Question:
“Is the left turn advance from Sixth Street onto southbound McBride ever in operation? And why not? Makes me want to toss my recyclables in a ditch.” - Matt Lorenzi (via Twitter)
Lisa Leblanc, the City of New Westminster’s transportation manager, offers up this response.
“The left-turn phase of the Sixth/McBride signal does not come on for regular vehicles; it can only be activated by emergency vehicles. This is done deliberately to discourage people from using Sixth Avenue to access the Pattullo Bridge, because Sixth Avenue is intended only as a collector street for people moving within New Westminster, and not as a commuter route to/from the Pattullo Bridge.
“When people ask this question, I normally refer them to our Master Transportation Plan, which helps to explain the many transportation challenges that New Westminster is facing, and the strategies and policies that work toward addressing them. We are working with our regional partners to improve some of the conditions, but our primary focus is on making it easier to get around and through the city by taking transit, walking and cycling, thereby freeing up road space for those who absolutely have to drive (people like the author of the Twitter question, perhaps), and for moving goods and services that keep our economy strong.”
Additional info:
For more info, you can go to www.newwestcity.ca and search Master Transportation Plan.
Have you got a question for city hall you’d like answered? The Record’s city hall reporter Theresa McManus will do her best to get you an answer. If she can’t she’ll also tell you why. Send questions to [email protected].
