The City of New Westminster is continuing to monitor the impacts - good and bad – of a traffic diverter installed at the foot of Alberta Street.
In response to complaints about speeding and increased traffic volumes on Alberta Street, the city erected a right-in/right-out traffic diverter at Alberta and East Columbia Street earlier this year. The traffic diverter, installed on a trial basis, was intended to address increased traffic volumes arising from motorists using Alberta Street to access businesses at the Brewery District.
The city has been collecting data about vehicle speeds and volumes on Alberta, Simpson and Keary streets.
“To the surprise of few, the traffic diverter experiment on Alberta Street resulted in a reduction of traffic on Alberta Street and a reduction of speeds, which is what we expected,” said Coun. Patrick Johnstone. “It also caused an increase in traffic on Keary Street, which is not completely unexpected.”
While there was an initial “bump” in traffic on Simpson Street, he said that seemed to go away as people got used to the new traffic restriction.
The city has received a variety of feedback since the diverter was installed, including positive comments from Alberta Street residents about the reducing in traffic on their street and concerns from the Brewery District about the reduced access to its shops. Some local residents have expressed concerns that motorists are violating the turn restrictions, while Keary Street residents have complained about increased traffic and speeding on their street.
The city is continuing to monitor the traffic volume and speed on streets around the Brewery District and is holding off on making a decision about whether to make the diverter permanent. That decision will be made as part of the Sapperton area transportation study.
“We are embarking on larger study of the Sapperton neighbourhood. It’s a transportation and parking strategy that we will be developing jointly with Royal Columbian Hospital,” said Lisa Leblanc, the city’s manager of transportation. “This diverter on Alberta Street, the idea is to evaluate it finally in the context of that greater study. We are looking at embarking on the study early in the new year, and I would expect it to take six to eight months to complete.”
Leblanc said the strategy will include consultation with people living in the neighbourhood.
“I think it’s important that we engage with them early and fairly often, and make sure they understand where we are coming from,” she said. “Neighbourhood safety and livability is our ultimate goal as things evolve in Sapperton.”
Johnstone said the advisory committee for transit, bicycle and pedestrians has “always looked at Keary Street with a desirous eye” because its gradient and route may make it a better route for the Crosstown Greenway than the exiting route along Sherbrook Street, and suggested the committee be consulted when considering solutions for Keary Street.
