REQUEST FOR DECISION: HELMCKEN RD / WATKISS WAY INTERSECTION

REQUEST FOR DECISION: HELMCKEN RD / WATKISS WAY INTERSECTION

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT for the purposes of 2026 budget deliberations, Council direct staff to proceed with the design of the Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way intersection that includes: a) A “split phased” signalization design (Option 1 of the report titled “Request for Decision: Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way Intersection”) that incorporates protected left turning movements from Chancellor Ave; b) The addition of a southbound lane on Helmcken Road.

AND THAT Council direct staff to seek and apply for grant funding opportunities for this project, including future BC Active Transportation Grant Funding opportunities.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Option #2: THAT for 2026 budget deliberations: a) A “lagging left turn” signalization design (Option 2 of the report titled “Request for Decision: Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way Intersection”) proceed, incorporating protected left turning movements from Chancellor Ave; b) The design include the addition of a southbound lane on Helmcken Road.

AND THAT Council direct staff to seek and apply for grant funding opportunities for this project.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Council directed staff to provide a report on the feasibility of simplifying the Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way intersection improvements to (1) protect pedestrians crossing Helmcken Rd from turning vehicular traffic from Watkiss Way and Chancellor Avenue, and (2) include the installation of a dedicated left turn signal for vehicles on Chancellor Avenue. The requested improvements are feasible if an additional southbound vehicular lane on Helmcken Road is added. Without this, multiple failure mechanisms have been identified that diminishes pedestrian safety and increases vehicular queues to unreasonable and unsafe levels.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to address action item C-80-25 of the April 15, 2025 Regular Council Meeting:

That in reference to a portion of the Intersection Improvements – Helmcken Road at Watkiss Way (C-128) capital project, a report be provided on traffic signal modifications at that intersection.

BACKGROUND:

The Helmcken at Watkiss intersection is identified in the Active Transportation Network Plan as a priority intersection for safety and accessibility upgrades. A substantial amount of work has been invested by staff and Council to seek practical, feasible solutions. A summary of the discussions is included in Table 1:

Staff subsequently retained a transportation consultant to assess the Council directed design request. The analysis work wrapped up in October.

ANALYSIS:

There are two options that convey traffic based on the direction given:

Option 1: “Split Phasing” of the Chancellor Ave and Watkiss Way Approaches

• Description: Chancellor Ave and Watkiss Way vehicle movements occur separately. This is a common signalization plan used elsewhere.
• Benefits: pedestrian movement would be fully protected from Watkiss Way left turning traffic. Conflicts between Watkiss Way vehicular traffic and pedestrians crossing Helmcken Road would be eliminated.
• Setbacks: Split phasing is an inefficient timing plan that can increase vehicular backups at the intersection, especially on Helmcken Road.

Figure 1 Split Phase Option: Pedestrian crossing in “Phase 1”, meaning that pedestrians are fully protected from left turning vehicles from Watkiss Way

Option 2: Installing a “lagging” left turn phase on Watkiss Way

• Description: Vehicles can only make left turns after the pedestrian crossing phase is complete. Some local governments in the region are adopting this signalization
• Benefits: Removes the conflict between left turning vehicles and pedestrians, and the signalization prioritizes pedestrians.
• Lagging left turn phases is typically the last phase of the signal cycle. Minor lane reconfigurations are required as a result.
• Setbacks: Does not improve left turning vehicles from Chancellor Ave. Additional signal phasing would be required to accommodate this movement that could create an inefficient overall timing plan, resulting in increased vehicular backups at the intersection, especially on Helmcken Road.

Figure 2 Lagging Left Turn Phase Option: Left Turn is a complete separate phase, meaning pedestrians are fully protected from left turn vehicles from Watkiss Way.

Analysis (up to 2033 projections) indicate that both options perform poorly under the existing lane configuration, effectively doubling the delay time:

Table 1: Traffic Impacts of Design Options

There are significant impacts to the overall performance of the road corridor:

• The Helmcken Road / Burnside Road intersection is already exhibiting significant delays and queues. Resident complaints, staff observations, consultations with the District of Saanich and previous staff reporting have indicated that the issues at this intersection are due to the performance issues at the Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way intersection. Therefore, worsening the level of service at the Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way intersection would have detrimental and unpredictable impacts to the Helmcken Rd / Burnside Rd intersection and potentially beyond
• Emergency service accessibility can be impacted.
• Actual improvements to pedestrian accessibility are diminished due to longer wait times.

As a result, staff do not recommend the above noted options unless additional design adjustments be implemented to reduce the impacts

PROPOSED DESIGN ADJUSTMENTS:

To successfully roll out Council’s design request, additional measures are required:

Design Adjustment #1: Additional Southbound Lane on Helmcken Road This adjustment is vital to the success of the intersection because:

• It significantly improves the overall level of service of the intersection
• Adding measures to protect pedestrians crossing Helmcken Road can be achieved without negatively impacting the intersection level of service
• It will additionally improve the overall level of service at the Helmcken Rd / Burnside Rd intersection.

Figure 3 Additional southbound lane configuration (yellow) and shifted left turn lane (red)

With this added change to the intersection, Options 1 and 2 have been reassessed as follows:

Table 2: Revised Traffic Impacts by Incorporating Design Adjustments

Design Adjustment #2 (Optional): No Right Turn on Red (Chancellor Avenue) Design adjustment #2 involves restricting right turn movements at a red light for vehicles on Chancellor Ave. This restriction is becoming commonplace within Greater Victoria, including at the Burnside Rd / Watkiss Way intersection in View Royal.

The benefit of this restriction is that it prevents right turning vehicles from turning when pedestrians are crossing Helmcken Road. As a result, pedestrians would be fully protected from any turning vehicles from Watkiss Way and Chancellor Ave.

Staff recommend considering this option in the future should the vicinity continue to develop denser housing. Implementation would be simply the addition of “no right turn” signs.

Figure 4: No Right Turn on Red

Design Adjustment #3 (Optional): Leading Pedestrian Interval Timing Design adjustment #3 involves the pedestrian crossing interval occurring ahead of the vehicular “green light” sequence. The benefit of this is that it provides pedestrians with a head start in crossing all roadways in the intersection, allowing them to be more visible to vehicles and therefore potentially reducing conflicts.

This design adjustment alone does not fully protect pedestrians from vehicular traffic: implementation of Option #1 or #2 is required to fully protect pedestrians. This design adjustment may be used instead of a no right turn on red option as it would provide comparable results. Staff recommend considering this option in the future should the vicinity continue to develop or more pedestrian crossing opportunities are required. Implementation would be simply adjusting signal timing.

RECOMMENDED DESIGN

To achieve the spirit of Council’s design request, staff recommend the following amended design:

1. Install an additional southbound lane on Helmcken Road by:

• Removing the pinch point on the south leg of the Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way intersection;
• Replacing 110 meters of the ‘hatched’ yellow paint marking on the north leg of the Helmcken Rd / Watkiss Way intersection with a travel lane;
• Relocating the left turn storage lane (turning movement from Helmcken Rd to Chancellor Ave) into the existing median.

2. Proceed with Option 1: “Split Phasing” of the intersection, allowing pedestrians to cross Helmcken Road fully protected from left turning vehicles from Watkiss Way, and to permit left turn signalization for Chancellor Ave.

The design is akin to the design presented at the May 14th, 2024 COW, with significantly reduced scope:

1. Traditional “painted” bike lanes to remain. Buffered bike lanes could be installed in the future should it be the wish of Council.
2. Existing lane configuration for northbound Helmcken Road (towards Burnside Road) to remain.

The end result is an amended design that achieves Council’s design request while balancing the need to improve traffic flow and overall intersection performance.

Impacts and implications are summarized as follows:

Community Impact:

• Helmcken Rd at Watkiss Way Intersection: the Active Transportation Network Plan and ongoing community concerns have indicated very low pedestrian crossing comfort at this intersection. By eliminating the conflict between left turning vehicles and crossing pedestrians, pedestrian crossing comfort will improve.
• Chancellor Ave: The recommended design allows for protected left turning movements from Chancellor Ave, a request of Council.
• The design does not impact the flexibility of options to improve active transportation along the rest of the Helmcken Road corridor. Council will still have several options to consider should they wish to commence design upgrades on the remaining corridor.
• Helmcken Rd at Burnside Road Intersection: the Town has heard of concerns regarding traffic backup at the Helmcken Rd / Burnside Rd intersection. The recommended design will alleviate the traffic backup within the Helmcken Rd corridor, providing relief to this intersection too.

Financial Implication: While some cost savings may be achieved by leaving the northbound Helmcken Rd laning “as is”, the bulk of the costs to install the recommended design is due to new traffic signals and poles. Should Council direct staff to proceed with the design, staff will provide a revised capital project estimate for 2026 budget deliberations. Additional design costs will be required (civil engineering, electrical engineering).

Staff recommend that grant funding be pursued to help fund the project. The 2025-2029 Financial Plan currently stipulates construction costs to be funded by grants and contributions ($599,000), Casino Revenue ($539,754) and DCC’s ($27,746).

Inter-governmental Relations Impact: The District of Saanich may be amenable to making improvements to their Helmcken at Burnside traffic signals. The design will require approval from MoTT, as a small portion of the work is within MoTT jurisdiction.

ALIGNMENT:

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

Strategic Plan: Strategic Priority A, Goal 1: Shift primary transport mode within View Royal away from vehicles to walking, cycling and transit.

Other Policy Documents: Active transportation Network Plan: In accordance with the ATNP, staff are relying on Council to provide staff with direction on alternative options for consideration in specific active transportation projects.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is: [x] Inform [ ] Consult [ ] Involve [ ] Collaborate [ ] Empower [ ] N/A

The public have been consulted during the Active Transportation Network Plan project, and will continue to be consulted as part of this year’s Transportation Master Plan. Staff have also been informed through community and neighbourhood concerns.

TIME CRITICAL:

A decision from Council is vital to ensure that project timelines are maintained pursuant to the Financial Plan.