2021-01-14 Summary

Starting in February 2021 HUB North Shore Committee regular meetings will change to the first Thursday of every month, still at at 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

Attendees: Erika, Fred, Paul S, Rhiannon, Peter S, Tove, Sibylle, Dana, Antje, Don, Mike

General

• HUB 2020 Infrastructure award submission
  • West 1st/2nd - Done

Goals & Objectives

• 2021 Goals Setting
  • Implementation of 3 top priority Bikeways - next steps
    • will work on these in Feb Meeting
  • Establish communications with community stakeholders re Bikeways.
    • Communications group has had a couple meeting focusing on objectives, messages and target audience.
    • Hope to have a plan for next meeting

City of North Vancouver - Erika/Heather

• Staff Bike Around
  • We had a bike around with 2 members of staff on Dec 17th: Chesterfield, East 4th/3rd, Queensbury, East and West Keith, 2nd/1st St, Mackay MUP, Larson and Jones.
  • Showed the good, the bad and the ugly! Praised them re: 1st St.

• East Keith
  • Staff are conducting a safety study on East Keith from Sutherland down to Brooksbank
  • Sent letter to CNV staff re: pinch point at Heywood and the downhill bike lane. Response: consultant providing a review of delineator installations. They'll get back to us. They're actively installing delineators in the city.

• Grand Blvd
  • Posts installed at intersections to make the previously north-bound car lane on W Grand a bicycle lane

• City Priority Routes
  • Phase 1
    • 1st Street (almost complete)
      • >> Looks great - submitted for HUB infrastructure award
      • Great side-by-side before/after ride though video by Roy S (Consultant)
      • Staff ride-around on Dec 17 included this segment. Paint and stencils are forthcoming in spring.
      • AI: Please share any comments/concerns with Liaisons
    • Casano-Loutet overpass (construction starts in Jan)
    • Jones from 22 up to 24th
      • Discussed access to 24th between Westview and Jones
  • Phase 2
    • Esplanade
      • Community engagement has ended.
      • Detailed design started, more engagement spring 2021
      • Construction to begin in summer/fall 2021
      • >> Why not use 2nd as bike route - need to speak with Danial Watson
      • AI: Dana will raise this????
    • Midtown Connector to Casano Loutet bridge - 13th to Boulevard then up to 17th?
    • Upper Levels Greenway East
  • Phase 3
    • St. Davids
    • Chesterfield 13th down
    • Upper Levels Greenway West

• ITC - Dana & Jonathan
  • Public can listen, but not participate in ITC meetings.
  • AI: Dana and Jonathan to share HUB input with ITC

District of North Vancouver - Sibylle/Fred

• 2021 Plan:
  • Tatlow+W15th
  • Ruffus/Kirkstone and Brooksbank to connect to Casano/Loutet overpass
  • Hunter street bridge in Lynn Creek TC
    • design has started, construction start in summer.
  • Steep MUP from Deep Cove to Parkgate via Indian River neighbourhood
  • Upper LV Road (Phase I) from TC to Peters Road in 2021. Peters to Dempsey planned for 2022 but may be included in Phase I.
    • Upper LVR improvements contingent on obtaining third party infrastructure funding.
    • Assuming funding is successful it means the "DNV will be spending 50% of the transportation budget on active transportation according to Mayor Little."
• Meeting with Ingrid on January 19 to go over HUB priorities.
• Meeting with Ingrid on January 26 on upper Lynn Valley Rd. uphill protected bike path currently in the design stage, considering using a curb to protect the bikelane.

District of West Vancouver - Paul/Peter/Mike

• Separated bike lane on one-block of Royal Avenue in Horseshoe Bay - Peter Scholefield
  • The first two of these following display board images show a plan for the newly installed separated northbound bike lane while the last two images show cross-sections from the original design which don't correspond with the first two images. These images have been on the DWV website up until they were removed this month when I pointed out that they were not completely consistent with the implemented design.
  • Four display board images.
  • The following two updated drawings have been put up on the DWV website this month following my request to see the latest drawings that correspond with the current implementation.
  • Updated plan view of Royal Ave
  • Updated cross-section of Royal Ave.
  • The following is a concerned citizen's letter sent to me by Councillor Gambioli expressing safety concerns about the design of the separated bike lane which has now been installed.
  • Concerned Citizen's letter
  • 2019 BC Active Transportation Design Guide for a uni-directional separated bike lane
  • As can be seen in the following photos, the installed separated bike deviates from the guidelines in that about 1/4 of the distance of the bike lane is only 1.35 m wide instead of the absolute minimum of 1.5 m in the guidelines and the roll curb allows vehicles to drive up onto it making the buffer between the bike lane and parked cars less than the absolute minimum of 0.6 m in the guidelines. Note the wide sidewalk and artistically designed bike rack in the first photo.
  • Picture 1
  • Picture 2
  • Picture 3
  • Based on the brief discussion at the meeting, it was felt unlikely that the DWV would agree to any corrective changes, so at our next meeting with DWV engineering staff, we will point out these deficiencies which would probably not have happened if they had consulted with us on this new design or implemented the previous design which we had agreed with.
• Meeting with West Vancouver police department on 7 January.
  • Dept policy is to keep all road users safe, especially West Van’s elderly population (30% of total). Data presented suggests Dept is more than fair towards cyclists despite abuse from some peloton groups on Marine Drive. Dept staff has strong cycling culture, both in commuting and recreation. Dept nominated an officer (Sgt Mark Braithwaite) to liaise with HUB NS Committee in future.
  • Dept has issued thousands of traffic violation tickets to drivers in past 5 years but only 28 to cyclists. Warnings are preferred to citations but 27 tickets issued to cyclists on Bellevue in 2020, mostly due to not yielding right of way at crosswalks or stop lines. Many complaints from elderly crosswalk users. Vehicle speeding on Bellevue is not considered problematic.
  • In 58 recorded cycling injury crashes during 2015-19, drivers were at fault on 36 occasions and received 23 tickets. On 27 occasions the cyclist was at fault but only one ticket issued.
  • In favour of separated lanes for slower speed vehicles but is apolitical with respect to traffic engineering and parking policy, and concerned chiefly with safety impacts and enforcement feasibility of proposals shared in District Traffic Safety Committee consultations.
  • Dept considers 529 Garage program successful in recovering stolen bikes. Dept operates a GPS-equipped ‘bait bike’ that has been successful in apprehending thieves.
• >> Discussed removing more parking on ab st to allow separated bike & pedestrian paths.
  • Moving the police station freed up at least 22 parking spaces, and the addition of lots of free public parking under Grovener building, should compensate for the ## removed for separated facilities.
  • >> AI: Liaisons to confirm #s and prepare propose for Staff & council

MOTI - Antje/Don

• Lower Lynn - Monthly meeting
  • Mountain Hwy Interchange
    • HUB feedback to action items from active transportation safety audit - most items are good, but the consultant missed a few issues
      • >> Salop Tail Access from SB Mtn Hwy is too sharp.
      • >> They have ground down the curb to improve this a bit
      • >> AI: Liaisons to discuss with DNV adding protection to bikelane so bollards can be removed.
    • 4m MUP along westbound Mtn Hwy offramp problematic as shown in design
      • >> MoTI will send details and try to address concerns
    • Sandbar in cycle shoulder on East side of Hwy1
      • >> shared pictures with MoTI, they will investigate case and possible solutions

• BC Economic Recovery funding - for MoTI - Press Release
  • started in Nov, must be spend (1.9M$) by March! - NS News
  • HUB provided feedback to design team (Parsons) on early design of Lynn Valley Rd underpass and Capilano Rd interchange
  • 3 North Shore Projects:
    • Lynn Valley Rd Underpass - Design only (ready to put out to tender) - currently early draft
      • 2m bikeway next to 2m pedestrian path, less thought underpass
      • Congested section N of underpass due to property line and future crossing of new greenway
      • Requested removal of slip lanes, or making them more orthogonal to improve sightlines & safety.
    • Capilano Road interchange - Design only (ready to put out to tender) - currently early draft
      • 4m MUP from EB Hwy to Cap Road
      • 4m bi-directional bikelane + sidewalk from Cap rd to Keith
      • Improved South intersection crossings & islands (NB)
      • 2m Bikelane next to 2m sidewalk NB on Capilano Rd (1.8+1.8 north of bridge)
      • 2M Bikelane next to existing sidewalk SB on Capilano Rd
      • >> missing connection to Hugo Ray connector via North side onramp
        • AI: Liaisons to ask them to add Hugo Ray connection
    • Lion Gate Bridge improvements - (Not just a design)
      • No details yet AI: Liaisons to get details for review

• Hwy 1 North Shore Corridor Study Lynn Valley to Horseshoe Bay
  • Still waiting for draft report

Communications & Outreach - Heather/Antje/Giacomo/Paul

• We are working on a communications plan
  • AI: share plan at Feb Meeting