Why are the pedestrian crossing upgrades happening before the roadwork improvements?
In previous phases of engagement, a consistent concern we heard was that it is challenging for pedestrians to cross East 29th Street due to vehicle speeds and the lack of safe crossing infrastructure. The City and District are prioritizing this work to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for pedestrians in advance of future roadway improvements.
Are there any mobility lanes planned as part of Phase 2?
Mobility lanes are not planned for any future phases of work along East 29th Street. An alternate neighbourhood cycling route has been provided along Tempe Crescent and 27th Street, to avoid the steepest grades of 29th Street.
Will parking be removed as part of this work?
There will be no changes to parking as a result of the pedestrian crossing upgrades in August 2023.
Some parking removal will be required as part of the proposed roadway improvements. We recognize parking is important to many residents and will aim to balance the parking needs of the neighbourhood, while achieving necessary safety and accessibility improvements along the corridor. Any proposed changes to parking will be included as part of the upcoming engagement about roadway improvements in fall 2023.
Who can I contact for more information?
To get in touch with the project team, please email: eng@cnv.org
There has been a long history of correspondence received by municipal staff relating to safety concerns on 29th Street. In 2016, the City began working with the District of North Vancouver to improve safety on East 29th St. between Lonsdale Avenue and Lynn Valley Rd.
In 2016, we engaged with the community to learn about the experience of local residents and receive feedback about East 29th Street. Some of the major findings of this process include:
- It was challenging to cross the road as a pedestrian or as a cyclist.
- Driver speeds were too fast.
- Driveway access was reported to be difficult due to vehicle speeds and poor sightlines in particular locations.
In 2017, a Traffic Safety Study was undertaken to assess speed data, ICBC incident data, design safety and road design in the context on municipal master plans for 29th Street.
Major Findings & Recommendations
Some of the major findings from the Traffic Safety Study included:
- 316 crashes in the period between 2006 & 2015. Significantly higher than what would be expected for the volume of traffic on the road.
- The majority of these incidents were rear-end and turning collisions. This indicates road users have difficulty negotiating left turning traffic on this roadway.
- 15% of road speeds were recorded in excess of 10km/h over the speed limit.
- The road is designated as an east-west cycle route (via Tempe Cres. to avoid the hill), without any cycling facilities to support safer conditions for cyclists.
- There are limited sightlines when exiting driveways.
- There are limited marked crossings along the corridor & missing sections of sidewalks.
The recommendations taken forward following the study and input from residents were to:
- Complete gaps in sidewalks on 29th.
- Create crosswalks at key intersections of St. Georges Ave, St. Mary’s Ave, Regent Ave & Tempe Glen Drive.
- Install bike lanes from Lynn Valley Road to Tempe Crescent.
- Create dedicated left turning lanes throughout the corridor.
- Upgrade William Avenue intersection with traffic lights and signalized crosswalks.
- Improve safety when entering and exiting driveways.
Improvement Plan & Community Feedback
This drove the creation of the improvement plan and concept designs with a variety of options for intersection improvements. These were taken to the community and feedback was sought through both an open house and an online survey. The feedback from residents emphasized the desire for on-street parking particularly near Lynn Valley Road and Lonsdale Ave.
These comments were carried into the detailed design and the improvements were implemented from Regent Avenue to Lynn Valley Road by the District of North Vancouver in 2019 (Phase One Roadwork).
The City received additional feedback from residents on the planned improvements from Lonsdale to Regent Avenue and in response, paused this phase of the project to reconnect with the community and consider further design modifications for this section of the project.
This feedback included the following concerns:
- The proposed left turn lanes may increase shortcutting via residential streets to skip the Lonsdale Ave intersection.
- Some left turns are unsafe and should be removed.
- Sightlines are still a concern entering and exiting driveways.
- Bus stop locations should reflect crossing facilities.
2019 Public Information Session
In November 2019, the City met with members of the local community to present a revised design that reflected their concerns and inform them about the second phase of work.
We received further input from the community and the main themes included:
- Concerns about shortcutting in the neighbourhood south of 29th Street. Some of these concerns were addressed with the installation of speed bumps on St Georges Avenue.
- Left turn restrictions onto St. Andrews Ave, Tempe Cres, Brand St and Somerset St may make accessing local residents and businesses challenging and place more traffic onto St. Georges.
- Support for the eastbound bus stop at St. Andrews remaining in its current location.
- Parking removal on the 300 and 400 blocks could be avoided.
Advancing the design and construction of this second phase of work was postponed in 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19. As several years have past, the City will be launching a public engagement process in fall 2023 to reconnect with residents, review and confirm challenges and opportunities for this area and present an updated proposed design.