Date:

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Derek Dang, Chair

Councillor Bill McNulty, Vice-Chair

Councillor Linda Barnes

Councillor Harold Steves

Mayor Malcolm Brodie

Absent:

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, October 22, 2008, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

It was agreed to add Kartner Road Bus Stop and Hamilton Intersections at: Mclean and Westminster Highway & Gilley Road and Westminster Highway to the agenda before Item 6.  

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

3.

TRANSLINK 2009 CAPITAL PROGRAM COST-SHARING SUBMISSIONS - MAJOR ROAD NETWORK, BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSIT-RELATED ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

(Report:  November 3, 2008, File No.:  01-0154-04) (REDMS No. 2481189)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the submission of:

(a)

road and traffic signal improvement projects for cost-sharing as part of the TransLink 2009 Major Road Network (MRN) Minor Capital Program,

(b)

bicycle facility improvements for cost-sharing as part of the TransLink 2009 Bicycle Infrastructure Capital Cost-Sharing Program, and

(c)

transit facility improvements for cost-sharing as part of the TransLink 2009 Transit-Related Road Infrastructure Program,

as described in the attached report, be endorsed; and

(2)

That, should the above submissions be successful, the General Manager, Planning and Development be authorized to execute the funding agreements.

CARRIED

4.

NON-STORMWATER DISCHARGES TO CITY’S STORM SEWER

(Report:  October 31, 2008, File No.:  10-6175-04-01, XR: 12-8060-20-7435) (REDMS No. 2524482)

It was moved and seconded

That staff bring forward an amended Pollution Prevention and Clean-Up Regulation Bylaw 7435 to specify the use of federal and/or provincial water quality discharge criteria as the guideline for assessing non-stormwater discharge requests to the City’s storm sewer.

CARRIED

5.

2007 ANNUAL WATER QUALITY REPORT

(Report:  November 7, 2008, File No.:  10-6650-08-01) (REDMS No. 2527082, 2478874)

A brief discussion took place between Committee members and staff on:

·            

staff is preparing an education campaign to advise residents of the quality, integrity and safety of the City’s water distribution system;

·            

the issues of: (i) the promotion of the use of refillable water vessels and (ii) the availability of drinking water in City facilities are being addressed by staff and a report will be brought forward; and

·            

the City is working with both Metro Vancouver and the Health Department to improve the process of coordinating the communication of information, and the issuing of a water warning, should the need arise in the future. 

It was moved and seconded

That the 2007 Annual Water Quality Report (dated November 7, 2008 from the Director of Parks and Public Works Operations) be received for information and be made available to the public as required by the Drinking Water Protection Act.

CARRIED

5a.

KARTNER ROAD BUS STOP

A comment was made that a resident had expressed concern that on Westminster Highway (between No. 7 and No. 8 Road) that since the discontinuation of a former bus stop at that location, some transit users endure a walk home of up to 45 minutes.

As a result of the comment, and a brief discussion that ensued, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That staff explore the possibility of bus stops in the vicinity of Kartner Road and Westminster Highway.

The question was not called as Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, responded to queries and advised the following:

·            

at present staff is not aware of any other location requiring new bus stops for transit users;

·            

staff is developing a street furniture program in order to explore how to improve such amenities as: transit shelters, garbage receptacles, newspaper boxes, a potential recycle component to newspaper boxes; a report on street furniture will be brought to Committee in late 2008.

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

5b.

HAMILTON INTERSECTIONS AT: MCLEAN AND WESTMINSTER HIGHWAY  & GILLEY ROAD AND WESTMINSTER HIGHWAY

A comment was made that a developer has offered to fund a permanent full traffic signal at the intersection of Gilley Road and Westminster Highway in the Hamilton neighbourhood.

In response to a query with regard to a potential future permanent full traffic signal at the intersection of McLean Avenue and Westminster Highway, Mr. Wei advised that: (i) staff is preparing a report since a referral on the subject was made at the October 22, 2008 meeting of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, and (ii) the cost associated with upgrading a pedestrian signal to a permanent full traffic signal is between $75,000 and $90,000.

As a result of the discussion the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That in the 2009 operating budget, consideration be given to:

(1)

funding for a permanent full traffic signal in the Hamilton neighbourhood at the intersection of McLean Avenue and Westminster Highway; and

(2)

staff explore other sources of revenue to pay for the permanent full traffic signal in the Hamilton neighbourhood at the intersection of McLean Avenue and Westminster Highway.

CARRIED

6.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(a)

Provincial Cost Sharing

Mr. Wei advised that the Province of B.C. has announced it is partnering with the City in a 50/50 cost sharing initiative to building a cycling connection from the North Arm Canada Line Bridge to the existing cycling network along Van Horne Way in Richmond.

The total cost of the project is $265,000 and the Province’s Bike BC funding total is $132,000. As the remaining 50% would be cost shared 50/50 with TranLink, this would reduce the City cost from 50% to 25% of the total project cost.

(b)

Moncton/No. 1 Road signalization

In response to a query regarding the high traffic intersection of Moncton Street and No. 1 Road, Mr. Wei advised the following:

·            

staff is: (i) reviewing the features of the intersection in regard to pedestrian and vehicular needs, and (ii) exploring options for signalization of the intersection;

·            

during the 2008 public consultation process for the Steveston Parking Plan, the public’s response was equally divided with 50% of respondents supporting signalization and 50% of respondents  supporting the present status of the intersection;

·            

in early 2009, staff will conduct a follow up public open house, in conjunction with the Steveston Conservation Strategy and the Draft Steveston Parking Plan, to seek further public input;

·            

in the spring of 2009, staff will bring forward a report and a recommendation; the implementation of the recommendations could commence in the summer of 2009;

·            

the potential exists that some action could be taken in early 2009.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:20 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, November 19, 2008.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Derek Dang

Chair

Sheila Johnston

Committee Clerk