2023-03-02 Agenda

HUB North Shore Committee regular meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 6:30pm - 8:30pm. Everybody is welcome.

In-person at the North Vancouver City Library (14th/Lonsdale) in the Don Preston Boardroom (2nd floor).

Or Online, using Google Meets: https://meet.google.com/myr-xmnd-iob

or by Phone: +1 587-977-8033‬ PIN: ‪290 663 905‬#

General

• Agenda additions
• Introductions

Public Input/Consultations

• Public input is critical when Council and Staff make trade-offs and decisions. Please make sure your voice is heard!!
• DNV 2023-27 Budget proposal - Council Meeting, 5pm, Mon Mar 6th - To Speak (online or in person) you need to signup in advance.
  • If you are not able to speak, please send an email to budget@dnv.org
  • Key points to raise:
    • Increase Active Transportation is a key goal in the District's OCP. Progress towards the OCP's goals is well behind schedule and the proposed Budget deferrals will only make this worse. (this applies OCP's goals on climate, housing, social equity, in addition to Active Transportation)
    • Spirit Trail was started 15 years ago and so far the District has only implemented a few short segments of it's portion. And now they propose deferring it for 5 more years?
    • The 4.5M "Active Transportation Funding" added to the Feb 6th proposal will only cover 1/3 of the deferred Cycling projects (and this excludes all the deferred pedestrian and transit projects!)

Goals & Objectives

• Add Phase 2 top priority Bikeways - current Gaps Map
  • Liaisons to select a one or two for their municipality
• Communications ideas??
• Recruiting - Fill vacant positions
• Ensure Cycling Priorities are in DWV's Transportation Strategy

Events

• Need a coordinator/organizer for events
• Spring Go By Bike Week

City of North Vancouver - Nadia/Sophia

CNV Key Contacts & Staff Meetings

• no meetings scheduled

Marine Main – Eastbound Transit Extension

Slides

Their responses to our feedback

• no delineators on the Lower Road to allow space for emergency vehicles
• they are trying to secure funding to ensure the WB route of Kennard to Gladstone is the same as the EB (delineators, etc.)
• no funding for wayfinding but they are looking for ways to include this at some point
• At Windsor Plywood, they are proposing sharing the existing sidewalk with pedestrians and cyclists west of Kennard. West of there, they plan to separate out cyclists by removing the existing trees and adding a bike lane in the grassed area. Cyclists would then use the existing sidewalk.

Summary of current/upcoming CNV projects - this year & beyond

Cotton/Main WB

• City engineers have requested a markup of our suggestions. They believe there is insufficient space between the hydro poles and existing landscaping.

Casano-Loutet Overpass/Midtown Connector

• construction will begin in 2023 and complete in 2024. As this nears completion, they will start to turn their focus to the connector route. We are currently planning on a group ride and a Google Form to gather prospective destinations along the connector.

ITC - Dana & Jonathan

• May meeting postponed to end of month (no updates)

District of North Vancouver - Duncan/Stephen/Don

• Meeting with Staff - currently exchanging emails on various projects.
• Budget Deferrals
  • Basically all construction of cycling related infrastructure for the next 5 years is not funded (ie it is deferred). Note that planning and design of of cycling projects is still funded.
  • Several people spoke in support of restoring this funding at a Budget workshop on Jan 29.
  • Herman Mah, Jim Hanson, Catherine Pope, and Jordan Back all spoke in favour of not deferring the Active Transportation priorities: sidewalks & mobility lanes.
  • Official HUB Input on Proposed Budget Plan 2023-2027 and Active Transportation
  • The Feb 6th revisions included an additional 4.5M for AT, but did not specify which projects it would go to.
  • There is a final Public Input session on the Budget, Next Monday. You can speak in person or online, but must sigh up in advance (see details above).
• Main St - Harbour Ave - Barrows
  • Main St section looks good.
  • Sent Project Mgr (Ben) comments on updated design for Harbour Ave & Harbour-Main Intersection
    • Generally design is good, but we are pushing for better protection to be added for bikelane on Harbour.

• Proposed Blueridge trail
  • Eric Godot Andersen from the Blueridge Community Association will provide an outline of progress to date.
• Spirit Trail, East of Seymour planning:
  • This is a big project and will take 5-10 years to implement.
  • Development plan maybe revised to enable some easy short term segments in the next couple years.

• DNV Library Cargo Bikes - New Initiative by Duncan (DW)
  • DW met with Head of DNV Library & Jordan Back 01-Mar-2023.
  • interest to move forward and seek funding
  • brief power point presentation on the idea can be made by DW
  • Help/advice from HUB on legal input (DNV indemnity for liability, also theft/vandalism) would be welcome who to contact.
  • Not necessarily HUB affiliated, but seems appropriate to share concept & work so far - applicability to other Munis in LML

District of West Vancouver - Paul/Peter/Mike

Protected bike lanes on Marine Drive between 26th and 31st Streets

• We have received and reviewed preliminary engineer drawings for this project
• Despite the project name "MARINE DRIVE PROTECTED BIKE LANE" the painted bike lanes on each side of the road with a painted buffer are really not adequately protected from automobile traffic.
• We have drafted our comments which suggest narrowing the traffic lanes to allow for a wider bike lane and install flexible delineators inside the buffer strips
• We feel the proposals, unfortunately, fall somewhat short of the AAA-user standards desired by HUB and required for TransLink’s MBR funding support, and we suggest the following ideas to strengthen the proposals:
  • It would have been helpful to know the annual average daily vehicle and bicycle traffic volumes and trends along this section Marine Drive.
  • Narrow the vehicular lanes to reduce traffic speeds and adopt a 30km/h speed limit, and use the additionally available width to widen the bike lane.
  • The buffer strip be supplemented by adding flexible posts to more clearly define and protect the roadway allocated to cyclists and add surface-mounted kerbs at the beginning of the bike lane.
  • Obtain specialized cleaning equipment for bike lanes, especially for snow removal.
  • Providing a pedestrian crossing at 30th Street would seem important in accessing the sole pedestrian route along the south side of Marine Drive.
  • 25th to 26th Street appears to be a separate consideration to the 26th-31st proposals but would be crucial to providing bike access to Dundarave commercial area as well as the continuity of the possible MBR. The retention of shared lanes with sharrows is noted but vehicular lane narrowing would be relevant here as well as the adoption of the cross-section used between 26th and 30th Streets.
  • We endorse the proposed prohibition of on-street parking along the west-bound lane between *25th to 26th Street, but suggest that the proposed painted separation for use by pedestrians and cyclists is quite inadequate and potentially dangerous. We would prefer to see a sidewalk as well as a separated, buffered bike lane with delineator poles installed.

Meetings with DWV staff

• On Tuesday 28 February, Paul and Peter met with Heather Keith and Jenn Moller to discuss how improved cycling infrastructure can contribute to reduuing greenhouse gas emissions in the District.
• On Monday, 6 March we plan to meet online with Jenn Moller, Director; Sean O’Sullivan, Traffic Operations Engineer; and Andy Kwan, Transportation Engineer.

Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure- Mike/Don

• Phibbs Exchange
  • Phase 1 just started (complete by May-2023?)
    • Detours with signage in place. The connection between Orwell and south side of main is a long ugly detour via Mtn Highway, or ride with traffic on the off-ramp. They will try to improve this in month or so if they can widen the off-ramp once they move some utilities.
  • Phase 2 will start after Phase 1 and finish in late 2024. Detours should be much better for this phase.

Communications & Outreach - Rueben/Paul/Heather

• let us know if there is something we should communicate about - blocked bike lanes, new infrastructure, etc.
• Twitter (Rueben)
  • Posted about the DNV 2023-2027 draft budget proposal (defers bike lane construction)
  • Documenting new and existing bike lanes (and related infrastructure). In February, posted photos of:
    • Esplanade Bike Lane construction
    • Secure bike storage at the Seabus (still behind a fence) and new test bus bike rack

• Facebook(Heather)
  • We now have close to 300 group participants and more joining each week
  • January topics:
    • 29th street
    • St.Andrews
    • DNV budget
    • New Hunter Street bridge
  • February
    • Will promote Go by Bike week Feb 6-12

• North Shore News
  • Dec - Article on The Nod
  • Jan - Article Bike lanes review
  • Feb - Article on proposed MUP to Squamish

Schools - Paul Janzen

• School programs will resume mid month.