November 23, 2016 - Minutes

Date:

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Chak Au, Chair
Councillor Harold Steves
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Alexa Loo

Also Present:

Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Carol Day

Call to Order:

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

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works and Transportation Committee held on October 19, 2016, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

December 21, 2016, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

DELEGATIONS

1.

(1)

Erich Harvey, 9460 Alberta Road, cycling teacher and recreational cyclist, presented images to the Committee (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1) of roads in Richmond which are used frequently by cyclists.  Mr. Harvey referred to several roads in his presentation and noted that the concerns for cyclists on these roads in Richmond were (i) the speed of traffic, (ii) the narrow space for cyclists, (iii) the size of the vehicles occupying the roads, (iv) parked vehicles, (v) merging vehicles, and (vi) construction.

In reply to questions, Mr. Harvey noted that some additions which would be useful to cyclists include (i) plastic bars and concrete barriers placed in the key areas of the road, (ii) widening of paths and lanes, and (iii) the addition of separate paths for cycling alongside roads.

(2)

James White, 3226 Pleasant Street, former professional cyclist and a current recreational cyclist, summarized his concerns to the Committee and stated that (i) there are three types of cyclists – professional, recreational, and commuters, (ii) clear and long open roads allow professional cyclists to keep their heart rate up, (iii) Richmond and Ladner are frequently used as recreational cycling areas of the flat topography, (iv) commuters seek safe, clear and visible areas for cycling.  Mr. White emphasized that all types of cyclists need to be catered to in order to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for different members of the population.

In response to a query, Mr. White noted that building a route around sea island way would be too short to meet cyclists’ needs.

(3)

Linda Love, 3031 Williams Road, Chair of the Richmond Active Transportation Committee (RATC), explained to the Committee that the focus of the Committee is to improve active transportation in the City.  Ms. Love remarked that at the time there were no competitive cyclers on committee and hopes that the addition of more cyclists would help to provide better feedback to Council with feedback on possible improvements for Richmond’s roads. 

(4)

Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, expressed his condolences towards the recent fatality in the cycling community and informed the Committee that the investigation into the cause of the death is still ongoing.  Mr. Wei confirmed that there would be a report coming forward which would address the safety concerns and roadways needing improvement in Richmond.  However, there will be no contribution to any high cost solutions until the cause for the fatality is known.  

A handout, containing text from an article in the Richmond News, was distributed to the Committee and is attached to these minutes as Schedule 2.  Mr. Wei noted that a response was being prepared to this article. Mr. Wei then encouraged the public to bring forward their recommendations for road safety improvements to the RATC and also noted that posted on the City’s website was an invitation for people to come speak at future RATC meetings.

In response to questions, Mr. Wei confirmed that (i) there was a limited amount of funding dedicated to traffic roadway improvements and cycling, (ii) given limited funding, feedback is being requested from the RATC to determine what are the areas which need funding immediately, (iii) the incorporation of cycling paths is always being implemented into the new roadways, and (iv) delays in construction work at certain areas in Richmond is being cause on external factors.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

2.

Provincial 2017/18 BikeBC program submission
(File Ref. No. 01-0150-20-THIG1) (REDMS No. 5200523)

In reply to queries, Victor Wei stated that (i) it is possible that enough external funding will be collected to support the project, (ii) option one is to fill in the canal and put in a new path, (iii) option two, which is less costly, is to build on the nearby right of way, and (iv) the anticipated completion time is the end of next year.  

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the submission for cost-sharing to the Province’s 2017/2018 BikeBC Program for the River Drive multi-use pathway, as described in the report, titled “Provincial 2017/2018 BikeBC Program Submission” dated October 21, 2016, from the Director, Transportation, be endorsed; and

(2)

That, should the above application be successful and the project receive Council’s approval via the annual capital budget process, the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Planning and Development, be authorized to execute the funding agreement and that the 2017 Capital Plan and the 5-Year Financial Plan (2017-2021) be updated accordingly.

CARRIED

3.

TransLink Draft Regional Goods Movement strategy
(File Ref. No. 01-0154-04) (REDMS No. 5201462 v. 3)

Victor Wei noted that (i) the document is fairly high level, (ii) there is no detailed action plans yet, and (iii) staff will come back to committee to update on detailed action plans.  Comments and concerns were made regarding the parking of the trucks.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That TransLink be advised that the City supports the draft Regional Goods Movement Strategy in principle, subject to continued dialogue with the City on key items as described in the staff report, titled “TransLink Draft Regional Goods Movement Strategy” dated October 26, 2016, from the Director, Transportation, to ensure that urban freight movement and associated economic benefits are enhanced without diminishing the City’s authority over local roadways or resulting in negative impacts to the community;

(2)

That the City continue to work with TransLink and relevant stakeholders to finalize the draft Regional Goods Movement Strategy; and

(3)

That staff be directed to report back on the detailed action plans when completed.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

4.

horseshoe slough pump station
(File Ref. No. 10-6340-20-P.15305) (REDMS No. 5209602)

It was moved and seconded

That the design concept for the Horseshoe Slough Drainage Pump Station Upgrade as detailed in Attachment 1 of the staff report titled, “Horseshoe Slough Pump Station,” be approved.

CARRIED

5.

electric vehicle Fleet and charging station Infrastructure
(File Ref. No. 02-0780-01) (REDMS No. 5201896 v. 5)

In response to questions, Suzanne Bycraft, Manager, Fleet and Environmental Programs, stated that the reasonable lifespan for a vehicle’s battery would be 10 years and that only the publicly available charging stations are noted in the report.  

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the tiered approach and key considerations for acquiring electric vehicles within the City’s vehicle fleet, as outlined in the staff report titled “Electric Vehicle Fleet and Charging Station Infrastructure,” dated October 22, 2016 from the Director, Public Works Operations, be endorsed; and

(2)

That staff report back regarding the potential installation of community Level 3 charge stations, including an energy cost recovery approach, as part of advancing greenhouse gas emissions under the City’s Community Energy and Emissions Plan.

CARRIED

6.

update on 2016/2017 snow and ice response preparations
(File Ref. No. ) (REDMS No. 5195272 v. 2)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Update on 2016/2017 Snow and Ice Response Preparations,” dated October 20, 2016, from the Director, Public Works Operations be received for information.

CARRIED

7.

MANAGER’S REPORT

Suzanne Bycraft briefed the Committee on the garbage and recycling calendar for the upcoming year and noted that (i) the annual calendar is anticipated to be sent out in January, (ii) the package will contain a short insert showing the collection guide, and (iii) many residents have already signed up for the garbage collection reminder on the Richmond app.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:55 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Public Works and Transportation Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, November 23, 2016.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Chak Au
Chair

Shaun Divecha
Legislative Services Coordinator