2021-03-04 Agenda

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

Everybody is welcome.

Online conference call at https://meet.google.com/dby-fjza-mrt, It's pretty similar to join.me, but I will start the meeting around 6:15 so people can get connected and try it out.

• Agenda additions
• Introductions

General

• 2020 New Infrastructure - List & map - Don
• Recruiting:
  • CNV Liaisons
  • DNV Liaisons
  • Vice Chair

• Schedule Meetings with North Shore MLAs
  • Topics to cover
    • Over view of HUB and North Shore committee's Goals & Activities
    • Updating the MVA to a Safe Roads Act.
    • Incentives for e-Bikes
    • Current NS MoTI projects

• Heather presented an award to CVN for West 1st/2nd St bikeway

Goals & Objectives

• 2021 Goals Setting
• Next steps for 2021
  • Implementation of 3 top priority Bikeways
    • Get council's to approve prioritized, multi-year Active Transportation infrastructure plans
    • Ensure new infrastructure designs are AAA early in the design stage so it can be improved if necessary.
  • Establish communications with community stakeholders re Bikeways.
    • Ideas spreadsheet

Events - Fred/Tove

• Spring Bike2Work Week - May 31 to June 4 -
  • "Knowledge HUBs' instead of Celebration stations
  • looking for volunteers at celebration stations. In 2020 HUB received funds from the District of North Vancouver to host a station at IWMB. No word yet if there will be a contribution for 2021.

City of North Vancouver - Erika

• Esplanade Update
  • Trees are being removed in preparation for construction.
  • Staff are working through early design work and planning for round 2 of public engagement, likely beginning in April. Join us at our next meeting for a presentation from Mo Bot, Project Manager of Public Realm Infrastructure. She will present their design, share thinking about trade offs and choices, and have a discussion with the group. Construction set to begin in summer/fall 2021. Project page: https://letstalk.cnv.org/esplanade-complete-street
  • In February, council moved unanimously on submitting a grant application ($2.68 million) for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for the Esplanade Complete Street Infrastructure Project

• Kings Mill Walk master plan
  • Keep an eye on https://letstalk.cnv.org/kmw-park-master-plan for forthcoming engagement on proposed design options
  • Construction on the east side of the development next to the park is starting

• Be my co-pilot
  • Heather has moved on to a communications role. Thank you Heather! Erika needs a new co-pilot or two!

• City Priority Routes
  • Phase 1
    • 1st Street (pooling areas fixed, paint is coming)
    • Casano-Loutet overpass (construction starts in the spring)
    • Jones

• • Phase 2
    • Esplanade
    • 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

District of North Vancouver - Sibylle/Fred

• Liaisons met a couple times with Ingrid (DNV) and have another meeting scheduled
  • discussed HUB Priorities and 2021 plans
  • 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."
  • The DNV will be expediting improvements to the Mountain Hwy corridor to Lynn Valley town centre to address cycling impediments. Awaiting details.
  • Liaisons requested road paving schedule, not finalized yet, but Ingrid confirmed that a section of LVR east of Molly Nye and Mount Royal east of Delbrook will be repaved in 2021. Ingrid will share complete schedule when available.
  • The DNV councillors voted to participate in the CNV ebike pilot.

Mtn. Hwy to Peters Road

• Currently in the design stage
• HUB Liaisons have been asked to provide input
• In general terms there will be a protected bike lane on both sides of Lynn Valley Rd as part of phase I. (Mountain Hwy to Peters Rd.)
• Design looks promising, HUB provided feedback on intersections and signage
• Will need to make sure that design meshes with plans for LV TC bike plans

Tatlow + W15th

• A DVV priority. Requires engagement with local residents. Connection from Marine Drive to 15th needs attention.

Rufus/Kirkstone and Brooksbank

• DNV connection to Casano/Loutet overpass
• DNV feels that existing road network is adequate (low traffic volumes) and are not planning on changes at this time

Hunter Street Bridge in Lynn Creek TC

• In design phase. DNV will share design with HUB when appropriate
• Construction to start in summer. Tree removal on the Bridgman Park side in progress.

Steep MUP from Deep Cove to Parkgate via Indian River neighbourhood

• Funds for this are only in the $100,000 range.
• Goal is to upgrade parts of the existing trail.
• Nothing definite at this stage.

Phibbs to Keith

• Brought up issues with Orwell (poor lane condition). Phibbs will be done before Orwell will be addressed. At this point all that could be done at Orwell at this time would be brush cleaning.
• Travel by bike or on foot from Keith Rd. bridge to east Seymour via Fern Street Bridge is no more as this bridge has been demolished. The contractor has been slow to open travel over the new overpass connecting with Mt. Seymour Parkway.

Capilano Rd/Highway Underpass MOTI project

• Discussed, focused on the need to make sure project connects with Hugo Ray bike route
• Don will forward email with HUB concerns

Other

• Need to ask about budget for missing Wayfinding signage
• DNV did not buy bike path sweeper in 2020 due to COVID-19, but not sure if it is in the 2021 budget request.
• Started discussion of adding protection to bike lanes on Mountain Highway south of the Hwy Overpass
• Draft designs for a MUP on east and west side of Mountain Hwy north of the overpass.

District of West Vancouver - Paul/Peter/Mike

• At a 22 February meeting with DWV Engineering and Transportation director, Jenn Moller, and Vanessa Garrett, we learned the following for 2021:
  • Conditional on budget approval, the contract for a Strategic Transportation Study will be awarded and, following internal and external stakeholder engagement, should be completed by the end of the year.
  • Improvement of the Welch St Bridge and its approaches will include some of our recommended detailed design improvements (including dropdown widening and lane-share markings.) but, given the heavy reliance on this
  • A possible ‘mobility recovery pilot’ will be considered (responding in part to our ‘slow street’ expansion proposals), in which the Dept would be receptive to our input and our offer to provide a HUB letter of support to the Mayor and Council should the Dept proceed to present a staff report to Council in the Spring.
• Other components of M2M discussed at our meeting and which may warrant further discussion in due course included the following:
  • Implementation of an eastbound protected bike lane along Marine Drive from the Lions Gate bridgehead to Capilano Road in collaboration with DNV may take place during the second half of the year, conditional on *Other components of M2M discussed at our meeting and which may warrant further discussion in due course included the following:
  • A bypass to the busy dog-walk access section of Spirit Trail to run from Welch St to 13th St, which would help divert commuters and sports cyclists away from the pedestrian users, but which would depend in part on Park Royal cooperation.
  • Completion of the separated bikeway through Ambleside Waterfront Park requiring closure of Argyle Ave to motor vehicles. We understand this matter may be considered as part of the Ambleside Town Centre Plan. deliberations.
  • In this regard, it was appreciated that staff can provide details of Ambleside parking availability prior to the Grosvenor development, so that we can inform Council on how many more public parking spaces are now available to compensate for the removal of parking places on Argyle Avenue.
• Lastly, given the extensive mobility-related agenda ahead, their suggestion for Dept staff to meet routinely with HUB on a quarterly basis was much appreciated and fully acceptable. 
• On 26 February, comments were submitted to the directors of planning and engineering on the Horseshoe Bay Local Area Plan
  • Expressed was our desire for separated bike lanes on Royal Avenue south of Bruce Street connecting to the existing separated bike lane northbound between Bruce and Bay Streets.
  • Also connecting to the existing northbound separated bike lane on Royal Avenue, we would like to see separated east-west bike lanes on Bay Street between Nelson Avenue and the BC ferry terminal building.
• On 2 March, a letter was sent to the Mayor and Council expressing our concerns about the lack funds being devoted to cycling infrastructure in the 2021 budget which will come up for discussion at Council on 8 March.
• Preliminary Bikeability Assessment Report for Park Royal - http://wiki.bikehub.ca/northshore/images/8/85/2021-03-03_Preliminary_Bikeability_Assessment_Report_for_Park_Royal.pdf

MOTI - Don/Antje

• Lower Lynn - Monthly meeting
  • Mountain Hwy Interchange
    • Action items from active transportation safety audit
    • 4m MUP along westbound Mtn Hwy offramp

• BC Economic Recovery funding - for MoTI
  • started in Nov, must be spend by March!
  • 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 - low priority
      • Asked them to add upgrading connection for North Intersection to North sidewalk and thus Hugo Ray in West van
      • 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
    • Lion Gate Bridge improvements - (Not just a design)
      • Still no details yet

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

Communications & Outreach - Heather/Antje/Giacomo/Paul

Planning

• We are working on coordinating our approach to communications using existing groups.io, Facebook and Twitter
• Established working tools, What's App and Google Drive to coordinate communications
• Have identified a volunteer photog/video who will help capture images of the North Shore
• Looking for people to be models in photoshoots (any volunteers?)
• Identified top two target groups: Active Seniors and Parents of Young Children - working out how to access these audiences
• Learning about Instagram and how we might use it to target younger people

Comms Topics Feb/ early March

• 2020 Year in Review Summary
• Letter to the Editor, 1st and 2nd Street bikeway
• Fern Street Detour Route
• Promote HUB Cargo Bike seminar
• Promote CNV HUB award
• New crossing over Mosquito Creek at Evergreen
• Bafflegate at Keith Road
• Esplanade complete streets

Developers - Fred/Paul & Peter

• Currently active:
  • West Van
    • Marine Drive
  • CNV
    • Habourside
  • DNV
    • Maplewood