Why do people on Point Grey Road get to have the speed limit lowered and no one else in the city does?
Q. Why was the speed limit on Point Grey Road cut to 30? Who is accountable for the decision? Why does this area get to exclude commuters while East Van areas do not?
A. Oh, you tricky thing you, sending this question in just as I was also working on a story about the pitch from the Point Grey residents to have cars not just slowed but significantly reduced in number on their street. (As per my story of last week, attached again here in case you missed it.)
The speed limit on Point Grey Road, just to be factually accurate, was not recently cut to 30. It was reduced to 30 quite some time ago, for essentially the same reasons we are hearing this time around: excessive commuter traffic on a narrow residential street that residents say was not meant to be a major arterial, with resultant problems of collisions between cars and bikes, cars and pedestrians, bikes and pedestrians, and cars and cars. As well as people being afraid to cross the street.
The city’s communications department, in answer to the question, sent me this:
Council approved the reduction in speed as part of the Kitsilano Traffic, Cycling and Parking Plan in the early 90’s. The Kitsilano Plan, which was approved by Council in 1992, resulted in the installation of 30 km/hr signs at the mini-parks (playgrounds) along Point Grey Road to improve safety, for cyclists using the narrow pavement and for pedestrians crossing the street. A number of traffic calming measures have been implemented in locations throughout the City, including a speed reduction to 30 km/hr along West Hastings Street.
I realize that a lot of people, then and now, are suspicious that this is some kind of favour to rich people along the road. But the city has put in lowered speed limits and even road barriers in many parts of the city.
The interior of the West End is virtually impassable, after its residents lobbied for traffic calming in the 1970s. There are many routes that have been blocked or calmed in the blocks east of Victoria, where commuters tended to stream through the streets as a way of getting through from the Prior/Venables exit from downtown. Dundas east of Nanaimo is another area where a militant resident group has gotten a lot of attention from city engineers, who have done a number of things to try to divert or slow traffic. East Hastings, as all the world knows since it was put in place a couple of years ago, has a 30-kilometre speed limit.
One reason why I think you might believe the limit just got reduced is that the neighbourhood asked for new signs to be put up recently. They’ve also tried to put pressure on police to do more ticketing, although I didn’t get the sense from those I talked to that they felt anything was happening on that front.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Agustin // Oct 11, 2012 at 12:15 pm
I wasn’t around then, but I had heard that the traffic calming was initially unwanted by West End residents. Was it a very divisive issue or had I heard wrong?
2 Elana // Oct 11, 2012 at 12:35 pm
…Not about money or connections as I’d assumed, then. Well, I can think of another area that could use a massive speed reduction in East Van near King Ed and Fraser. Many of the residential streets in town are hijacked by cars bypassing busy main arteries…And it is a serious hazard to pedestrians/residents, bikes, other cars, and parked vehicles.
3 IanS // Oct 11, 2012 at 1:00 pm
I disagree with the assertion that the interior of the West End is virtually impassable. While one is often required to take circuitous routes, dodging down alleys or cutting back and forth from street to street, my experience is that there’s a reasonable amount of traffic, at least during my occasional drives through. You just need to know your way around.
And Nelson, the through street going east and west, is often quite busy.
IMO, the very crowded onstreet parking provides a much more serious problem for drivers in the West End, as it effectively creates almost single lane roads at times.
4 Dave // Oct 11, 2012 at 1:07 pm
The signs posted on Point Grey Road were “Playground Zone” signs, even in the blocks where there are no playgrounds. An interesting consequence of that; the speed limit reverts to 50 km/h during non-daylight hours.
5 Frances Bula // Oct 11, 2012 at 4:09 pm
@I don’t know if the traffic barriers in the West End were divisive but I must correct myself by adding that I believe part of the impetus was to drive out people circling the blocks looking for prostitutes. (And it’s now in the industrial area around East Hastings and barricades have been put up on the streets there for exactly the same reason.)
6 Westender1 // Oct 11, 2012 at 4:12 pm
…”And Nelson, the through street going east and west, is often quite busy.”
And likely about to get busier as Comox Street, one of the few other remaining “east-west” through streets in the West End is to be made discontinuous through a series of one-way portions:
http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Comox-Helmcken-Greenway-Map-Detailed-2012-09-28.pdf
Presumably many of the cars currently using Comox will divert to Nelson.
7 IanS // Oct 11, 2012 at 4:59 pm
@Westender1 #6,
Yeah, I read about that plan, though I hadn’t seen that map before. It’s a shame and I think you’re right that Nelson will get more traffic. I think Pendrell and Davie will too.
Still, I’m sure the new obstacles are nothing at a little bobbing and weaving through back lanes and such can’t overcome. Shame about the loss of parking near Denman, though.
8 Victor // Nov 2, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Point Grey residents should be careful what they wish for. Apparently they are lobbying to close Point Grey Rd from MacDonald to Alma St. Is that fair to their neighbours to the south who would suddenly experience a huge increase in traffic? After all you don’t build on Pt Grey Rd thinking it will be quiet. But traffic calming measure could be installed as they should be on Beach Ave.
Point Grey Rd homes usually face the ocean unlike residents of Beach/Pacific St etc who face the traffic.
FYI….There is a 30KMP speed limit on Beach Ave (think “playground, park area”) but even the police don’t stop vehicles unless they reach 50KMP+
It would be great to have Beach Ave closed from Denman to Thurlow St too but would that be fair to our neighbours who would get the increased traffic?
9 Informed // Nov 2, 2012 at 10:50 pm
Victor, what are talking about: Point Grey Road residents do not all face the ocean; the majority of them are on the South side of Point Grey Road and consequently face the traffic on Point Grey Road! Closing Point Grey Road to through traffic would divert commuters to use 4th Avenue responsibly (wider and slowed by traffic lights) instead of using Point Grey Road as a drag strip (narrower with no traffic lights). You are correct that 30K signage has little to no effect on calming traffic, which is why PGR residents are recommending an alternative solution. If Beach Avenue residents have the same problem as PGR, I suggest they also contact the City and make their case, but do not knock PGR residents for their efforts to increase safety for all.
10 Jane // May 18, 2013 at 9:07 am
The solution for Point Grey Road is to eliminate at least one of the designated parking lanes. Parking is allowed on both side of the road thus narrowing the car and cycling areas. Eliminating parking from both sides would be even better. Read the letters from cyclists & pedestrians on other sites. Cyclists are okay with using designated routes & not a single pedestrian has said they felt unsafe walking on Pt. Grey Road.
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