District of North Vancouver is holding a public open house on July 22, from 6 pm to 7 pm, at the district hall. The open house will focus on outstanding safety concerns on East 29th Street.
The district said it had heard from several residents about safety issues and would like to invite citizens to share their concerns. It has also sent out a letter to East 29th Street residents seeking their input at the open house.
The letter states: “East 29th Street is a busy arterial road with limited space that is intended for the safe and efficient use of people. In a unanimous council decision on May 27, and again in discussion on July 8, council indicated their continued support for new sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, separated bike lanes, left turn bays and the need to remove parking along East 29th Street between St. Andrews Avenue and Fromme Road to make space for these improvements. Additional road design features that mitigate safety concerns may be considered by council where feasible.”
For the past few weeks, residents of East 29th Street have been urging the council to not remove parking from their street.
At a council meeting on July 8, Councillor Lisa Muri raised the issue and asked district staff to work with the residents to address the parking issue. Muri acknowledged that residents had been caught off-guard and were left frustrated with the direction taken by the council.
“The original report written by Steve Carney in DNV’s traffic department contemplated a holistic approach of shared bike lanes and improved intersections. At no time during the two public input sessions did complete removal come up,” Muri noted.
Recently, resident Brenda Irving invited councillors to join her and others in a walk in the neighbourhood to better understand the challenges the residents would face due to removal of parking.
Irving said residents also shared their thoughts on possible compromises including one-side bike lanes, one-side on-street parking, shared roads with signage, better lighting on roads, improved back lanes, rezoning possibilities for front driveways, and possible options for short-term parking.
Safer travel for pedestrians and bicycles trumps parking for sure. No one can really argue that.
But I cannot see how these left turn lanes are safer for bicycles and pedestrians. In correspondence with the CNV/DNV I was told that it is to create a safe space for vehicles to wait to turn. I can’t get behind this, this plan was to create a safe passage for pedestrians, bicycles and buses, not for the already speeding vehicles travelling along E 29th. These left turn lanes block sight lines of the crosswalks, and the side streets do not have sidewalks. Pushing traffic through quiet residential neighbourhoods in order to get cars to the highway faster; is one thing, but then sidewalks and traffic calming measures should be implemented on these one-lane streets (St Georges and St Andrews). Now to add that these 200 cars need to park on these side streets. Where are pedestrians, bicycles, strollers and folks with mobility challenges currently supposed to walk/ride?
Correspondence with the CNV advised that there is no room in the budget for sidewalks on the side streets where traffic is to be directed, and that there is a program in place for residents to rally the together to add the sidewalks themselves. Creating a huge safety issue and then expecting the residents to cover it doesn’t seem right!
If all modes of transportation are to be included in this plan, where is the infrastructure for Electric Vehicles? Electric Vehicles are a sustainable mode of transportation in BC, also cutting down on noise pollution and improving air and health quality. Given the amount of work that is being done on 29th, it’s hard to believe that there is no room in the plan for curbside charging stations to encourage the adoption of EV’s, especially at the Lonsdale and Lynn Valley ends of 29th where there are stores, coffee shops etc.
The quick fix on 29th is unfortunately moving the safety and parking issue elsewhere, to streets not built to handle traffic or parked vehicles; that have no crosswalks or sidewalks.
The CNV/DNV can not possibly have considered how the current plan will affect surrounding neighbourhoods. And in order for residents in the surrounding areas to make the most of the proposed bike lane and sidewalks etc on 29th; they need a safe way to get there too!
Do away with the left-turn lanes and the centre dividers, ensure all crosswalks over 29th have lights activated by pedestrians. This makes it more difficult for traffic to be directed into the small residential pockets, and creates space to continue with the protected bike lane plan, plus opens up opportunity to add more parking to the current plan.