MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Wednesday, November 13^th, 2002, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

2.

STRATEGIES TO DISCOURAGE STREET RACING
(Report:  Nov. 18/02; File No.:  6450-01)  (REDMS No. 896838)

The Manager, Transportation Planning, Victor Wei, and Sgt. Ron Hobbs, of the Richmond Detachment of the RCMP, indicated that they were available to respond to questions.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members and staff on the proposed recommendations and the list of short and long priorities submitted by the RCMP.  In response to questions, Sgt. Hobbs provided information on what could be accomplished with the approval of the additional overtime and equipment.  He stated that approval of each additional priority would enhance the overall enforcement measures being proposed. 

Reference was made to the proposed installation of speed monitoring stations at selected locations rather than using speed humps or curb extensions as traffic calming measures.  Advice was given that one of the long term strategies was to install vehicle detection devices to detect cases of extreme speeding (40 kph over the speed limit).  In addition, advice was given that stage two of the strategy could see the expansion of the program to send a signal of extreme speeding detection of an automobile to a central location to immediately alert the dispatcher of the location of the speeding vehicle. 

Discussion then ensued on the ramifications of approving the proposed staff recommendations, and the impact which adoption of these recommendations could have on future budgets.  Also discussed was the use of surplus funds in the current Detachment budget to fund the proposed expenses.  Questions were raised about the submission to the Committee of a communication strategy, and discussion took place on the importance of alerting the public to the fact that street racing was not acceptable in Richmond, and that anyone caught street racing would be penalized.

Mr. Ken Tung, Chair of the Public Affairs Committee, and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of S.U.C.C.E.S., spoke to the Committee on the plans developed by S.U.C.C.E.S.s Combat Reckless Driving Committee.  A copy of Mr. Tungs presentation is attached as Schedule A and forms part of these minutes.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members and the delegation on how S.U.C.C.E.S. hoped to disseminate information through teachers and the community, and the need to ensure that the same, consistent, information was being distributed.  Mr. Alex Lee, Road Safety and ICBC Loss Prevention Coordinator, was introduced, and discussion continued on the education programs prepared by ICBC and the suitability of these programs for teaching in local schools.  Also addressed during the discussion was how parents and youth would be encouraged to participate in the programs.

In concluding the discussion with the delegation, the Chair encouraged S.U.C.C.E.S. to obtain the assistance of Alex Lee and Constable Dennis Wong of the RCMP to obtain an overview of the overall issues, as the problems being experienced by Richmond with respect to street racing was only a small part of a bigger picture.

The delegation then left the table.

Discussion then continued with Sgt. Hobbs and Victor Wei, on whether the approval of the request for overtime would be more beneficial to purchasing new equipment. 

Information was also provided by Sgt. Hobbs, in response to questions, on the next steps to take to work with the community, such as involving school liaison officers teaching students about the dangers of street racing and aggressive driving behaviour, and working with the City's Traffic Department to identify problem areas.  The Chair, during the discussion, encouraged Sgt. Hobbs and the Richmond Detachment to continue with their efforts to deal with street racing, but also to consider other options which utilized all the City's services, to deal with this issue.

Discussion also continued among Committee members and staff on the funding of the capital and operating costs if the staff recommendations were approved, and the impact to future budgets.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the short-term strategies to discourage street racing, as recommended in the attached report, be approved for immediate implementation in 2002 at a total capital cost of $232,300 and an annual operating cost of $56,000, with the funding source to be the 2002 Richmond RCMP Operating Budget, provided that further additional service level requests be presented as part of the budget process.

(2)

That the long-term strategies to discourage street racing, as recommended in the attached report, be incorporated into the upcoming review of the RCMP 5-Year Plan and the City's Capital and Operating Budgets.

(3)

That Council urge the Ministry of Education to revise the provincial education curriculum to include road safety as a mandatory learning outcome, and that the Richmond School District and the Richmond District Parents Association also be requested to assist.

(4)

That in the interim prior to realization of Recommendation 3, Council request the Richmond School District to consider designating road safety as a mandatory learning outcome for all Richmond students in kindergarten through Grade 12.

(5)

That staff report to the next Community Safety Committee on a communication strategy relating to the enforcement measures being implemented by the City.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:08 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Thursday, November 21^st, 2002.

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Councillor Linda Barnes
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant