CHANGE NAME AND FOCUS OF ISLAND HIGHWAY

PUBLIC WORKS & TRANSPORTATION REPORT

TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: June 21, 2024 FROM: S. Jones, Dir. Corp. Admin./Dep. CAO MEETING DATE: July 9, 2024

CHANGE NAME AND FOCUS OF ISLAND HIGHWAY

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the July 2, 2024 report entitled “Change Name and Focus of Island Highway” be received.

OPTIONS:

Option #1 (Recommended) THAT the July 2, 2024 report entitled “Change Name and Focus of Island Highway” be received.

Option #2 THAT resources be allocated for the preparation and distribution of a survey, together with a self-addressed stamped envelope, to be sent to the over 600 households and businesses with Island Highway addresses between Admirals Road and the Thetis Interchange seeking input into whether they would support a Council initiated address change.

PURPOSE:

To respond to part a.) of resolution C-24-24 from the February 20, 2024 Regular Meeting of Council:

THAT the “Change Name and Focus of Island Highway” proposal be referred to staff to assess:

• a.) changing the name of Island Highway to Craigflower Road from Admirals Road to the Thetis Interchange;
• b.) reducing the speed limit from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr; and
• c.) converting the northeast corner of the Island Highway/Helmcken Road intersection from a “soft” to a “hard” corner”.

BACKGROUND:

Councillor Rogers put forward a proposal under “New Business” to the February 2024 Committee of the Whole meeting (see Attachment “A”). An excerpt from the COW meeting is as follows:

Councillor Rogers noted his rationale for his proposal to change the name of Island Highway to Craigflower Road from Admirals Road to the Thetis interchange as well as to reduce the speed limit and remove the soft corner at Island Highway and Helmcken Road.

The Committee discussed removal of the soft corner, potential costs for address changes, and the low level of priority for this proposal given other initiatives currently underway.

The Director of Engineering noted that a report regarding speed reduction will be coming forward to Council soon.

A motion was made (COW-03-24) and then subsequently endorsed at the February 20, 2024 Council meeting (the above referenced motion under “Purpose”, C-24-24).

This report responds to part a.) of the resolution and provides an assessment into the proposal to change the name of Island Highway to Craigflower Road from Admirals Road to the Thetis Interchange.

The Director of Engineering has provided a report entitled “Speed Limit Reduction Strategy” on the July 9, 2024 Committee of the Whole agenda that speaks to part b.) of the resolution. With respect to part c.) of the resolution, the Director of Engineering has indicated that the design work for this component could be incorporated into the Island Highway Upgrades – Helmcken to Colwood Interchange design project (C-076). This design project is commencing this year (currently in the RFP stage), and incorporation of part c.) of the resolution into this project would be budget dependant.

ANALYSIS:

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

Community Impact:

• There are at least 432 households that would be impacted, not including those residing at Fort Victoria (which is estimated at over 200) or any of the motel properties.
• There are also 39 active business licences in the subject area.

Financial Implication:

• Address changes will create both direct and indirect financial repercussions for residents to change their addresses for the following items:

  • banking information
  • cable/internet/telephone/mobile/streaming services
  • Canada Revenue Agency
  • car manufacturer/dealership
  • charities
  • childcare
  • credit cards
  • driver’s licence
  • employer
  • family/friends
  • government identification cards/health care
  • insurance including property, vehicle, life, travel, other
  • investments/financial advisors
  • medical professionals including GPs, specialists, dentists, and all other health care practitioners
  • memberships
  • passport/NEXUS
  • pension plans
  • professional associations/unions
  • religious/cultural groups
  • reward programs
  • schools/alumni
  • specialized licence/permit agencies including boating, fishing, hunting
  • student loan/bursary programs
  • subscriptions
  • utilities
  • veterinary clinic

• Address changes will create both direct and indirect financial repercussions for businesses to change/notify the following:

  • ads/listings including both print and electronic
  • banking information
  • business stationery (cards/letterhead)
  • cable/internet/telephone/mobile/streaming services
  • Canada Revenue Agency
  • car manufacturer/dealership
  • credit cards
  • customer notification
  • government identification cards/health care/WorkSafe BC
  • insurance including property, vehicle, other
  • investments/financial advisors
  • licensing or registration agencies (local, provincial, federal, international)
  • memberships
  • reward programs
  • subscriptions
  • utilities
  • website and other social media platforms (incl. sales and marketing channels)

• Address changes will create internal requirements for the Town including, but not limited to, the following tasks:

  • Development Services
    • Update all active development files and agreements
    • Update website and brochures
    • Update active building permits, reassign property files, and system updates
    • Update and re-issue impacted business licences
    • Issue change of address notices to those residents impacted directly as well as to outside agencies such as BC Ambulance, BC Assessment, BC Hydro, BC Transit Authority, Capital Regional District, Capital Regional District Water, E-Comm, Elections BC, Fortis, School District 61, School District 62, Shaw Cable, Technical Safety BC, Telus, VIHA, WorkSafe BC, Waste Management/GFL
  • Engineering
    • Update GIS mapping
    • Update active tree and development files and agreements
    • Order and replace street signs
    • Update the public works contractor’s GIS mapping and work order processes to ensure road maintenance is not overlooked (snow clearing, street sweeping, etc.)
  • Finance
    • Billing/property tax system updates
  • Protective Services
    • Fire mapping updates

General Comments:

• Canada Post advises that they could undertake an address change project which requires a letter from the municipality explaining the reason for the change. There is free redirection for one year and the Town would be the contact for any customer inquiries related to the change.
• Canada Post advises that while they cover the cost of labour hours to complete the project and there is no charge for the address change, “[i]n terms of customers, most don’t want to change their address especially businesses as they will need to incur any additional charges indirectly related to the address change (i.e. printer materials, lawyer fees (in some cases), etc.)”.

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

Official Community Plan:

• While the 2011 OCP recognized the sustainable land use / transportation planning connection, no overall objectives or policies describe the renaming of Island Highway.
• The Transportation and Mobility chapter lists Objective TR3 as “Ensure that transportation in and through View Royal is safe, comfortable, and efficient, and that negative impacts on local residents and businesses are minimized.” While policies under this objective include encouraging commuters to use the TransCanada (TR3.3) and beautified streets (TR3.6), neither describe the renaming of Island Highway.

Transportation Master Plan:

• Encourages diversion of traffic from Island Highway but does not describe a requirement to rename the road.

Naming/Renaming of Municipal Assets Policy #6400-039:

• Policy speaks to one name for a continuous linear asset. (sec. 2.8)
• Policy speaks to name retention unless renaming improves Town’s administration of essential services or is in public interest. (sec. 3.1)

Addressing Bylaw No. 825, 2012:

• Bylaw authorizes Director of Development Services to change addresses for matters of public interest and safety. (sec. 4.)
• No compensation is payable by the Town to owners or occupants as a result of their costs incurred to change their address. (sec. 7)

CONCLUSION:

As requested, an assessment of the proposal to change “Island Highway” to “Craigflower Road” between Admirals Road and the Thetis Interchange has been undertaken. With over 600 households and businesses impacted, as well as the various agencies involved, the impact of making such a change is not insignificant in terms of time, energy, and costs. As well, the Town’s guiding documents do not point to a requirement for such a name change. The ability to effect other changes on this corridor towards Councillor Rogers’ aspirations of a safe community with ambiance and thriving walkable services exists in ways unrelated to its name.