A new District of Squamish transportation plan has revealed the highest crash hotspots across town.
The draft Transportation Master Plan (TMP) was given to council at a committee of the whole meeting on Nov. 12, with feedback set to be included in the final plan.
The report revealed that between 2018 to 2022, there were 236 crashes at the intersection between Cleveland Avenue and Highway 99 and Loggers Lane.
The junction between Highway 99 and Mamquam Road saw 92 crashes; the Garibaldi Way and Highway 99 intersection had 78 crashes; Alice Lake Road, Highway 99 and Squamish Valley Road had 60.
The draft report is recommending that council advocate to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) for improvements on those roads and a list of others.
What is included in the TMP?
It has been 13 years since the last TMP was endorsed and since then, the population in Squamish has seen a jump from 17,500 to almost 30,000.
According to the report, the new draft plan was developed based on updated population and employment projections to support the community’ growth.
“Continued rapid growth in Squamish is anticipated, and the TMP is critical to direct infrastructure investments and policy development that will contribute to the community’s vibrancy, safety, connections, and financial and environmental sustainability into the future,” reads the draft report.
Short term priority projects listed in the draft plan, which are already included in the 2025-2029 budget are:
- Victoria Street active transportation improvements (Third Avenue to Loggers Lane) $1,795,000
- Depot Road active transportation improvements (Highway 99-Government Road) $1,525,000
- Pemberton Avenue-Laurelwood Bridge $20,000,000
Short-term priority projects that are not included in the budget but will be funded through a variety of sources, including District capital reserves, external grants, and Development Cost Charges are:
- Government Road active transportation bridge widening at Mamquam River $2,500,000
- Corridor Trail widening (south of Highway 99 and Scott Crescent) $426,000
- Frequent transit network bus shelter and amenities $2,976,000
Also suggested in the report is changing to ‘No Right Turn on Red’ at existing District traffic signals.
The report recommends the District explore changes at the following signalized locations to understand the impacts of the conversion:
• Cleveland Avenue/Buckley Avenue/Hunter Place
• Cleveland Avenue/Pemberton Avenue
• Mamquam Road/Glenalder Place
The downtown paid parking program is also on the list of things to continue with, as well as advocating for greater speed limit enforcement along the highway.
Community consultation
To create the draft TMP, the District undertook community consultation to see what issues were of the most importance.
The report shows that community members would like to see “active transportation improvements to enable them to walk, cycle, and roll more in Squamish.”
“They request improvements to sidewalks, crossings, [Multi-Use Paths] and bikes. Almost half of community members stated that they would prefer to get around by bicycle as opposed to using other modes of transportation,” it reads.
People who engaged with the community consultation also requested improvements to “local and regional bus routes, schedules, stops, and shelters.”
Councillor comments
Coun. Chris Pettingil said he wants to make sure the public knows which projects will be the District’s responsibility and that of the province.
“I think it's important for us to make sure the public understands which of the projects in this plan are really going to be driven by the province and the province's budgets and timelines just so we can set expectations,” he said.
Coun. John French also added comments about the high crash intersections and their need for improvements.
“The Traffic Management Plan, as it exists at this point, I think is excellent, and I want to state that up front. I think we're at a very good place with it where it's at now. I do have some thoughts for improvements to the plan and stress that my thoughts are designed to make an already great report, maybe just a little bit better,” French said.
“A point that I want to flag is the fact that 11 Highway 99 intersections out of 12 highway intersections inside the District boundaries have been identified as problematic, and many of the problems have existed for a long time.
“So this plan is yet another reminder of how the province has failed our community and a reminder that council needs to continue lobbying the provincial government to make intersection adjustments up and down our community, North to South.
Coun. Andrew Hamilton said he believes the District needs to focus on how they can help the community commute more safely.
"I think what's important to me in this overall plan is that our vision for moving throughout our community should be a shared experience between pedestrians; transit, cyclists and motor vehicles,” Hamilton said,
“People should be free to choose which mode they want [to use] and then get to their destination in a safe way.”
He said he believes both the District and the community need to shift their priorities “away from vehicular traffic.”
“I myself am a commuter, I commute to Vancouver three days a week, and I will not be able to do that on a bus anytime soon. But I think within our community, we do need to shift towards thinking about how people can get around more safely, and I think that this plan does that.”
Council unanimously supported the staff recommendation to prepare a final Transportation Master Plan based on the feedback received at the meeting and to bring the final plan back to council for endorsement.
According to the report, this will happen early next year.
To read more about the draft plan, visit the District of Squamish website.
