Eight roads in Abbotsford have been approved for traffic-calming measures this year.
Council approved at its executive meeting on Monday (June 14) that the following roads would receive the work: Curlew Drive, Griffiths Road, Junction Avenue/Bernadette Street, Latimer Street, Martens Street, Ridgeview Drive, Southern Drive and Stephen Leacock Drive.
The proposed measures include speed humps, raised crosswalks, road markings and signage.
The estimated cost for all eight roads is $100,000, according to a staff report to council. The city also plans to apply to ICBC’s road improvement program for a contribution.
The report says that, each year, staff review the list of local roads for which the public has requested traffic-calming measures, and a traffic study is conducted at each location.
That is then followed by letters to residents, with a minimum approval rating of 67 per cent required for traffic calming to proceed.
The final step is to consult with BC Transit, emergency services, the school district and public works operations to see if they have any concerns.
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The report states that in the fall of 2020, engineering staff reviewed 74 local roads and analyzed traffic speed, volume and the amount of cut-through vehicles in the neighbourhoods.
Of the 74 locations, 23 were found to meet the criteria to receive future traffic calming, but only eight are being recommended this year. The others will be considered for future years, the report indicates.
Two of the roads being recommended this year – Stephen Leacock Drive and Southern Drive – are the locations of schools (Auguston Traditional Elementary and Blue Jay Elementary, respectively). Traffic-calming measures were requested by the schools’ principals.
Four of the roads – Junction/Bernadette, Latimer, Martens and Ridgeview – were found to have high rates of speeding vehicles.
Latimer Street, for example, has a posted speed limit of 30 km/hr in the playground zone of Stoney Creek Park, but data gathered showed an “85th percentile speed of 54 km/hr” in that zone, according to the report to council.
The report states that the other two roads – Curlew and Griffiths – have high rates of cut-through traffic.
Curlew Drive showed an average daily traffic volume of 1,301, while Griffiths road showed 2,146. Both are “far higher that that expected on a local road,” the report says.
A ninth road that was being considered – Horizon Street – did not receive enough residents in favour to proceed with traffic calming there.
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Junction Avenue and Bernadette Street are among the Abbotsford roads being considered for traffic-calming measures. (City of Abbotsford map)
