Road Safety through the downtown core of note for Councillor Adey

Safety concerns for the Second Avenue corridor through the downtown
area made for a conversation piece at Monday's Council session

With the region how into the period of shorter days and longer nights and darker conditions for much of that period, Councillor Nick Adey brought up the topic of the need for some attention to road safety issues in the city, particularly in the downtown area. 

The Councillor looking for some guidance from staff as to future plans for safety improvements along the busy Second Avenue West corridor through the downtown area.

"We've raised it a couple of times and now we're into the month of January I guess I'm interested in projecting into the year and quite possibly into the next budget which will show up before we know it.

And that is the issue of pedestrian safety, particularly on Second Avenue.  

From McBride, obviously we're going to be graced with a round-a-bout which by all accounts will improve safety at that particular spot, but it still leaves a number of unlit crosswalks.

So we've got a couple I think Third Street and Sixth Street where there is a bit of lighting, but there's a number of other crosswalks between there and Five Corners where you know,  quite  honestly it's on a dark rainy night it's almost impossible to see a pedestrian.

In a perfect world  everybody is eyes peeled and looking; but that's not the way things are.

So I think, and I've said it before but I think that we need to move towards getting somewhere on that issue and I'm thinking all the way through to Five Corners and possibly one crosswalk along towards the Ferries as well.

So I don't know what's involved in that, I understand that we have a limited budget so I'm not sure what can be done within the context of the budget we have. What needs to be prioritized in a future budget.

Also I think because it's a Ministry of Highways jurisdiction over Second Avenue and because ICBC is on the hook for insurance costs whenever anything bad happens; it seems to me that it's a three way dialogue  between the City, and ICBC and Ministry of Highways regarding costs, regarding jurisdiction.

So I would like to, you know in a very sort of not particularly formally at this point, suggest that we need to promote that conversation to see if we can't get to where at the end of this year or at the latest early next year, we are making progress on those issues.

I don't think, and maybe I'm being naive, but I don't know that they are really high cost things that are needed here.  

But if we don't take it on and push for it, then they won't happen and I would like to see them happen."

City Manager Robert Buchan tackled the topic, though his approach would seem to be a longer term vision than any immediate action; with Dr. Buchan noting of some of the planning work at the moment and of the past that could help resolve the safety issue.

"I am pleased to say that staff are on that file, now and I believe that the Official Community Plan even speaks to the revision of Second Avenue. 

We anticipate, we anticipate being able to do some roadworks over the next few years, subject to all the funding coming in that we're hoping to get.

Which would include a remodelling of Second Avenue to make it more of an urban street, we see this as being potentially a tremendous improvement in Prince Rupert.

It would only make sense that as pipes are replaced and the road is put back together, that we deal with matters like the ultimate servicing, which include lights as well.

So, we'll take this suggestion and make sure that we do our best to meet that expectation when a redesign is eventually completed and provided for Council's review"

Some of the Second Avenue options were outlined during the course of the last term for former Mayor Lee Brain, he provided a synopsis of some of the potential changes as part of a State of the City presentation in  July of 2022.

Noting of the decline in truck traffic that would come with the opening of the Ridley Island Connector road for the Port, which is now in operation. 

The plans for Second west  as well as for changes for Third West, were noted at the time to include traffic calming measures and changes to the parking structure which would serve to make the roadway more accessible for residents.

A number of those elements came out of the Rupert 2030 vision presentation by Urban Planner Larry Beasley which took place in December of 2019.

While the long term planning does provide a glimpse of what a renewed downtown streetscape may look like down the road. 

The themes of immediate safety issues in that core area, still should receive some short term attention from Council and the Ministry of Highways, with both looking towards easy to fix solutions. 

Things such as illuminated crosswalks and perhaps another traffic light for the corner of Third  Street and Second West which at times is the most congested corner in the city and one often identified as the worst in the community.

You can review the conversation on road safety from the Council session through their video archive starting at the 25 minute mark.

More note from the Monday Council session can be reviewed here.

A wider overview of civic infrastructure and planning themes can be explored here.