MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Thursday, April 4^th, 2002, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING & PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

2.

T.1534 ASPHALTIC CONCRETE PAVING (2002)
(Report:  Apr. 4/02, File No.:  0775-20-T.1534) (REDMS No. 679382)

It was moved and seconded

That the City enter into a contract with Columbia Bitulithic Ltd. in accordance with T.1534 Asphaltic Concrete Paving (2002), in the total tendered amount of $1,529,707.70 plus GST.

Prior to the question on the motion being called, the Director, Engineering Steve Ono, in response to questions, provided information on utility cuts and the vibrations which result as the existing pavement settled.  He also explained the meaning of the various terminology referred to in Appendix A to the staff report, including longitudinal cracking, alligator cracking, road polishing and lift paving). 

Mr. Ono also provided information on the process followed to justify and determine the list of road locations which required maintenance paving.

(Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt entered the meeting at 4:15 p.m., during the above discussion.)

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

3.

POTENTIAL MEASURES TO DISCOURAGE STREET RACING
(Report:  Apr. 3/02, File No.:  5000-01) (REDMS No. 677521)

The Director, Transportation, Gordon Chan, reviewed the report with the Committee.  He then introduced Sgt. Ron Hobbs, of the Richmond RCMP Traffic Section, and Mr. Alex Lee, of ICBC. 

Sgt. Hobbs spoke further on the pro-active approach being taken to deal with road racing, and the attitude of the youth involved with this activity. 

Sgt. Hobbs also commented on the public form held on April 9^th, 2002, and about the attitude of a small minority of individuals who spoke at the forum, who indicated to those present that they would continue to race in spite of the danger in which they placed themselves and others.  He stated that the current road racing problems would continue if the attitude of the drivers, families and parents did not change.  

Sgt. Hobbs then spoke about the approach being taken by the City, the Richmond detachment and ICBC from an enforcement point of view, and provided information on steps being taken with respect to education and using the media to promote the message to the public that street racing was dangerous and could result in death.  He expressed the hope that the action being taken would change the attitude of the racers on this issue.  He added that the detachment was enforcing the regulations of the Motor Vehicle Act as strictly as possible.

Mr. Lee expressed agreement to the statements made by Sgt. Hobbs, and spoke further on the need to reach students with the message that road racing kills, and to continue to reinforce the positive behaviour of those youth who took responsibility for their driving. 

Considerable discussion then ensued among Committee members, the delegation and staff on:

whether any consideration was being given to the possibility of seizing and impounding the motor vehicle of any driver caught road racing for the same amount of time as the driver was prohibited from driving 

the need for the early education of students and parents on the dangers of road racing; the programs and resource materials which were currently in place to educate youth about the dangers of road racing; and the need for dialogue between parents and their children on the street racing issue

the advertising industry and its marketing of fast cars, and the impact which this marketing was having on the public, and whether any steps were being taken to address this issue with that industry

steps taken by City staff in the past to address street racing in various parts of Richmond, and the success of these measures

the engineering measures being proposed by staff and the cost of implementing these measures

whether any consideration was being given to restricting the number of passengers who could be in a vehicle driven by a new driver

the charges imposed against a driver who was responsible for causing injury or death because of street racing.

During the discussion, Committee members expressed concern about road racing, and stressed the need for harsher penalties imposed against drivers who caused injury or death because of street racing.

Ms. Anna Bloomfield came forward and spoke about speeding and street racing in Richmond.  A copy of her submission is attached as Schedule A and forms part of these minutes.

The Chair referred to a suggestion made by Ms. Bloomfield that traffic signals automatically convert to 4-way red flashing lights after a specific time in the evening, and advice was given by Mr. Chan that that suggestion would be considered as part of possible Traffic Signal Modifications.

It was moved and seconded

( 1 )

That Richmond RCMP and Transportation staff work jointly with other external agencies to further assess the merits and effectiveness of the various measures identified in the report (dated April 3^rd, 2002, from the Director, Transportation) to address street racing and report back on the results of the assessment.

( 2 )

That Richmond RCMP and Transportation staff review the feedback obtained at the public forum on street racing to be held April 9, 2002 and incorporate any identified feasible measures into the follow-up staff report identified in Recommendation 1.

Prior to the question on the motion being called, questions were raised about the timing of the report to Committee on measures to deal with street racing.  Advice was given that staff would require 2 to 3 months to complete their work on this project, and in response, Mr. Chan was asked to report to the Committee as quickly as possible.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

4.

WATERFRONT STRATEGY STEVESTON AREA
(Report:  Apr. 10/02, File No.:   ) (REDMS No. 685293)

The Manager, Corporate & Strategic Planning, Lani Schultz, reviewed the report in detail with the Committee.

A lengthy discussion then ensued among Committee members and staff on:

whether the cost of those projects which extended beyond the boardwalk extension were included in the overall cost for the project; and the portion of the project for which the City was being asked to contribute funding

the amount of funds currently in the Waterfront Amenity Reserve Fund

the timing of the report from staff on the overall waterfront strategy for the Steveston area; and the rationale for the report being considered at this time, with no opportunity being provided for a prior review of the report and its recommendations

whether the proposed projects were connected in anyway with the Tall Ships event

the perception of the Richmond public that the proposed work was connected with the Tall Ships event, even though the projects now being considered had been proposed a number of years ago as part of the maintenance and operation of the waterfront 

the rationale for the direction given to staff to concentrate on completing the waterfront vision for the Steveston Zone

whether the renovations to the No. 3 Road pier were needed in order to allow the Tall Ships event to continue

the estimated cost of the renovations to the No. 3 Road pier

Questions were raised about the timing of the projects, and as a result, staff were requested to provide to Cllr. Kumagai, information on the history and timeline of the boardwalk extension and No. 3 Road pier renovations, so that he could pass this information on to the public at the April 22^nd regular Council meeting.  The suggestion was also made information should be given that the No. 3 Road pier renovations was the only project proposed to be completed earlier than originally intended.

Reference was made by Cllr. Steves to the question raised about whether the Tall Ships event would be negatively impacted if the proposed renovations to the No. 3 Road pier were not completed.  He stated that the Tall Ships event could proceed without the renovations to the No. 3 Road pier, and he then provided information to the Committee on the construction and proposed use of floats which would be located temporarily in front of Imperial Cannery.

Reference was made to a proposal by the Greater Vancouver Regional District to implement a ferry system between Delta and Richmond for pedestrians and bicyclists by Cllr. Kumagai.  He asked that staff examine the feasibility of introducing the service at the No. 3 Road pier rather than at the south end of No. 5 Road, the site which was currently being considered, to determine if the No. 3 Road would be a practical connection to the GVRD Greenway trail system. 

The Chair indicated that she was not prepared to support the proposed renovations to the No. 3 Road pier, as it appeared that the scope of the proposed renovations had been increased over those previously proposed.  As a result, the request was made that the recommendations be dealt with separately.

It was moved and seconded

That $100,000 from the 2002 Capital Budget Waterfront Improvement Reserve Fund, be approved as a contribution from the City towards Steveston Harbour Authority boardwalk.

CARRIED

It was moved and seconded

That $400,000 from the 2002 Capital Budget Waterfront Improvement Reserve Fund be approved for upgrades to the No. 3 Road Pier.

CARRIED

OPPOSED:  Cllr. Greenhill

5.

MANAGERS REPORT

The Acting Director, Public Works, Dave Semple, introduced the new Manager, Sewerage & Drainage, Mr. Jim Young, to the Committee, who welcomed him to the City.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:23 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, April 17^th, 2002.

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Councillor Lyn Greenhill
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant