EASING east and west traffic flow across Highway 1 faces multiple constraints, according to the Highway Interchange Working Group's presentation at a District of North Vancouver council meeting Monday.
The group's goal is to engineer a plan to create consistent connections across Highway 1, according to vice-chairman David Davey.
"It is interesting to note that when the Trans-Canada Highway was built 50 years ago there was little development east of the Seymour River, but today, the highway effectively cuts the District of North Vancouver into two. All the crossings, except at Edgemont, are highway interchanges," Davey told council. "The highway has become a commuter road."
The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing falls outside of the district's purview, as do neighbouring Squamish band lands.
The looming development at Seylynn Village as well as local waterways further curtail options for the working group, Davey said.
Sections of Highway 1 and arterial roads tend to have a higher collision rate than similar roads in the province, according to a report released last July by civil engineering firm Urban Systems.
Driver confusion and high speeds are the primary contributors to collisions at the Fern Street interchange and the Dollarton Highway/Main Street on-ramps, according to the report.
The study also pinpointed the short-merge distance on the southbound on-ramp from Dollarton Highway to Highway 1 as a "collision hot spot."
The report also found problems with public transit in the area, saying: "Access to Phibbs Exchange is also an issue. Buses must use Oxford Street to access the exchange. Vehicle accessibility to drop off passengers is a challenge, as is park-and-ride availability."
The report recommends enhancing bus access at Phibbs exchange and a rapid bus along Parkway and Dollarton.
With no provincial plans to increase bridge capacity, as well as development planned near the highway that could mean a jump in population and employment on the North Shore, traffic congestion may worsen unless the district can make substantial changes, according to the report.
The report makes numerous suggestions, including installing stop-and-go traffic signals on the southbound ramp at Dollarton and Main Street.
Directly connecting Mountain Highway to the Brooksbank and Keith Road intersection could also ease traffic congestion, according to the report.
The district should also consider a bypass road from Mount Seymour to Mountain Highway, and a possible left turn signal at the Highway 1 ramp.
Urban Systems is scheduled to release justifications for each possible solution at a working group meeting slated for Nov. 7.
