[deasine]

Links to Individual Road Threads
Burrard Street Bridge Upgrades
Pautello Bridge Upgrades: Twinning/Replacement
Knight Street Bridge
Gateway Program: South Fraser Perimeter Road/North Fraser Perimeter Road/Pitt River Bridge/Mary Hill Bypass Interchange
Gateway Program: Port Mann Bridge/Highway 1 Expansion/Gateway RapidBus
Sea to Sky Highway
Golden Ears Bridge
Granville Street Redesign
Carrall Street Greenway
No. 3 Rd Redesign [same as Canada Line thread]

This thread will be here so that we can post new projects/smaller developments that are related to Metro Vancouver's road network. I know I have been starting too many new threads regarding transportation infrastructure, so let's start placing them in here before we make new threads (lemme appologize for that). Once there is a large discussion, we can then move your posts into a new thread. Let's start off with City of Vancouver's latest initiative [this is called progress =)]

40 km/h on Local Side Streets A guide to the proposed new speed limits

Why is Vancouver proposing a new speed limit?



The speed limit on most Vancouver streets is currently 50 km/h. Whether the street is a major thoroughfare or a narrow residential side street, the speed limit is the same.
Every year, the City receives hundreds of complaints about vehicles speeding on local side streets. Often these cars aren't travelling faster than the speed limit, but they are travelling faster than is reasonable for narrow neighbourhood roads. When the City consulted with residents for its Transportation Plan, one of the issues that many residents felt strongly about was that 50 km/h was too fast for their local streets. The City adopted the Plan in 1997 with the recommendation that the speed limit on side streets be reduced to 40 km/h.
Many studies have shown that reduced speeds greatly increase safety. In particular, pedestrians and cyclists are much less likely to be seriously injured if vehicle speeds are reduced. Lower speeds on side streets help make them safer, more livable, and more comfortable for cyclists, pedestrians and residents.
Why 40 km/h?



A 40 km/h speed limit would:

• set a more appropriate speed limit on most residential roads
• send a message to drivers that community streets deserve respect
• improve safety
• improve livability.

Reducing the speed limit will also allow police to enforce more reasonable speeds on side streets and help the City identify where speeding is occurring and where traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps and corner bulges, might be most useful.
The new speed limit on side streets would not affect trucks or service vehicles that travel on truck routes on major streets, since those routes would remain at 50km/h.
What streets would have the new 40 km/h speed limit?

The new limit would apply to most local side streets while most major streets would keep their current speeds. As a general rule, if the street has a yellow line down the middle, it would stay at 50 km/h. If it doesn't have a yellow line, it would likely become 40 km/h. Those areas that are currently 30 km/h, such as playground and school zones, would remain at 30km/h.
When will the speed limit change?





To allow the City to set a new blanket speed limit, the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act needs to be changed. The City is currently asking the Ministry of Transportation to change the law to give municipalities the authority to set and enforce speed limits for their municipality.
Once the Ministry of Transportation approves the change, the City has the ability to implement the new speed limit; however, there will be a significant design period, as well as a public awareness campaign and installation time. The earliest that the change is likely to take effect is Spring 2009.
How will people learn about the new speed limits?

When the new speed limit is put into effect there will be an awareness campaign to inform drivers about the new rules. The City will partner with other groups to do a variety of advertising and promotion. As well, the Vancouver Police Department will have a period of enhanced enforcement to demonstrate to drivers that the new speed limit is in effect and will be enforced.
Will this affect bus service?

No. The City will work with Translink to ensure that bus routes are not impacted by the new speed limits. Since the speed limit on major streets won't change, there will be little or no effect on transit.
How will this affect trucks, goods transport and other business vehicles?

The new speed limit is not intended to slow down the work of trucks and other vehicles that need to be on the road for their work. Major streets will continue to have speed limits of 50 km/h. However, trucks would be expected to follow the 40 km/h limit if they had to use a local side street to reach their destination.


We'd like to hear from you! If you have comments or questions, please contact:

Greenways and Neighbourhood Transportation
40 km/h speed limit on local side streets
Phone: 604-873-7256
Fax: 604 871 6192
E-mail: 40kph@vancouver.ca