Public Works & Transporation Committee Meeting Minutes - March 7, 2001

Date:

Wednesday, March 7^th, 2001

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Lyn Greenhill, Chair
Councillor Ken Johnston, Vice-Chair
Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Derek Dang

Absent:

Councillor Kiichi Kumagai

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m., at which time she advised that correspondence regarding the expansion of the existing bus stop at the corner of Richmond Street and 7^th Avenue, would be added to the agenda as an additional item.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, February 21^st, 2001, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

11000 BLOCK GRANVILLE AVENUE - NORTH SIDE DITCH INFILL
(Report: Feb. 22/01, File No.: 6340-20-P.00306) (REDMS No. 292461)

The Manager, Engineering Design & Construction, Steve Ono, reviewed the report with the Committee.

In response to questions, Mr. Ono provided the following information:

the drainage projects presented in the five year capital program had been priorized based on certain criteria; completion of a project which was rated lower than another and which was planned for later in the process and subsequently accelerated to an earlier time, could displace another project with higher criteria

with reference to the inclusion of the Blundell Road project in the Canada/BC Infrastructure Program, advice was given that the Blundell Road project proposed several large scale improvements, including area drainage and road reconstruction

the 11000 block of Granville Avenue had not been included in the infrastructure program because it did not meet the ‘green’ criteria for possible funding

with reference to a statement made in the report that approval of the Granville Avenue project would reduce funding flexibility in the event that cost-sharing opportunities arose with the Canada/BC Infrastructure Program, advice was given that due to the extensiveness of the Blundell Road project, the City’s financial contribution would be considerable, even with assistance from the Federal and Provincial Governments

Mr. Jeremiah Zadra, of 11171 Granville Avenue, voiced his concerns about the staff recommendation to delay consideration of the ditch infill until 2004. A copy of Mr. Zadra’s submission is attached as Schedule A and forms part of these minutes.

The Chair advised, in response to a concern expressed in Mr. Zadra’s submission about the safety of children waiting for the school bus, that School District representatives had indicated that the children could wait in driveways rather than stand on the side of the road. Councillor Greenhill also questioned whether area residents had contacted the Richmond Health Services Department about the odour of sewage emanating from the ditch.

In response, Mr. Zadra made the following comments:

residents were concerned that the north side of Granville Avenue was in danger of collapsing and that this could occur while children were waiting for a school bus to arrive

the Richmond Health Services Department had been contacted, however, residents had been advised that until the ditch was filled in, the problems with rats and the odour of sewage would continue

area residents would be happy to deal with the inconvenience resulting from the work proposed by the Greater Vancouver Regional District in 2005 or 2006, if the ditch infill project was approved for completion in 2001.

Reference was made to the concerns of Mr. Zadra about whether road in the 11000 block of Granville Avenue was in danger of collapsing. In reply, Mr. Ono advised that staff could not guarantee that the road would not collapse, however, staff were vigilant in their monthly monitoring of the area to ensure that the condition of that section of road was not rapidly deteriorating. He stated that if significant problems were to arise, staff would respond accordingly.

Reference was made to the odour of sewage in the area, and the Chair advised that staff would be requested to contact the Richmond Health Services Department about conducting tests to determine if there was a malfunctioning septic tank or drainage field in the area.

As a result of the discussion, the following amended motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the ditch infill project for the north side of the 11000 block of Granville Avenue be included for consideration as a candidate for funding in the year 2001 within the proposed 5 year Capital Plan.

CARRIED

CO-ORDINATED ENFORCEMENT AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO DISCOURAGE STREET RACING AND DRAG RACING
(Report: Feb. 22/01, File No.: 6450-01) (REDMS No. 164061)

The Manager of Transportation, Gordon Chan, accompanied by Corporal Rick While, representing the Richmond Detachment of the RCMP, reviewed the report with Committee members.

Corporal While then explained the difference between street and drag racing. He advised that street racing involved young drivers who met at a specific location and entered into an agreement to race to a specific location in order to win a prize. Cpl. While stated that because of the problems caused by the street racers, the initiative had been taken to establish a task force to deal with this matter. He then provided information on the composition of the task force, and the efforts being made not only in Richmond, but throughout the Lower Mainland, to target street racers.

Reference was made to the auto body shops which modified standard-built motor vehicles for street racing. Cpl. While advised that these shops, many of which were testing facilities, were being sent letters and visited by members of the RCMP on a regular basis, particularly on weekends, when a majority of the modifications were completed. Cpl. While also indicated that these testing facilities were monitored by the Motor Vehicle Branch and ICBC Compliance Inspectors to ensure that these shops had the ability to undertake the appropriate testing.

Reference was made by the Mayor to the review currently being undertaken of parking in the Riverside Industrial Park. He questioned whether the implementation of traffic calming on the south end of Hammersmith Way would have an effect on the provision of on-street parking. Mr. Chan responded that any decision about the provision of parking in the area, would not alleviate the need for traffic calming on Hammersmith Way.

It was moved and seconded

That staff work with the RCMP through the newly established Lower Mainland Task Force on Street Racing to develop strategies and techniques to discourage street racing.

That the use of various traffic calming measures, (as described in the report dated February 22^nd, 2001 from the Manager - Transportation), be endorsed as one of the engineering strategies to deter organized illegal drag racing at locations known for the activity.

That the immediate implementation of the recommended traffic calming measures, (as outlined in the report dated February 22^nd, 2001 from the Manager - Transportation), be endorsed at the following locations to address existing illegal drag racing occurrences:

Hammersmith Way (Riverside Industrial Park), south of Hammersmith Gate, at an estimated cost of $6,500; and

Graybar Road (Fraserwood Industrial Park) at an estimated cost of $6,500.

That the source of funding for the proposed traffic calming measures presented in Recommendation 3 be the 2000 Minor Capital Works Program for Traffic Improvements.

That staff continue to monitor the impact of the proposed traffic calming measures on general traffic conditions and their effectiveness in discouraging illegal drag racing in the two industrial areas.

That staff report to Council on the effectiveness of the proposed traffic calming measures, and on the strategies developed as a result of Recommendation 1 to discourage illegal street racing in the City.

CARRIED

TRAFFIC CALMING MONITORING - FOLLOW-UP REPORT - SAUNDERS ROAD AND THE 23000 BLOCK DYKE ROAD
(Report: Feb. 20/01, File No.: 6450-01) (REDMS No. 291164)

Mr. Chan briefly reviewed the report with the Committee.

It was moved and seconded

That staff continue to monitor the impact on traffic conditions of the traffic calming and pedestrian safety measures implemented on Dyke Road (23000 Block) and Saunders Road (Bakerview Drive to No. 4 Road) respectively, and report to Council if further action is necessary.

CARRIED

PROTOCOL FOR GREATER VANCOUVER REGIONAL DISTRICT CAPITAL PROJECTS
(Report: Mar. 1/01, File No.: 0970-05) (REDMS No. 299671)

Chief Administrative Officer George Duncan briefly reviewed his report with the Committee. During his review, he advised that one issue not included in the proposed protocol was the retroactive payment of municipal charges to Richmond on municipal charges, which would amount to approximately $400,000. Mr. Duncan noted that representatives of Delta had indicated that they would only endorse the protocol if the retroactive payment was paid.

In response to questions on the proposed protocol, Mr. Duncan advised that if approved, the City would function with the GVRD based on the protocol; however, if the City did not support the protocol, and the GVRD subsequently refused to pay development cost charges, the City would have to take the GVRD to court. He added that the GVRD would still be required to obtain a voluntary permit for any work undertaken in the City and would still complete the regular permit process.

It was moved and seconded

That the Protocol for the Greater Vancouver Regional District Capital Projects be endorsed (as included in Attachment "A" of the report dated March 1, 2001 from the Chief Administrative Officer).

CARRIED

BUS STOP EXPANSION AT THE CORNER OF RICHMOND STREET AND 7^TH AVENUE
(Letter: Mar. 6/01, File No.: 6480-01)

Mayor Halsey-Brandt briefly reviewed the contents of the correspondence received from Mr. Hubertus Berg, of 3011 Richmond Street, which dealt with Mr. Berg’s concerns about the proposed expansion of a bus stop located at the corner of Richmond Street and 7^th Avenue, directly in front of his home.

Senior Transportation Engineer Victor Wei, Public Works Liaison Sandy Webster, and Traffic Technician Bob Gilchrist were in attendance to address this matter.

Mr. Gilchrist, at the request of Mr. Wei, advised that a request had been received from an area resident for the provision of wheelchair access. After discussing the request with Coast Mountain Bus, it was agreed that the request was legitimate and that expansion of the existing bus stop at Richmond Street and 7^th Avenue would be a candidate for a wheelchair accessible stop. Mr. Gilchrist further advised that as a result, drawings were prepared and submitted to the City Works Yard for marking of the expanded area on the ground.

Ms. Webster, in speaking further on the matter, advised that she had been requested to review the proposed plans because of the close proximity of the expanded area to the front door of Mr. Berg’s home. She stated that two rhododendron bushes would have to be removed and the fence relocated.

Ms. Webster indicated that in her opinion the design for the expanded bus stop was poor and subsequently requested possible alternatives which would provide wheelchair access at another site. She then reviewed the alternative locations suggested by staff, which were either not wheelchair accessible or would require the individual in question to travel much further to catch a bus. Ms. Webster indicated that staff had reached the conclusion that the proposed location at the corner of Richmond Street and 7^th Avenue offered the best site for a wheelchair accessible bus stop.

In response to questions, the following information was provided by staff:

Mr. Berg had proposed that the wheelchair accessible bus stop be relocated to a vacant lot at the corner of 7^th Avenue and Broadway Street; however, the proposed location was not even a block away from the existing wheelchair bus stop and would require the applicant to travel another two blocks to reach this site

TransLink did not support the relocation of the existing bus stop; relocation of the bus stop would only disrupt transit planning; and the proposed location did not meet transit criteria for the location of bus stops

the alternate locations were inadequate and would be more costly to upgrade, as well as being inconvenient for the applicant

staff were recommending that the size of the pad be reduced slightly, however, Mr. Berg was not satisfied with the solutions proposed by staff

the empty lot referred to was in fact located 2 blocks from the existing bus stop and not ‘next door’ as implied by Mr. Berg

decisions on any new bus stops or modifications to existing bus stops was through the mutual agreement of TransLink and the City; however if TransLink did not agree with a particular decision, no further action would be taken.

an invitation had been extended to Mr. Berg to meet on-site to discuss the proposed improvements, however, he declined to do so based on information which he had received.

As a result of the discussion, the Mayor indicated that he would respond to Mr. Berg, indicating that Victor Wei and Sandy Webster would be contacting him on this matter. The Mayor also asked that when staff reported to Committee on the outcome of the meeting with Mr. Berg, that pictures be provided of the bus stop in question and the surrounding area.

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:04 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, March 7^th, 2001.

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Councillor Lyn Greenhill
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant