Traffic Calming

QUICK LINKS - PROJECTS BY AREA Boucherie Road - Highway 97 to Stuart Road Shannon Lake - General Neighbourhood Shannon Lake - Shannon Ridge Drive Smith Creek South Mount Boucherie - General Neighbourhood Speed Reader Signs - Glenrosa Road and Old Okanagan Highway Vineyard Drive

WHAT'S NEW

To read about the District of West Kelowna's latest traffic calming projects, please see CURRENT INITIATIVES below.

PURPOSE OF TRAFFIC CALMING

As West Kelowna continues to grow, the community must manage issues related to increased traffic volumes and pattern changes.

The District of West Kelowna endeavors to address traffic issues at the development application stage. However, over time, the creation of new developments in adjacent neighbourhoods or in neighbouring jurisdictions may cause unexpected shifts in traffic flows.

In an effort to address changes in transportation patterns, the municipality may consider traffic calming as one possible option. To this end, Council has adopted a Traffic Calming Policy, which identifies means and methods of determining traffic management options in the municipality.

To view the District of West Kelowna's Traffic Calming Policy, please use the following link:

• Traffic Calming Policy

CURRENT INITIATIVES

(Last updated: June 14, 2013)

SMITH CREEK

In June 2013, the District of West Kelowna began exploring traffic calming options for the Smith Creek Area.

A neighbourhood specific open house was held on June 17, 2013 at Westbank Lions Community Hall.

• To view the Traffic Calming 101 presentation, please click here.
• To view the poster boards that were on display at the open house, please click here.
• To take the survey (closes June 21, 2013) please click here.

Feedback from the survey and the open house will be combined with traffic study analysis conducted in the summer and early fall of 2013 and compiled into a draft plan. The draft plan will be presented at a second neighbourhood specific open house for Smith Creek residents in the fall. The District of West Kelowna will use this opportunity to receive feedback on recommendations contained within the draft plan. Shortly thereafter the plan will be presented to Mayor and Council for their input and consideration of adoption.

BOUCHERIE ROAD

On February 12, 2013, Council endorsed a staff recommendation to reduce the speed limit on Boucherie Road from 60 km/h to 50 km/h, between Highway 97 and Stuart Road, for the following reasons:

• Boucherie Road was upgraded to the new Wine Route Arterial Standard between July and November 2012, and features such as cycling lanes, landscaped medians and sidewalks were added;
  • The existing right-of-way available constrained the design to 50 km/hour;
  • Four of the nine curves in the road did not meet recommended criteria for 60 km/hour speed;
  • In order to maintain 60 km/hour in the design, significant alterations to the road design would have been needed including power pole relocation, utility relocation, property acquisition and a significant increase in the number and size of retaining walls required; this would have resulted in a significantly higher cost to complete this work;
  • To maximize the safety based on the new design;
  • Speeding was raised as an ongoing concern by residents during open house sessions regarding the Boucherie Road Wine Route upgrade;
  • This section of road was constructed with the intent of allowing other modes of transportation such as walking and cycling; a reduction in the operating speeds helped to provide improved comfort for those users; and,
  • The roadway serves as a direct access to over 20 residences and businesses between Highway 97 and Stuart Road and a 50 km/h speed limit is common for a road with this function, based on the improvements made.

SHANNON LAKE

What's Being Done?

At the March 12, 2013 meeting, Council directed staff to proceed with the implementation of traffic calming measures in the Shannon Lake neighbourhood.

The District of West Kelowna hired a consultant to conduct a traffic study, which included public consultation. Meetings with residents and documentation regarding traffic speed, intersection activity and sightlines confirmed speeding issues in the Shannon Lake area.

Traffic calming measures will be installed in six locations in the area, at an estimated total capital cost of $64,700. Measures to be undertaken include:

• Speed cushions (humps);
• Curb extensions; and,
• Signage.

How were measures determined?

1. From late January through early March 2013, feedback from a January 24, 2013 open house was analyzed and staff finalized plans to identify budgetary requirements for constructing calming measures.
2. Throughout November 2012 data was collected in order to verify traffic calming related concerns. This included site visits (monitoring), vehicle volumes, speed counts and intersection turning movements.
3. On October 11, 2012, the municipality hosted a community forum at Shannon Lake Elementary to:
   1. Present “Traffic Calming 101” by Boulevard Transportation;
   2. Present residents with proposed scope and timing as established with the neighborhood association;
   3. Provide a forum for residents to provide feedback and identify key traffic related issues and concerns (verbal during the meeting and through a questionnaire); and,
   4. Identify the next steps in the process.
4. On October 21, 2012, the District of West Kelowna concluded an input opportunity through a questionnaire.
5. Feedback gathered through the open house and the online questionnaire was used to identify the traffic calming issues and highlight the areas that needed to be looked at in detail to verify the concerns brought forward.
6. In August 2012, municipal staff met with Shannon Lake Neighborhood Association representatives to:
   1. Confirm the proposed study area (click here to see map);
   2. Establish contact information between the municipality and the association; and
   3. Establish time lines and schedules for the traffic calming review.

SPEED READER SIGNS

In August 2011, Council directed staff to work with ICBC to identify two sites for the installation of pole-mounted, electronic signage that would indicate rates of speed to passing motorists.

After consulting with ICBC it was determined that the reader boards would installed at high crash occurrence sites:

1. On Glenrosa Road near the intersection of Webber Road; and,
2. Old Okanagan Highway near the intersection of Butt Road.

Installation was completed on December 24, 2012. Required equipment testing was conducted in January in preparation for full operations starting in Winter 2013.

The District of West Kelowna thanks ICBC for providing matching funding of $8,000 to assist in the installation of the speed reader boards.

VINEYARD DRIVE

1. The conceptual design was created during the South Boucherie study.
2. Based on the available funding, a phased plan for implementation was completed.
3. A resident questionnaire was sent out at the end of September 2012 highlighting this plan and providing an opportunity for feedback; and,
   1. Based on the response to that questionnaire, installation of six curb extensions proceeded in the early fall of 2012.
4. Throughout October 2012 a qualified contractor completed installation of six curb extensions between Ridge Boulevard and Merlot Court.
5. Follow up speed and volume counts will occur after installation to gauge the effectiveness of the measures installed and help determine if/when future phases would be considered.

PAST INITIATIVES

SHANNON LAKE

Following the completion of Shannon Heights subdivision, a new road connection was opened. Specifically, Auburn Road/Ensign Way was connected to Shannon Lake Road via Shannon Ridge Drive.

In response to comments from local residents regarding this new road facility related to speeding and high traffic volumes, staff hired a traffic engineer, who specialized in traffic calming. The engineer collected vehicular volume and speed data between June 9 and 16, 2010 at three locations along the new connection.

Data and recommended improvements were presented to Council October 12, 2010.

• October 12, 2010 Staff Report

At that meeting, Council directed staff to implement improvements estimated to cost $15,000. The improvements were:

On Shannon Ridge Drive:

• Create 2 parking “bulbs” (curb extensions) on the curve to protect parked vehicles, reduce pedestrian crossing distances, reduce speeds and improve sightlines;
• Paint a solid yellow center line leading up to, through, and out of the curve for a short distance; and,
• Conduct minor trimming of vegetation to improve sightlines (as required).

At Shannon Ridge Place and Shannon Ridge Drive intersection:

• Paint a stop bar; and,
• Relocate the stop sign forward towards the intersection.

Staff also advised the RCMP of the identified traffic concerns.

SOUTH MOUNT BOUCHERIE

In the South Mount Boucherie neighbourhood, the potential exists to provide additional road connections across the mountain, at Menu Rd and/or McCallum Rd. Such connections could have positive impacts such as emergency vehicle access; transit route opportunities; and, shorter, more direct drive times for some residents. The connections could also have negative impacts, such as new or increased traffic, as a result of residents using local streets as short cuts between collector routes.

The District of West Kelowna created a survey, allowing residents the opportunity to express traffic and transportation concerns in the area. Particular areas of concern were traffic volumes, road safety, public transportation, and pedestrian and cyclist facilities.

The results of the survey have been used in the development and investigation of traffic mitigation options and to provide important considerations for the future planning and design of the neighbourhood traffic system.

Documents related to the Mount Boucherie Traffic Survey are as follow:

• Mount Boucherie Travel Survey Executive Summary
• Mount Boucherie Travel Survey Map
• Mount Boucherie Traffic Survey Results

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	info@districtofwestkelowna.ca