MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Thursday, January 9^th, 2003, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

URBAN DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

2.

TRAFFIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE PROPOSED 2003 INITIATIVES
(Report:  Nov. 25/02, File No.:  0100-20-TSAD1-01) (REDMS No. 905241)

The Director, Transportation, Gordon Chan, introduced three members of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) Alex Lee, of ICBC, Ms. Pat Broz, representing the Richmond District Parent Association, and Sgt. Ron Hobbs, Traffic Section of the Richmond Detachment of the RCMP.

Mr. Chan then provided information on the issues on which the Committee intended to focus for 2003, and spoke about the achievements of the Committee for the previous year.

Mr. Lee spoke about the opportunity which the Committee provided to ICBC in providing the means to obtain different points of view on how to deal with particular traffic issues, during which he commented that the Committee worked well and that he hoped to continue ICBCs participation in the future.

Ms. Broz commented that the TSAC had done an excellent job in responding to the concerns of parents about traffic safety issues around their schools.

Sgt. Hobbs noted that there had been a reduction of 38 to 40% in the number of collisions occurring in the City.  He also provided information on the formation of a sub-committee of the TSAC to target aggressive driving behaviour, which would include members of TSAC and others, including youth.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members and the delegation on such matters as:

the update of the City's Traffic Accident Inventory System advice was given that the new system would provide greater flexibility in generating reports on the number and types of accidents which occur within the City

education and enforcement initiatives through partnerships, such as with ICBC, and steps being taken by ICBC with respect to auto crime strategies

the availability of statistics on the number of auto crimes which occurred in the City from one year to the next, including high crash locations, problem locations, etc.

the ways in which motor vehicle owners and operators could help to deter auto theft.

Reference was made to traffic calming measures implemented by the Traffic Department, and the request was made that Council be kept informed of the installation of such measures.

The Chair thanked the delegation for their endeavours, and noted that their efforts were making Richmond a safer place in which to live.

It was moved and seconded

That the proposed 2003 initiatives for the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, (as outlined in the report dated November 25^th, 2002, from the Director, Transportation), be endorsed.

CARRIED

3.

RICHMOND COMMUNITY CYCLING COMMITTEE PROPOSED 2003 INITIATIVES
(Report:  Jan. 6/03, File No.:  0100-20-RCYC1) (REDMS No. 920478)

The Manager, Transportation Planning, Victor Wei, briefly reviewed the report with the Committee, during which he noted that the focus of the Committee was shifting from engineering to education initiatives.

Mr. Larry Pamer, Chair of the Richmond Community Cycling Committee (RCCC), spoke about the significant progress made in the shift from developing bicycle routes to educating the public about safe cycling.  He also commented on the development of the City web site to include an enhanced section on cycling.

A brief discussion ensued among Committee members and the delegation on the availability of bicycle paths for commuters, during which reference was made to a map prepared by the Greater Vancouver Regional District which defines bicycle lanes and routes designated for commuters.

It was moved and seconded

That the proposed 2003 initiatives of the Richmond Community Cycling Committee regarding the various cycling related engineering and education tasks, (as described in the report dated January 6, 2003, from the Director, Transportation), be endorsed.

CARRIED

4.

WILLIAMS ROAD COMMUNITY SHUTTLE SERVICE PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
(Report:  Dec. 19/02, File No.:  0154-04) (REDMS No. 915090)

Mr. Chan introduced Mr. Brian Mills, Program Manager, Service Planning, of TransLink, who then gave a short PowerPoint presentation on the Richmond-Airport 2003 Community Shuttle Program.  A copy of the presentation is attached as Schedule A and forms part of these minutes.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members, the delegation and staff on the proposed shuttle, during which in response to questions, advice was given that:

the shuttle between Steveston and Riverport would initially operate during the day, Monday to Saturday

TransLink was currently exploring the possibility of installing rear bicycle racks on a number of buses, however, there were concerns dealing with safety and security

with respect to the awarding of the operating contract for the shuttle service, the TransLink Board had made the decision to open the proposal call to all bidders, including Coast Mountain Bus Company.

During the discussion, concern was expressed about the length of time which would pass before the implementation of the shuttle service in December, 2003.  Advice was given that the consultation process would be completed by the end of March, and that the remainder of the time was required to award the contract and implement the service.  It was noted that the manufacture and delivery of the vehicles required approximately six months for completion.

The suggestion was made that regular buses not already being utilized for transit routes could be used to provide the shuttle service now, however, it was noted that many of the stops along the shuttle route still had to be constructed and the design at these stops would not accommodate the longer regular buses.

Discussion continued briefly, during which information was provided by Mr. Mills on how TransLink would advertise the implementation of the new shuttle service to Richmond citizens.  Further information was also provided that construction of the required infrastructure would be a 50/50 cost sharing between the City and TransLink.

It was moved and seconded

That the proposed implementation and public consultation process for the new Williams Road Community Shuttle Service, (as described in the report dated December 19^th, 2002, from the Director, Transportation), be endorsed.

CARRIED

5.

MANAGERS REPORT

(a)

Councillor Barnes questioned the status of the Local Improvement Project for Pacemore Avenue.  Advice was given that staff would be reporting to Committee shortly on the outcome of the petition, and that it would be likely that the recommendation would be proceed with the walkway option rather than a concrete sidewalk, curb and gutter.

(b)

Councillor Barnes referred to a petition received from residents of the Odlin Road and Odlinwood neighbourhood for road improvements on the south side of Odlin Road.  Advice was given that staff were presently reviewing the petition and would be reporting to Committee on the request.

(c)

The Director, Public Works, Eric Gilfillan, referred to the maintenance contract between TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation & Highways for that portion of the major road network (Knight Street Corridor) which had been downloaded to the City.  He advised that the contract would expire in March, 2004, and that a request for proposal call was currently being prepared.

Mr. Gilfillan stated that the General Manager, Engineering & Public Works would be entering into the new contract on behalf of the City because the City did not have the financial resources to purchase the equipment and undertake the maintenance of this road. 

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:47 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, January 22^nd, 2003.

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Councillor Rob Howard
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant