Prior St. Pilot Project

April 29, 2020

Below is a summary from CoV Engineering of their pilot project, begun in Spring 2020, to explore short-term steps for calming Prior.

The pilot project to calm Prior is an iterative/layered approach and we will be tweaking or adding measures as required. When we had implemented the initial measures, we had observed an effective decrease in both the volumes and speeds on Prior Street. Unfortunately, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for all-day parking on Prior Street has substantially decreased resulting in 2 lanes of travel available for traffic. Our work plan is as follows:

Prior Street Painting and 30 kph Road Surface Markings

All of our paint applications are currently on hold and we are waiting for an improvement to evening temperatures as we cannot paint when the ground is wet or too cold from condensation or rainfall. We are hoping to begin our paint season in the third or fourth week of May and this will be in the priority list.

Hawks Closure and Malkin Parking Limitations

We had setup a follow-up walking tour with the Produce Row businesses; however, we have had to postpone this meeting twice due to the current restrictions and our large number of attendees. I will reach out to them again to see if we can re-schedule. They had committed to a closure of Hawks but needed some truck turning improvements at National to facilitate the closure. We have recently made some parking regulation changes on Malkin due to long-term vehicles parking overnight but need to meet with the businesses on Produce Row onsite to determine the area of parking removal to facilitate truck maneuvering.

Jersey Barriers & “Park” Artwork

We had suggested we use the “Park” artwork at Hawks as well at Campbell to highlight these as designated crosswalks from the neighbourhood to Strathcona Park. The art piece would provide visual interest, be a physical bulge but also provide a metaphorical symbol. We had met with our Public Art colleagues and had discussed with the artist who was very excited of showcasing his art piece in the neighbourhood. I am having a follow-up conversation later this week regarding next steps and mobilizing the art pieces. Additionally, due to the low parking demand on the north side of Prior between Campbell and Raymur we are recommending no post barriers or jersey barriers to block the curb lane from the bus stop. This will improve the safety at the Campbell intersection and hopefully encourage vehicles to slow down in combination with the speed reader board. I will have a firmer date of the installation as we need to check our barrier inventory and possibly procure if required.

Street Furniture & Bus Shelters

We had placed orders for all of bus benches and shelters with our furniture contractor, CBS Decaux, following our meeting earlier this year. We are working with them for an updated timeline and installation date as they are currently facing challenges due to Covid.

Bump-outs & Flexible Bollards

We are currently evaluating different products for the temporary bump-outs so that they are robust enough to not require frequent replacement but also not a hazard to vehicles in the event of a collision. We are expecting that the bump-outs will be installed in the better weather season as some products require epoxy/glue. In terms of the flexible bollards at the beginning of and end of each block, we are still in the process of considering the placement, product types, and effect on bus movements. Please leave this with us as a new strategy since the all-day parking was the initial measure which is now made less effective with the current health restrictions.

Road Surface Damage

If there are specific areas that are damaged, please report through 311 as it will create a Service Request and our maintenance crews will make the repairs. If you are looking for a more fulsome walkthrough, we could arrange a physically distant appropriate walking meeting with myself and one of our streets superintendents.

Campbell Traffic Signal

We have reviewed the signal and it is operating the same as the Princess signal (steady green) whereas the Hawks and Raymur signals are pedestrian/bike actuated (flashing green). The signal is programmed to provide longer green times during weekday rush hours which may result in longer pedestrian wait times. In an effort to reduce wait times for pedestrians, we will be reducing the maximum wait time by 50%. This will reduce the wait time up to 25 seconds if someone hits the button right after the signal changes yellow. We will make this change effective starting tomorrow.

Street Lighting LED Conversion

We have 8 more streetlight lamps to convert to LED on Prior Street and are waiting for the remaining lamps to be delivered. So far, we have replaced 47 lamps to LED. I am hoping that the added lighting levels are providing increased safety. Please let us know if there is any feedback from residents regarding light intrusion into homes so we can install shields if required. As you may be aware we are currently in a hiring freeze but our department has been reworking our ability to deliver on all our commitments including the calming of Prior/Venables and Covid-19 related initiatives. We are still committed to complete the necessary adjustments for the calming ofPrior/Venables.