Seven pedestrian crossings are slated for improvements in 2020.
The City of New Westminster’s 2020 pedestrian-crossing improvement program includes works at: 12th Street at Fourth Avenue; Agnes Street at 10th Street; Queens Avenue at 11th Street; Clarkson Street at Lorne Mews; Sixth Avenue at Fourth Street; East Royal Avenue at Francis Way; and 700 block of Princess Street. Curb extensions, overhead crosswalk signage, zebra crosswalks (white painted markings on the road) and improved signage are among the ways the city will tackle pedestrian safety at these locations.
“This is really important work that we are doing,” said Mayor Jonathan Cote. “The recent TransLink trip diary shows that walking mode shares increase significantly in the city. That’s in part because we are a very walkable city, but we also need to make sure we are being accessible and having as comfortable pedestrian environments as possible.”
The pedestrian-crossing improvement program is developed using citizen-generated requests, input from advisory committees and staff, and collision data, said a staff report.
At a June public hearing about a highrise development on Sixth Street, some uptown residents voiced concerns about pedestrian safety on Princess Street, citing concerns about increasing traffic and providing vehicle access to the building via Princess Street.
According to a staff report, there is already an existing signed crossing area in this midblock location, adjacent to Royal City Centre, but it’s somewhat unconventional as it has a lack of defined curb ramps and pavement markings, and is adjacent to a traffic circle.
“Further review is necessary to identify the recommended improvements, but consideration will be given to adding pavement markings and potentially relocating the crosswalk or adding a marked crossing further to the west, near the shopping mall entrance,” said the report. “It is anticipated that this review will be done in the winter of 2019 for potential implementation in 2020.”
Coun. Chinu Das said she’d like the city to be mindful of areas where a lot of seniors reside, including Princess Street.
“This area is heavy with seniors,” she said. “I just want to make sure that I reinforce what I said before – this street needs to be treated very, very carefully in light of the other developments that are coming up in the area.”
The report stated it was also recommended to add a second crosswalk at the signalized intersection at Eighth and Hamilton streets (near Moody Park and Century House), but there was wasn’t enough capital funding available to do this project in 2020. Staff also reviewed several other locations but didn’t recommend they be included in the pedestrian crossing improvement program at this time.
While the city has yet to finalize next year’s budget, which is part of the 2020 to 2024 financial plan process, staff anticipate the estimated annual funding will be sufficient to do the works proposed for this year, excluding Eighth and Hamilton.
“However, the detailed design for this package of improvements may reveal a need to reduce the scope of deliverables if tender prices exceed the council-approved budget,” said the report.
