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Strawberry Vale Residents' Association Executive Board's
opinion of Saanich Engineering's
Final Decision on the Wilkinson-Interurban
Traffic Plan is contained in this letter to Saanich Mayor
and Council which is also our input to the Special Committee
of the Whole Financial Plan meeting being held on
Tuesday,
February 23, 2010 at 7:30 in Council Chambers at Saanich
Municipal Hall.
The public is welcome to make presentations at this
meeting. If further information is required regarding
submitting input to the Financial Plan meeting, please contact
the Legislative Division at 250-475-1775, between the hours
of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, or email >
ClerkSec@saanich.ca.
Read/Download the Following Letter in a PDF or a Word Document Format
February 20, 2010
Mayor and Council
Saanich Municipality
770 Vernon Ave
Victoria, BC V8X 2W7
Re: Saanich Engineering Final Decision on the Interurban-Wilkinson
Traffic Plan
Strawberry Vale Residents' Association
Executive Board received Saanich Engineering's' Final Decision
regarding the Interurban-Wilkinson Traffic Plan on February
18, 2010, and have reviewed this final plan. Strawberry Vale
Residents' Association Executive (SVRA) Board included community
input and Saanich web site information in our review. We wish
to commend the persistence of Strawberry Vale area residents,
who through their diligence, communication, and meeting participation,
have ensured that the area residents' concerns have been heard.
The Strawberry Vale Residents' Association Executive (SVRA)
Board views the limited time between the release of the final
report and scheduling of Engineering's budget presentation
to the Committee of the Whole inadequate and unfortunate.
SVRA Board agrees, in principle, with Saanich Engineering's
final decision recommendations, especially that Saanich recognizes
the need to implement the plan using less permanent solutions.
We also agree with the goals of the project. However, SVRA
Board acknowledges that this plan is a short term solution
to what is the regional traffic problem, i.e. the need to
construct the overpass at MacKenzie and Highway #1. We, therefore,
expect Saanich Municipality to support the construction of
this overpass by including it in their strategic plan, and
working in concert with the federal and provincial governments
to ensure funds are available and construction is underway
within the next five years.
Many Strawberry Vale Area residents
expressed a concern about being restricted from leaving their
local area, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, due to the proposed
permanent restriction of Hastings traffic movements, for what
was seen as a problem limited to peak traffic periods. In
SVRA Board's opinion, Saanich Engineering's proposed time
restricted prohibition of the Hastings traffic movement during
peak periods (Monday - Friday and Saturday afternoon), is
a viable solution to try. This restricted movement from Hastings
will provide an opportunity to coordinate the lights at Santa
Rosa and Interurban facilitating a larger number of vehicles
moving into the north flow of traffic on Wilkinson Road from
Santa Rosa, and will enable green time to be maximized on
each approach to the intersection at Wilkinson and Interurban.
SVRA also supports the installation of left turn advance phases
to reduce traffic wait times and tailpipe emissions at peak
periods. We trust that these plan recommendations will be
assessed on an ongoing basis to determine their effectiveness,
and that they will also provide actual traffic flow and volume
data on the effectiveness and efficiency gained by removing
Hastings Road from the light cycle.
We agree with priority
and access being given to the buses during the peak period
to facilitate an efficient movement of the buses through the
area.
Safety has been a major concern expressed by area residents
including the need for safe bike and walking routes, reduction
of vehicle speed and volume, installation of pedestrian controlled
crosswalk light signals, night time street lighting, winter
weather street maintenance, and assurance that streets affected
by the proposed plan (Santa Anita, Santa Rosa, Hastings, Dunsterville,
Roy, and North) meet ICBC safety audit standards. SVRA Board
supports the enhancement of safety to pedestrians and cyclists
on area streets through the plan's recommended creation of
bike lanes and sharrows, timely construction of sidewalks
on Interurban, North and Santa Anita, closure of Dunsterville
to thru traffic, and the installation of pedestrian controlled
solar powered flashing lights at cross walks.
SVRA Board expects
ICBC safety audit recommendations to be incorporated in the
plan and implemented at its outset. SVRA will be checking
with Saanich on the 3, 6, and 9 month monitoring of traffic
volume, speed and vehicle type and expect Saanich Engineering
to be diligent and timely in its determination, placement
and installation of traffic calming tools to facilitate the
reduction of speeding through the area, and further deter
out of area short cutting commuters, especially on the Santa
Anita, Santa Rosa, North and Roy roads.
Strawberry Vale Residents'
Association also acknowledges the winter weather hazards that
the opening of North road and restrictions on Roy Road presents,
and expects Saanich Public Works to be proactive, timely and
vigilant in maintaining North Road during icy and snow conditions.
Concerns about the lack of street lighting and parking around
Rosedale Park were raised by residents during the review process,
and as much as these items are not within the purview of the
traffic study, SVRA Board will be consulting with Saanich
staff on the policies and available funds for these improvements.
Many Strawberry Vale residents expressed a concern about the
volume of unsafe commuting traffic through the area, and are
in favour of continuing to deter out of area short cutting
commuters. The North Road barriers have demonstrated that
they are an effective deterrent to out of area commuters evidenced
by a large reduction of this commuter traffic since the barriers
were installed. However, to improve the efficiencies and safe
movement of traffic through the Wilkinson/Interurban intersection,
traffic modeling statistics predict that substantial improvement
in the number of cars per hour will result if Hastings is
removed from the light cycle. During the review process, it
was identified that the time restricted prohibition to through
and left turn traffic at peak periods posed a challenge to
local residents' ability to travel west and north out of the
area. To facilitate another option for local resident's movement
in and out of the area the plan recommends that the North
Road barrier be moved to the North end at Interurban and restricted
movement out of Roy Road be incorporated. This option includes
the installation of channelization on Roy and medians on Interurban,
to restrict traffic exiting the neighbourhood to turning right
onto Interurban only. SVRA Board expects that this will continue
to deter commuters from travelling on the North Road area
roads but also recognizes the deterrent poses a new challenge
to North Road area residents wanting to travel west on Interurban.
As a further deterrent to commuter traffic and to prevent
vehicle accidents, SVRA Board supports the installation of
medians on Interurban preventing traffic from turning left
at the Knockanback parking lot and gas station. The posting
and enforcement of "no left turn" signs on Burnside and Granville,
to restrict turns between 7-9 am Monday to Friday, is seen
as a deterrent to commuter traffic. However, SVRA Board is
only confident the deterrents on Burnside and Granville and
Interurban at Roy will be effective with frequent, random
and continuous police enforcement (i.e. one morning a week
at least every one to two weeks). Council will need to ensure
the police budget has funds dedicated for this enforcement.
We are aware that Saanich has been consulting with View Royal
through their review process, and any opportunity to partner
with View Royal to enhance opportunities to deter traffic,
and move it onto appropriate corridors is supported. However,
we also find it very unfortunate that View Royal will be undertaking
water main, trestle replacement and beautification projects
on the Old Island Highway over the next eighteen months which,
due to construction closures of that corridor, may result
in skewed data on traffic volume changes in our area.
In conclusion,
to ensure the success of the outcome of these current experimental/temporary
plan solutions to the ultimate satisfaction of local area
residents, we expect continuing dialogue between local area
residents', Strawberry Vale Residents' Association and Saanich
Engineering staff, including community meetings, as necessary,
and especially if major temporary solutions are to be altered,
such as the Hastings time restricted prohibition. We commend
Saanich Engineering on its communication with area residents
and their efforts to include residents input on their final
decision.
Sincerely,
Sue Henry
President
Strawberry Vale Residents'
Association
CC. Colin Doyle, Director of Engineering, Saanich
Municipality Paul Butterfield, Senior Engineering Technologist,
Saanich Municipality
Strawberry Vale Neighbourhood Traffic Management
Plan
with Hastings Approach Closure to Intersection of Interurban-Wilkinson
Saanich Engineering is inviting residents to a community
meeting to review the plan, ask questions and discuss the
implications of the Strawberry Vale Neighbourhood Traffic
Management Plan. The meetings are organized in general areas
so that similarly affected residents can discuss the plan
for their area at one meeting. All meetings will be held
at Strawberry Vale Elementary School Gym. Here is the information
meeting schedule which depends on your location:
Meeting #1: Burnside, Holland and Granville
area, Fri. Jan 29, 6pm - 9pm
Meeting #2: North, Roy, Dunsterville, and
Hastings area, Sat. Jan 30, 10am - 1pm
Meeting #3: Santa Rosa, Santa Anita, and Hastings
area, Sat Jan 30, 2pm - 5pm
Meeting #4: For anyone who may have missed
their area meeting Sun Jan 31, 1pm -4pm
Meeting Format - All meetings are 3 hours
long with Saanich planning and design staff available to
answer questions
- There will be some large format diagrams and text to explain
the plan for residents to view
- Brief presentations will begin 15 minutes after doors
open and it will last for 15 minutes that will focus on
the Saanich review of the Bunt & Associates plan
- Question and answer period will begin after the presentation
and will last until the doors close
- Anyone who does not get their question asked may fill
out a form by writing down their question and it will be
answered by Saanich staff the following week.
- This is not a proper venue for resident presentations.
If you require further information please contact the Project
Manager, Paul Butterfield at 250-475-5494 ext 3439 or by
email at paul.butterfield@saanich.ca
Emergency Preparedness Begins With
You - Workshop #1
Saanich Emergency Preparedness would like to invite you
to a two-hour workshop that provides in-depth information
and practical application to individual and family on emergency
preparedness. Learn the basic skills of preparedness and
survival to care for your needs for a minimum of 7 days
after a disaster. You will learn how to: respond during
a disaster, compile an emergency kit, plan for family reunification,
shut off your utilities, cope with sanitation issues, organize
food and water supplies, record and store personal information,
make your home safer during an emergency, plan for evacuation
with grab and go bags, and address special needs. The workshops
are being held:
Monday, February 22, 2010 7-9 p.m.
Pearkes Recreation Centre
Call (250) 475-7121 to register, Course # 352707
Monday, April 12, 2010 7-9 p.m.
Saanich Commonwealth Place
Call (250) 475-7600 to register, Course #369504
This workshop is FREE but registration, through any Recreation
Centre, is required. For more information or to book a workshop
for groups of 10 or more, please call Kristie at the Saanich
Emergency Program: 250.475.7140.
Strawberry Vale Residents' Association: General Meeting
Members' Meeting 7:00 pm Monday March 8, 2010 at Strawberry
Vale Community Hall 11 High Street (at Burnside Road West)
All residents of Strawberry Vale, Glanford and Marigold
are invited to join us at our Members meeting. There will
be an interesting guest speaker, and updates on items the
Association has been working on recently.
Novermer 20/09
"Latest News" items for SVRA website
Open Houses for Saanich Climate Action
Plan
There will be Open Houses for the draft Saanich Climate
Action Plan held at the Salvation Army Victoria Citadel
Community Church on the following dates:
Thursday November 19th from 4:00 -8:00
Thursday November 24th from 4:00 -8:00
Monday November 30th from 4:00 -8:00
The plan proposes new greenhouse gas reduction targets for
the community and municipal operations and lays out strategies
and actions to achieve these targets. Feedback from residents
will be collected from November 5th to Nov. 30th.
For more information go to: www.climateaction.saanich.ca
Community's role
in Snow Removal in Saanich
In the past five years, Saanich has experienced at least
one snowfall a year. Under the Streets and Traffic Regulation
Bylaw, 2002, No. 8382, it is the responsibility of property
owners and occupants to clear and remove snow and ice from
municipal sidewalks. Failure to do so can result in a fine.
Fulfilling your responsibilities can improve the quality
of life for all residents of Saanich and reduce injuries
caused by slipping and falling, particularly with the elderly.
Remember to shovel often and early, new snow is lighter.
Be a good neighbour and lend a helping hand to neighbours
who are not able to dig out their driveway or clear their
sidewalks. Helping a neighbour, friend or family member
is a wonderful way to build positive relationships and show
people you care.
October 10/09
"Latest News" items for SVRA website
2010 Municipal Appointments to Advisory
Committees and Board
If you are interested in being involved in local government
by becoming a member of an advisory committee or board,
now is the time to apply. Areas include arts and heritage,
transportation and pedestrian mobility, the environment
and tree preservation, and parks and recreation. The District
of Saanich is accepting applications from residents with
appointments effective January 1, 2010, generally for a
one year term. Applications must be submitted to the Legislative
Division of the District of Saanich by 4:30 pm, Friday,
October 23, 2009. For more information go to the Saanich
Website.
Friends of Knockan Hill Broom Bashing
Event
Volunteers needed. The Friends of Knockan Hill are planning
a "Broom Bashing" Event at Knockan Hill Park on Sunday October
24, 2009 from 10:00 am to noon. Meet at the top of hill
and bring your gloves and clippers. For more information
about the Friends of Knockan Hill Park Society go to: http://www.knockanhillpark.ca/index.php
Strawberry Vale Residents' Association Meeting Monday
September 28
The quarterly meeting of the Strawberry Vale Residents'
Association was held on Monday September 28 at the Strawberry
Vale Community Hall (11 High St. at W. Burnside). A guest
speaker from Habitat Acquisition Trust gave a presentation
on the work of the Trust, and the projects they have worked
on in the area. Watch for an article on the Habitat Acquisition
Trust in our next Newsletter.
Learn about Solar Hot Water Systems at Saanich's
Solar Open House
On Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 from 2pm - 7pm,
Saanich is continuing with the SolarBC Solar Community program
with a second SOLAR COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE. Learn about the
technology, the incentives, and how to get solar hot water
started in your home. Visit Saanich's
Climate Action web page to find out about the Saanich
Climate Action Plan. Also, Dean Murdock, Saanich Councillor
and Vice-Chair, Saanich Environmental Advisory Committee,
would also like suggestions on how to reduce our
emissions and conserve energy emailed to him at
dean.murdock@telus.net or by at (250) 658.4160
Urban Forestry Strategy
An Urban Forestry Strategy Open House was held on June 11
at the Pacific Forestry Centre on West Burnside. The purpose
was to gather ideas and suggestions for the Urban Forest
Strategy being developed by Saanich. The Strategy will be
a long-term plan for the management of all trees and their
growing environments within Saanich. For more information
and to provide feedback, go to the Saanich Municipality
website by clicking here
Secondary Suite Study
A Secondary Suite Study is underway to collect information
about legalizing secondary suites in Saanich. Six community
associations are involved: Mt. Tolmie, Quadra/Cedar Hill,
Camosun, Mount View Colquitz, Rainbow Park and Gorge Tillicum.
The purpose of the study is to explore the issues and look
at possible regulations regarding the potential legalization
of secondary suites. An Open House was held at Saanich Municipal
Hall on June 10,Thursday July 15th, August 19th and September
10th at the Municipal Hall, Council Chamber from 4:-- to
8:00. For more information about the Study and to complete
an online survey, go to the Saanich website by clicking
here.
Interurban-Wilkinson Intersection (5 Corners)
An Open House was held on June 11 at Strawberry Vale Elementary
School. Three options for redesigning the Interurban- Wilkinson-Hastings
intersection were presented by Bunt & Associates Engineering,
the transportation and planning consulting firm who have
been contracted by Saanich to look at this problem. Go to
the Saanich website and click on the link Interurban-Wilkinson
Intersection to review the options and provide your feedback
to Saanich.
The deadline for comments is July 3.
Recreation Active Living Survey
Saanich Recreation is asking for help to improve their services.
An online survey is posted here
at the Saanich website. |
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