The Vancouver Port Authority looked for public feedback on the design for the proposed Holdom Overpass project - that aims to fix a major traffic crunch in Burnaby – and they got an earful of it from local residents.
That’s because this area is perhaps the biggest traffic mess in all of Burnaby.
Part of the Burnaby rail corridor improvements project, the overpass is one of the priority upgrades to improve the flow of trains to and from port terminals in North Vancouver, according to a news release. The Holdom overpass itself would build a four-lane span, extending Holdom Avenue south over the rail corridor and Still Creek and connecting with Douglas Road.
The Douglas Road rail crossing, then, would be closed to vehicles. For decades, vehicles have piled up waiting at this train crossing, lining up a long way in both directions.
The port authority released the latest comments from a spring public engagement process that heard from hundreds of local residents.
These are some of the comments it received about the design of the project:
OVERPASS DESIGN:
- Consider removing the sliplanes to the overpass as they encourage vehicle speeding and are unsafe for people walking and cycling
- Consider adding a ramp from the overpass to the Central Valley Greenway for pedestrians and cyclists
- Consider sightlines for vehicles accessing and exiting the overpass
- Consider suicide prevention measures in the overpass design
- Consider placement of transit stops and how buses will interact with the space
- Consider lookout boxes on the overpass that can accommodate cyclists and allow them to completely clear the path to reduce collision risk with other users
- Consider suitable levels of lighting, signage, and wayfinding
- General support for the design of the walking and cycling paths on the overpass
- Consider physical barrier to separate pedestrians and cyclists
- Pedestrian and cyclist paths should be clearly marked with pavement markings and signage
- The pedestrian and cyclist paths should be wider to improve safety
INTERSECTION DESIGN:
- Traffic lights within the road network should be coordinated to improve the flow of traffic
- The design of the road network should incorporate a passenger pick-up and drop-off area at Holdom SkyTrain Station
- The Douglas Road rail crossing should be left open for all road users
- Consider traffic calming measures to reduce speeding in the area and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists
- Concern about traffic congestion in the larger road network due to vehicle volumes and poor traffic signal coordination
- The design should maintain access to all roads and properties within the project area
- Intersection designs need to accommodate large trucks turning at the intersections and on/off the overpass
- The design of the intersections should consider separate paths for people walking and cycling
- The intersections should include pedestrian and cyclist activated lights
- The design of the intersections should be large enough to accommodate people waiting at the intersection to cross
- Longer merge lanes and left-turn lanes to avoid long lineup of cars waiting to turn left at the intersections
- The intersections should be well lit and include clear signage and pavement markings to improve safety for people travelling through the intersection
- Ensuring the cycling paths don’t abruptly end at the intersections, and safely connect to existing cycling paths in the network
- Concern that the intersections are not designed to be accessible for people of all ages and abilities
- Consider designing intersections with roundabouts to reduce speeding and improve safety
