, I have never seen or heard of these incidents. I use the Parkway about four times daily and the only vehicle accident I have seen was a collision at Riverside. I suspect this is from the lobbying by HUB, I was engaged in a discussion with them about this a few years ago. The only consistent issue I have witnessed is the red light running at Apex in the morning. 60 KPH is fine for the Parkway.
I’m in favour of bike lane improvements but think the 60 kph limit would be OK if it was enforced.
Finally! 60 k is like 70 k plus! Incredible how many cars speed on the Parkway. There are kids going to Windsor school, using Mccartney Park for sports, and deer and bear crossing. And, of course, bicyclists and pedestrians. Why was the speed ever 60 k in the first place?
60 K/mh is fine. Surveys show most drivers drive at the speed they feel comfortable with. This wont reduce the average speed on the Parkway much. Just create road rage, longer trip times and more idling at stop lights- Tax grab.
Okay, this is silly. First of all, when you have cyclists that DO NOT follow road rules, people crossing roads when it is not a designated crosswalk and the drivers are to be punished?
However, there are MANY drivers that drive distracted consistently so why punish everyone? If anything, there needs to be more policing to show drivers that their reckless driving is unacceptable.
WHAT needs to be done is cyclists need to be treated as vehicles and have their own license plates. This was a thing in the 70’s and should have never been removed. They need to understand that sharing a road means they are accountable for their actions as well.
Second, I live on Dollarton and when the “tour de france” cyclists ride, they do not respect any road rules, hog the whole lane as well as intentionally spread out to prevent drivers going around them.
Overall what I am trying to get at is it takes two to make an issue, two sides to a story and the solution needs to impact both parties, not just one.
I have driven the parkway for 50 years. At one time if you exceeded the speed you would soon get a ticket but these days I don’t see the regular police enforcement that I used to. The 60 speed limit is fine for that road but let’s enforce it! Oh and how about some education for erratic cyclists as well.
The speed limit is all well and good, however, the challenge will be to actually have people drive the new speed. Enforcement is out of the question due to a lack of resources and old habits will persist.