Almost hit by a car

As I walked up Beta Ave after coming out of the Brentwood Mall parking lot above Sears, a driver that had stopped at the stop sign coming out of the parking lot to Beta Ave nearly accelerated into me after briefly stopping (right after he overshot the stop line).  I guess he didn't notice my extremely large red and white umbrella that I was carrying this rainy evening.  Maybe his headlights were too close to me (he had already overshot the stop line) to illuminate my huge umbrella.  Maybe he was too focused on the car heading north on Beta to notice that I was crossing right in front of him.  Regardless of the reason, he didn't see or notice me until after he made me think that my life (along with this blog) was going to end in an intersection on a cold rainy night in Burnaby (okay I didn't think of it that elaborately at that moment but that is what would have happened).  Luckily he saw me at the last second just as he had seen the stop sign at the last second just moments earlier.  Had he hit me and I survived, the best case scenario would have been that I would have been seriously injured and I would be left blogging all day every day while I recover.

This near accident highlights the need for well-lit pedestrian crossings as well as well-painted markings on the road to guide drivers.  There are many other things that it highlights but those other things are those that only remedial driving courses could resolve.  Is it just me that notices that the markings and signs on our roads are pretty much invisible during dark rainy evenings (which happens to be a majority of the year in Metro Vancouver)?  I am not only saying this as a pedestrian, but as a driver.  If you are driving at night in the rain, you cannot see the lines on the road that separate lanes and intersections.  It's quite unbelievable that our planning departments for cities in Metro Vancouver have never noticed that this is an extremely dangerous situation.  If there is a planner that says that they have indeed noticed this situation, why haven't you done anything?  Is there nobody in Metro Vancouver, who gets paid quite well to create safe roads, that has noticed this glaring (or lack of glare in this case) problem on our roads?  There must be a better paint somewhere that doesn't disappear on a rainy night.  The last time I drove (as is the case every time I drive) I noticed that visibility is pretty important when it comes to traffic and pedestrian safety.  I would say that it is the most important factor in pedestrian and road safety,  Visibility.  Visibility.  Visibility.   If any planners are reading this (I doubt it) they can earn their good pay with this free advice.  No exorbitant consulting fee required.

• brighter paint that doesn't disappear in the rain.
• lighting that makes signs, crosswalks, and lines on the road visible to everyone during our typical winter evenings and not lighting that only allows us to see...lights on top of tall poles.

To city planners everywhere, you're welcome.

The election has come and gone...

...and believe it or not, many may not even have known what kind of election it was let alone have been aware of it at all.  Once again, the participation rate was around 25% of eligible voters.  For some reason, 75% of eligible voters don't feel that voting is important enough to set aside some time.  Enough of my frustrated ranting about voter apathy.

The next 3 years will continue to see changes occurring in the Brentwood area as the city continues to build up the density here.  The Brentwood Mall redevelopment will be the largest project in the area, if not Burnaby and will be an opportunity for local residents to share their concerns and to provide input into what they would like to see for the redevelopment.  This is where the public's direct input can have a direct impact on how the Brentwood area will evolve if enough people have their collective voices heard.

The Brentwood Town Centre Development Plan envisions creating a pedestrian-oriented development according to the City of Burnaby website.  Even with such a bold statement being made, citizens should question what criteria was used to envision a pedestrian-oriented neighbourhood.  We should question whether or not the criteria used is current or out-dated.  Is the current criteria for sidewalks good enough to meet the standards of a walkable neighbourhood?  What was considered to be pedestrian-friendly in the 1990's may no longer be good enough to meet our expectations in 2012 and beyond.

Cycling infrastructure must go hand-in-hand with the development both within and outside the Brentwood area as it will become more of a hub of activity for people living in the surrounding areas located outside the Brentwood Town Centre zone.  The widening of Willingdon Ave between Lougheed Hwy and Hastings St is part of a Provincial Government plan to increase traffic flow in the area. Although I don't believe that it is the best idea to add another lane on Willingdon Ave, it should be an opportunity for Burnaby to initiate a collaboration with the Province to build a cycling and pedestrian thoroughfare alongside the widened Willingdon Ave to connect Brentwood to the Burnaby Heights area to the north where community amenities at Confederation Park could be accessed by walking and cycling.  The pedestrian and cycling thoroughfare can be separated by barriers and vegetation to create a buffer along its length to provide an element of safety for pedestrians and to minimize the impact of the road widening on the homes immediately to the east of Willingdon Ave in the Brentwood Park area.There is currently no direct north-south pedestrian or cycling route on either side of Willingdon Ave between Burnaby Heights and Brentwood.  Accessibility between neighbourhoods should not be built around automobiles alone and the addition of a pedestrian/cycling path would begin to remedy the decades-long automobile-centered growth that we continue to witness as I write this post.

Houses along the east side of Willingdon Ave have gradually been torn down to make way for another traffic lane between Lougheed and Hastings.  There should be ample space to add a pedestrian/cycling lane alongside the new lane which would greatly improve the look from its current state of pedestrian unfriendliness.

The Brentwood neighbourhood is going to look much different 10 years from now and the space allocated for pedestrian infrastructure built today must meet our needs 20 years from now and beyond.  It would be a big mistake to not consider our needs decades into the future as it would be more costly to impose harsh reactionary measures later on due to the lack of foresight by our planners today.  The pain of change being felt in neighbouring Vancouver is an example of what I am talking about as the struggle between car-users and cyclists rages on in Downtown.

The City will not know what is expected of its citizens if enough people do not participate in public hearings related to development projects.  The public hearings held at Burnaby City Hall should be standing room only with a steady stream of input and ideas as to what the citizens expect with the Brentwood redevelopment.  People need to start thinking about it now well before the project is announced.  Automobile traffic, walkability, cyclability and density are issues that immediately come to mind.  What do you think?  What needs to be done and what do we need to make Brentwood a complete neighbourhood?

Why is there a disconnect from municipal politics?

Warning: If you are someone that does not exercise your right to vote, you will not only not enjoy this post, you will be insulted.

As the Burnaby Municipal Election campaigns near their end, media outlets have been pointing out the fact that very few people are aware of issues that affect their city and that even fewer actually make the effort to vote for a body of government that has a direct impact on their everyday lives with the decisions it makes.

The last Burnaby Municipal Election saw a voter participation rate of 25 percent out of all eligible voters.  Essentially, only 1 out of every 4 eligible voters cast a ballot in 2008.  Does this mean that out of every 4 people, 3 people have no problem allowing 1 person to have a say in local government?  In a world where conspiracy theories abound about the world's power structure being controlled by corrupt elites, I find it difficult to understand how a person living in this country, in this part of Canada, in a city as diverse as Burnaby does not feel that it is important enough to vote for their local government.  

Burnaby City Council is often making decisions on our behalf that affect us, the residents of Burnaby.  One example I can point to that is relevant to this blog is the issue of density.  Earlier this year, the City of Burnaby held a public hearing, after providing notice in the local newspapers, on its intention to amend rezoning bylaws to allow greater heights and greater density in Burnaby's town centres.  I attended the public hearing at which nobody came to speak on the issue.  Having no opposition to the proposed amendment, the Council moved to approve the amendment.

Recently on September 20th, at a public hearing regarding the Solo District development at Willingdon and Lougheed, a resident that had moved into a newly built nearby tower 3 years ago was surprised and dismayed by the future loss of her view that would occur with the newly approved heights of the high-rise towers slated to go in.  It appeared that this opponent of the proposed tower heights was scrambling to voice her opposition to a project that will not be in violation of any bylaws and therefore cannot be prevented.  This example highlights the problem of complacency that has developed in our society.  The person opposed to such height allowances had not even been aware of the fact that high-rise towers had already been planned for the area prior to her purchasing her high-rise condo,  let alone having been concerned enough to be aware of the decisions made on her behalf by city council regarding increased density.  This is one of the many examples of disinterest in issues that directly affect Burnaby's citizens who will not cast a ballot on November 19th.

I am certain that more people in Burnaby (which included me) had enough time to watch multiple Canucks games during their recent run to the Stanley Cup Final than will vote in the election on November 19th.  Those that had time to watch most (if not all) Canucks games this past spring but do not have the time to spend a few moments to learn about local issues and go to a polling station conveniently located near their home to take a few minutes to cast a vote, have no excuse other than that they are spoiled, ignorant, lazy or all of the above.  If anyone takes exception to my condescending view of non-voters, please share your reasons for not caring enough to inform yourself in this age of the internet to exercise a right that people in other parts of the world are willing to stand in extreme conditions all day long, risk injury, torture, and/or death to exercise their right to vote.  In this country, there is no reasonable excuse for voter apathy.

There are 3 weekdays left before the election this Saturday.  It will not only be interesting to see who gets elected, but also how few people will be electing Burnaby City Council and School Board.  If you are angry, get out and vote.  If you are happy, get out and vote.  You have no excuse to not vote.

Traffic control coming to Madison and Dawson

It appears that a new traffic signal will be installed at the intersection of Madison and Dawson
Avenues after a letter of concern from residents of the "One Madison Avenue" residence to the City of Burnaby was written.  Although a study of traffic and pedestrian volume between 2008 and 2011 did not technically support the need for a traffic signal, it was considered that new developments currently being constructed and future projects currently being planned will be well served with the new signals at that intersection as more vehicle and pedestrian traffic is expected in the area.  The cost of the traffic signals is estimated to be $220, 000.

(from the City of Burnaby website)

SUBJECT: INTERSECTION OF DAWSON STREET AND MADISON AVENUE RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. THAT Council approve an expenditure of $220,000 (inclusive of 12% HST) in 2012 for the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Dawson Street and Madison Avenue, as outlined in this report; and staff be authorized to bring down a Capital Works Expenditure Bylaw in the amount of $220,000 for the works and;

2. THAT a copy of this report be sent to Mr. Adam Lord, Property Manager, Stratawest Management Ltd., #202 – 224 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC, V7M 1A4.

REPORT

The Traffic Safety Committee, at its meeting held on 2011 November 01, received and adopted the attached report to review a request for a traffic signal at the intersection of Dawson Street and Madison Avenue.

A review of the collision history at the intersection did reveal a relatively high number of collisions within the last four years (2007-2010). Despite past efforts to improve safety, there have been at least 10 collisions per year with the highest number of collisions reached in 2010. Because of this trend, it is recommended that a traffic signal be installed at the intersection to enhance safety. The continuing increase in pedestrian and vehicular activity in the area from redevelopments will also be well served by a traffic signal at this intersection.

Respectfully submitted,

Councillor S. Dhaliwal Chair

Councillor C. Jordan Vice Chair

Councillor P. McDonell Member

TO:

FROM:

SUBJECT: PURPOSE:

CHAIR AND MEMBERS TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

DIRECTOR ENGINEERING

DATE: FILE:

Ref:

2011 October 26 38000 20

Traffic Safety

INTERSECTION OF DAWSON ST AND MADISON AVE

To review a request for a traffic signal at the intersection of Dawson St and Madison Ave.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. THAT the Committee recommend to Council an expenditure of $220,000 (inclusive of 12% HST) be approved in 2012 for the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Dawson St and Madison Ave, as outlined in this report; and staff be authorized to bring down a Capital Works Expenditure Bylaw in the amount of $220,000 for the works and;

2. THAT the Committee recommend that Council send a copy of this report to Mr. Adam Lord, Property Manager, Stratawest Management Ltd., #202 – 224 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC, V7M 1A4.

REPORT

BACKGROUND

Requests for additional traffic controls at the intersection of Dawson and Madison have been received periodically since 2007. In response to concerns raised, parking near the intersection was restricted to improve visibility, and a marked pedestrian crosswalk was installed in 2009 December to facilitate pedestrian crossings. Most recently, a letter dated 2011 October 05 was received from Mr. Adam Lord, Property Manager, on behalf of the “One Madison Avenue 1” residents located at 2345/2355 Madison Ave. Mr. Lord requested a traffic signal at the intersection to improve safety and access.

The intersection of Dawson and Madison has been reviewed on several occasions in the past few years in response to requests for a traffic signal. Most requestors cite the difficulty in getting access from Madison (the local street) to Dawson (the collector street) due to the volume and speed of traffic along Dawson. Currently vehicles travelling along Dawson are provided the right-of-way, while vehicles along Madison are controlled by stop signs. An aerial photo of the intersection is shown in Figure 1.

Meeting 2011 November 01

COMMITTEE REPORT

47To: From: Re: 2011 October 26 ............................................................. Page 2

Traffic Safety Committee Director Engineering Dawson St and Madison Ave

right-of-way, while vehicles along Madison are controlled by stop signs. An aerial photo of the intersection is shown in Figure 1.

DISCUSSION

A comparison of traffic counts at the intersection completed in 2008 and 2011 during the morning and afternoon peak periods do not show any appreciable change. Not surprisingly, the latest traffic signal warrant analysis continues to show that a traffic signal is not technically warranted. This analysis considers traffic volumes, pedestrian volumes, roadway conditions and adjacent land uses. Despite this, it is acknowledged that vehicles travelling on Madison Ave may have difficulty accessing Dawson St during peak periods, but this is not necessarily unusual given the roadway classifications and their general purpose.

A review of the collision history at the intersection did reveal a relatively high number of collisions within the last four years (2007-2010). Despite past efforts to improve safety, there have been at least 10 collisions per year with the highest number of collisions reached in 2010. Because of this trend, it is recommended that a traffic signal be installed at the intersection to enhance safety. The continuing increase in pedestrian and vehicular activity in the area from redevelopments will also be well served by a traffic signal at this intersection.

Installation of the traffic signal at Dawson and Madison is proposed in 2012. Total cost is estimated at $220,000 (inclusive of 12% HST) and these expenditures are included in the Traffic Management component of the 2012 – 2016 Provisional Capital Program. It is recommended that staff be authorized to bring down a Capital Works Expenditure Bylaw in the amount of $220,000 to finance the proposed works. Funding allocated from nearby developments and any potential cost sharing from ICBC will also be applied to offset some City cost for this road safety improvement.

Lambert Chu, P. Eng. DIRECTOR ENGINEERING

DL/br

Copied to: City Manager Director of Finance

Attachment

Maybe veterans' votes aren't significant enough for our municipal leaders

I just read an article in the Burnaby Now, Burnaby Heights Legion considering selling property, and started to wonder why such a long-standing institution that has been a gathering place for our veterans since 1937 has been forced to consider selling its property on Hastings St in the heart of Burnaby Heights.  Legion Branch 148 has struggled financially, due to increasing property assessments, to cover its property taxes.  Repeated attempts by its members to convince City Council to give it a full tax exemption has fallen on deaf ears.

On Remembrance Day, a day for us to remember sacrifices that no monetary compensation would ever come close to covering the debt owed our veterans, I find it ironic that our city is holding our local Legion  Branch financially accountable to the point that it might have to close its doors.

Property values in the region have steadily increased and though many people have financially benefited from it, for the average person not involved in real estate speculation, it has merely meant higher property taxes, and institutions such as the Legion are in the same boat.  I am a proponent of change in the form of higher density development that can transform neighbourhoods, but not at the expense of losing an institution that I'm certain means more to our veterans than anyone else could even imagine.

I would like to see our politicians, both current and aspiring, to talk to this issue and work towards keeping Branch 148 in Burnaby Heights.  Garth Evans of Team Burnaby has stated that he does not want change when it comes to development that might significantly change the Burnaby Heights area.  I believe that this is the type of change that he might have been talking about at the All Candidates' Meeting at Gilmore School last week.  I just hope that he himself realizes what he was talking about and makes this an issue during this election campaign as well as beyond November 19th.

Greens would establish affordable housing in transit hubs

Once again, affordable housing was discussed at the latest all candidates' meeting which took place at Stride Elementary School yesterday evening.  I didn't attend the meeting and, as is the case much of the time, I am using the Burnaby Now as my source of info on this meeting.   The Burnaby Greens candidate Rick McGowan stated that if elected, the Greens will allocate 20% of density bonus money to create affordable housing in areas close to SkyTrain stations.    However, he further stated that the Greens would reduce the allowable density in town centres back to previous levels from the current allowance that Burnaby City Council established earlier this year.  This would essentially reduce the amount of potential money that could go towards affordable housing.

As I have written earlier, it is important to have a program in place to deal with affordable housing for at-risk members of the community before it gets out of control and before available space is taken up by conventional housing which makes the issue more costly to deal with in the future. The Greens have suggested a concrete plan instead of just promises to attempt to work with various levels of government with an excuse later to blame the other levels of government for the lack of action.

There is currently plenty of potential to build more affordable housing in the Brentwood area as developers clammer to have their high-density projects approved.  I like the Green idea of 20% allocation of density funds but disagree with the scaling back of the density allowances that were approved earlier this year.  Greater density will help fund more community amenities as well as allow adjacent single-family neighbourhoods to maintain their low-density character and serenity.

Prep for Aviara has begun

Another development by Ledingham McAllister began preparation this past summer with the levelling of a warehouse on the southeast corner of Gilmore Ave and Douglas Rd.  The longtime presence of the Fiji Canada Association at the corner of Douglas Rd and Halifax St will be gone as the property it has occupied for over 2 decades was sold by the Association to McAllister Properties on December 8, 2009.

McAllister Properties in turn sold the property to LM Aviara Properties which leased the property back to the Association, rent free for 1 year.  The Association has been looking for a new home while it has been allowed to continue renting the building on a temporary basis.  A sign advertising the future Aviara development has been installed at Douglas and Gilmore as well as at Douglas and Halifax.

The project is described on the City of Burnaby site under Major Projects as being a residential high-rise, townhousing, and public park expansion at 1680 & 1710 Gilmore Ave and 1771, 1779 & 1791 Douglas Rd which will include 235 residential units.  The project will also involve the closing of Douglas Rd to allow Willingdon Heights Park to take up the closed portion of the road space.  The project, referenced as REZ # 07-59, is at the second reading stage.