Traffic calming measures are coming soon to a West Vancouver street where school traffic and a busy hiking trail meet in an otherwise quiet neighbourhood.
District of West Vancouver council gave staff the thumbs-up last week to move ahead with traffic calming measures on Glenmore Drive between Morven Drive and the Baden Powell Trail crossing.
Staff are directed to construct multiple elements including two 1.8-metre-wide gravel pathways, raised crosswalks, two rapid flashing beacons and painted edge lines in the area.
The rapid flashing beacons will be where Braden Powell Trail crosses Glenmore Drive and on the south side of the Glenmore and Morven intersection, according to a staff report. There will also be no parking on the east side of Glenmore to prevent damage to the new gravel pathway.
The decision for the upgrades comes after the Collingwood School Task Force brought forward suggestions to better the neighbourhood in November 2024. Council directed staff at the time to explore the ideas and report back on feasibility and cost estimates.
Staff presented their findings during the April 14 council meeting. Based on information from the district’s contractor, staff estimated the changes and improvements will cost about $87,000.
The improvements were also based on traffic and speed data collected. Staff noted that there are about 50 vehicles per hour on Glenmore Drive during the day, but that number spikes to roughly 270 per hour during school pick-up and drop-off times.
Councillors on board with improvements, community members raise concerns
Councillors were happy to see the plan move forward, but community members spoke out during the meeting that not all recommendations were taken into consideration.
Mark Selman said the task force also recommended making Morven Drive one way in front of the school and restricting parking along the park on Glengarry Crescent near the tennis courts.
“That was my main concern about it, we’re generally in favour of the report,” Selman said. “I just wanted to make sure that the other two issues were not dropped because people in the community have invested a lot of time and effort in that, and some people have been working on these issues for years, and we’d like to try and move ahead as we can.”
Glenmore Drive resident and member of the school task force Robert Nellas echoed Selman’s concerns, but also suggested that council consider a 30 kilometre per hour zone on Glenmore between Morven and Deep Dene Road near Collingwood School.
Sean O’Sullivan, senior manager of roads and transportation for the district, however said the municipality can’t put a 30 km/h zone at the requested location because due to the Motor Vehicle Act, where the speed limit is only reserved for roads passing by schools.
“I think what we’re proposing will have noticeable impact, especially during the pick-up and drop-off times,” O’Sullivan said. “If we don’t have consistency where areas [like] Glenmore Drive, where it’s relatively flat and straight,... drivers won’t see the connection between the speed limit and the driving environment, and they’re not going to follow the speed limit.”
Coun. Sharon Thompson said council is listening to community members’ concerns and is pleased to take the first step in the plan and see how it goes.
Coun. Linda Watt also expressed support for the safety improvements, saying the plan is a good example of what can be achieved when council, staff and a group of organized residents work together looking out for the best interests of the community.
There is no set time or date when construction will begin, but it will take a week to complete once the project starts, staff said.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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