Email response from Director of Engineering to D. Ridout

From: Ivan Leung Sent: October 10, 2024 10:22 AM Cc: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Subject: RE: Issues 181 Island highway Permit#6084

Good Morning Diane,

Thank you for your comments below regarding the construction vehicles staging on Shoreline Drive, as it is greatly appreciated. I can respond to you regarding traffic management and erosion / sediment control – based on a debrief with staff and your email below I decided that it would be worth clarifying a few things related to these issues. Regardless, I believe your email below may be added as correspondence to the next Council agenda.

Traffic Management

A traffic management plan was indeed submitted to the Town a while ago as a condition of the 181 Island Highway development’s building permit. The plan was specifically for the purposes of the movement of construction vehicles in and out of the site. Additional traffic management planning will be required by the developer as they proceed with servicing works (works are not scheduled as of yet).

The developer also requested the ability to stage large vehicles such as concrete trucks in the middle lane of the island highway, directly in front of the development site. Staff requested additional traffic management planning to describe location, confirmation of sightlines, and staffing required to safely allow this. The developer had since decided not to stage vehicles in the middle lane directly in front of the site and additional traffic management planning was thus not required.

As a result, we thank you for relaying your concerns our way. It sounds like there may have been a misunderstanding regarding where the Don Mann trucks were staging (Shoreline and/or at the development site). As a result, we will reiterate that vehicle staging in the middle lane near the site is not permitted until a revised management plan is provided, and we will inform them that staging on Shoreline Drive is also not permitted due to the obvious reason being that school is in session.

Erosion and Sediment Control

Erosion and sediment control measures have been put in place to manage dust / gravel during the summer season and we are working with the developer to elevate their measures in anticipation of the wet season. We have had to relay to them the need to keep the roads clean and to keep dust / mud on the site from time to time, and we appreciate the comments you have brought our way.

Once again we appreciate your comments and I hope the above clarifies the issues surrounding traffic and sediment control. We will continue monitoring the site and if you have any additional questions with respect to this don’t hesitate to contact engineering staff.

Regards,

Ivan Leung, P.Eng Director of Engineering Town of View Royal | 45 View Royal Ave | Victoria, BC V9B 1A6

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Original Message From: Diane & Russ Ridout Sent: October 8, 2024 11:44 AM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Subject: Issues 181 Island highway Permit#6084

Good Morning Mayor and Council,

I recently called this morning to report an issue with a double load dump truck owned by Mann Construction, double parked on the North bound lane at the corner of Shoreline Drive, parked on the Island highway and on the bike lane. The concerns with the corner, the safety of the cyclists, the cars getting into the school was greatly endangering others for the construction site of 181 Island highway.

I reported two recent incidents from the site to Karen, the town’s engineering technologist. While on the phone it was mentioned that the contractor hasn’t submitted their traffic management plan yet for 181 Island highway. The staff member was very informative and I mentioned about the gravel all over the road 2 weeks ago, as well as the road safety of what happened this morning and concerns with the ground preparation of prepping the ground for a large scale building. I mentioned about the natural water course that runs from the four mile and the natural water bog next to the site property, as the property is on slope, which is very wet. The natural watercourse that drains through the property to the portage park into the inlet, seems to be not mentioned in the permit. This isn’t storm water, this would be to protect a natural bog.

I also mentioned about the middle lane being used for the dump trucks on the island highway, as the construction site can only allow one dump truck at a time with a trailer.

Using the highway waiting for the next pick up of dirt/mud at 181 Island highway, impeding the access to get onto Shoreline Drive, students going around the dump truck at 8:20 am this morning is not a traffic management plan, or considering safety for others.

The contractor apparently confirmed by Karen was washing their mess into island highway drains? Fines should be imposed on any construction site if not following required permits or procedures. Drains that have to be annually cleaned out are contracted out, using the municipalities budget and taxpayers pay into the funds.

I have attached a print screen that the town paid for, for a 120 page report in 2012, for local governments to reduce community energy and greenhouse gas emissions, including tail pipe emissions. The site formerly 169, 167, 171 Island Highway took every tree down, to a bare lot next to Portage Park.

Inventory Summary

In the 2007 base year, greenhouse gas emissions from the Town of View Royal' community totalled 32,314 tonnes CO₂e. On Road Transportation made up the greatest percent of GHG emissions at 69 percent.

• Buildings: 30.5%
• On-Road Transportation: 68.5%
• Solid Waste: 1.1%

Forecast Summary

A forecast of GHG emissions for the 2017 target year was developed using the best data available. Overall GHG emissions are expected to increase by one percent to 32,753 tonnes CO₂e (Table E1). Forecast emission increases have been moderated by zero GHG emissions from all electricity supplied by BC Hydro and the implementation of federal climate change legislation such as a tailpipe emissions standard.

Table E1 - GHG Emissions Forecast

The recent change without input from the public, for the traffic control light change at Helmcken and the Island Highway, has caused more traffic stoppage, as there is more traffic on the south bound lane in the morning from the western communities, then on Helmcken Road. This doesn’t support the report of 2012, with more tailpipe emissions, congested traffic.

Cutting red tape to fast track housing development being mandated by the Ministry of Housing, defeats the purpose of following bill 27 of the local charter. Where is the town at, with the safety and with the inventory of road transportation on the Island Highway?

Thank you for reading my email of concerns with the Island highway.

Diane Ridout Sent from my iPad