City of Powell River Council stopped a requested traffic pattern change in Cranberry but slowed a decision on speed limits.
At the November 6 council meeting, councillors contemplated a request made by the Cranberry Ratepayers Association earlier this year to calm traffic flows through the city district. The ratepayers had requested a three-way stop at Cranberry Street and Marlatt Avenue and a reduced speed limit along the Cranberry Street—Manson Avenue corridor. The recommendation brought to council by city staff was to deny the requests.
At council’s June 19, 2014 committee of the whole meeting, staff was directed to prepare a report regarding that day’s presentation by Rolland Miller of the ratepayers association, requesting a 40-kilometre-per-hour area on Manson through to Church Street to address traffic speed concerns. Miller also requested the three-way stop at Cranberry and Marlatt to slow traffic passing Lindsay Park on Cranberry Lake.
Councillor Jim Palm, who attends Cranberry ratepayers meetings, said, during the November 6 council meeting, that denying the requests for traffic calming probably wouldn’t make the ratepayers very happy, but there is good reason behind the decision.
“Our staff has presented the details,” Palm said. “The report will be sent directly to the ratepayers.”
Councillor Debbie Dee advocated communication between the city and the Cranberry ratepayers, and that maybe a creative solution could be found for the traffic concerns.
Councillor Russell Brewer said during discussion on this matter at a previous committee of the whole meeting, analysis of the Cranberry traffic count number could be open to interpretation.
“It could come out on the low side or high side of 50 kilometres per hour, and that was the threshold for determining whether traffic calming measures were warranted,” he said. “I’m reluctant to deny the request for the reduced speed limit because if you look at the numbers a little differently in the report, it would fall on the high side of 50 kilometres per hour, which would warrant traffic calming.”
Brewer said he wanted to look at the matter further and to remove the recommendation for denial of the reduced speed limit from the motion that was before council.
Palm said he thought that would not be a bad move. Some municipalities in BC have reduced speeds in certain jurisdictions to 40 kilometres per hour, so the precedent has been set elsewhere.
Councillor Maggie Hathaway said there is already reduced speed at DA Evans Park on Cranberry and the complaint is that nobody abides by it.
“So we can reduce the speed further along and still no one will abide by it,” she said. “I agree this issue should be taken to the RCMP, and we would get the flashing sign up there if we could, and maybe radar for a bit. Just lowering the speed limit, I don’t think, is going to accomplish anything. If we really want to do something about speeding in the area, we need to be proactive, not reduce the limit.”
Council voted on Brewer’s amendment and the motion passed, with Hathaway opposed.
Council then unanimously passed a motion to deny the three-way stop at Marlatt and Cranberry but to continue to examine the speed issue on Cranberry.
Mac Fraser, chief administrative officer, said staff could bring back a report looking at various options for the request for lowering speed in the Cranberry area.
