TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - Portage Park Pathway – Cyclist Speed Issues

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: September 3, 2014 FROM: Dave Podmoroff MEETING DATE: September 9, 2014 FILE NO.: 5840-61

Portage Park Pathway – Cyclist Speed Issues

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee recommend to Council to direct staff to install signage to help control the speed of cyclists;

AND THAT pruning of the current plant material is completed to improve sight lines.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER'S COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

At the Council meeting held on January 21, 2014, Staff was directed (C-05-14) to provide a report on the excessive speed of cyclist and skateboarders riding down the multi-use paved pathway from View Royal Avenue (in between the Town Hall and the Four Mile pub) into Portage Park to connect with the E&N Rail Trail.

BACKGROUND:

After the completion of the Island Highway project in 2011, Portage Park experienced an increase in all types of users, mostly pedestrian. With the addition of the new section of the E&N Rail Trail from Island Highway to Hallowell Road and with an access connection in Portage Park, the park has seen a dramatic increase in the number of commuter cyclists particularly in the early morning hours. This new route has provided cyclists a short cut as well as a way of avoiding the busy Island Highway/Craigflower Road/Admirals Road intersection when traveling towards Esquimalt.

The design of the Island Highway project had cyclists riding down the Four Mile Hill and turning into Portage Park at the entrance across from Woodbine Court. However, this is not happening. Cyclists traveling east bound on the Island Highway are turning off onto View Royal Avenue and immediately entering Portage Park at the park entrance next to the Town Hall. This portion of the trail in between the Town Hall and the Four Mile Pub is the worst problem area for speed. The speed carried by the cyclists down the Four Mile Hill coupled with the steep grade of the trail, narrow pathway, subtle curves and landscaping creates a potentially dangerous situation. Skateboarders are also becoming more frequent users of this section of the trail due to the slope and long run. When cyclist are traveling up the trail (west bound), they are not an issue as the speed maintained is slow.

It should be noted that staff have not received any concerns from the public to date, the addition of a new playground in Portage Park is likely to significantly increase the issue of cyclists and pedestrian conflicts.

PROJECT INFORMATION:

The difficulty is in how to slow down the cyclists and not impede the flow of movement for users passing by each other at this location.

The least costly recommendation is to install signage along the trail warning cyclists to slow down and for pedestrians to be watching out for other users that are traveling at speed. This would also include improvement to some sightlines. This would be done with some major pruning of the current plant material as well as possibly moving some trees as they will continually become more of a problem in future years.

Signs can be installed overhanging the trail along the section by the Four Mile Pub as the trail here is narrow and will not allow conventional sign post installation. Signs would be posted as well at the start of the trail at View Royal Avenue and at locations further into the park. Signs would say such things as “Share the Trail, Slow Down, Use Caution, Be Aware of Other Trail Users, Blind Corner Ahead”, etc. It is estimated to cost approximately $1,500.

The best and most expensive scenario is to install a “chicane or S-type curve” at the end of the trail/slope by the Town Hall. To create this chicane, delineators would have to be used. Hard, immovable objects as well as speed bumps would not be a good choice. If a cyclist was to hit one of these at any sort of speed, they would suffer extensive physical injuries and bicycle damage. The best type of materials would be the collapsible/break away delineators. These would fold away in an impact situation (and could possibly cause injuries) but they would be a deterrent for cyclists to pass right through them. As part of the solution additional paving would also be required. It is estimated to cost approximately $12,000.

BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:

The 2014 financial plan does not include funding for the solution to the concerns.

ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Install signage, create a chicane with delineators to slow the cyclists down, perform a major prune of plant materials, remove the bench and rocks, and add some fencing to separate the small entrance from the Four Mile Pub at the bottom of the slope.

Leave the trail as is, no changes.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee recommend to Council to direct staff to install signage to help control the speed of cyclists;

AND THAT pruning of the current plant material is completed to improve sight lines.

SUBMITTED BY: Dave Podmoroff, Parks Supervisor

REVIEWED BY: John Rosenberg, Director of Engineering