Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Parkwood Transportation Plan Concern

From: Jim Routledge <routledgejim@shaw.ca>
Subject: Re: Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting - 2014-FEB-11th
Date: 11 February, 2014 6:02:50 AM PST
To: Jodi Wilson <Jodi.Wilson@nanaimo.ca>
Cc: Amir Freund <Amir.Freund@nanaimo.ca>, Andrew Tucker <Andrew.Tucker@nanaimo.ca>, Bill McKay <Bill.McKay@nanaimo.ca>, Bob Prokopenko <Bob.Prokopenko@nanaimo.ca>, David Grey <dgrey@sd68.bc.ca>, David Murchie <dmurchie@murchie.ca>, George Anderson <George.Anderson@nanaimo.ca>, Gordon Foy <Gordon.Foy@nanaimo.ca>, Michele Patterson <michele.patterson@viu.ca>, Randy Churchill <Randy.Churchill@nanaimo.ca>, Rod Davidson <Rod.Davidson@nanaimo.ca>, Ted Greves <Ted.Greves@nanaimo.ca>

Good day TAC members:  My apology for missing the last meeting.  Compliments to all for the continued good progress.

I feel obliged to follow up on one item that affects the neighbourhood where I both I've and work - Parkwood.  

The following excerpt from the minutes of the last meeting indicates the concerns raised over recent weeks and months since the Woodgrove Open house in November.  

Subsequent to the open house, I attended a meeting on this issue of approximately 65 area residents at Randerson Ridge School.  Another neighbourhood meeting voicing concerns occurred in December at Cathedral Grove Park which was attended by city staff.

"TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 2013-Dec-19 Minutes: Page 6
8. NEW BUSINESS:
a) Parkwood Neighbourhood
As part of DP#3 – Major Roads (Map 7), Enterprise Way is proposed to be extended east to Uplands Drive and Uplands Drive completed to four lanes if the Green Thumb site redevelops. Both projects are identified as long-term and dependent on future development.
The adjacent Parkwood neighbourhood is concerned that Parkwood Drive is being used as a short-cut between Uplands Drive and Turner Road and is concerned that a proposed connection to Enterprise Way will exaggerate this behaviour.
The City has responded to several emails from the neighbourhood advising that the City does not have any intentions of changing Parkwood Drive or its function as a neighbourhood street. The only change in the plan specific to Parkwood Drive is to identify it as a potential local street bikeway.
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 2013-Dec-19
Page 7

If at the time development occurs on the Green Thumb site, the City would consider whether mitigation is required on Parkwood Drive in the form of traffic calming, or if the neighbourhood supports it, disconnection of Parkwood Drive.
The best time to address these issues is if or when a development is proposed. Wording to clarify these positions could be added to the Plan to address neighbourhood concerns.
David Murchie would like to see more generic wording used, rather than naming a specific street. Feels it is appropriate to add “in the event that a road is being used inappropriately due to congestion of other routes, we will do traffic calming”. "


I would like to propose a specific change to the above referenced Map 7:

that the proposal to "extend Enterprise east to Uplands" be deleted as shown.

It is just the "Uplands leg" from the Enterprise/Calinda road that I would like to see deleted from the plan. The plan and map would still show a connection from Enterprise to Calinda, i I agree completely with the logic described in the minutes that the best time to address specifics would be if and when development occurs.  If the Uplands "leg" is deemed necessary at that time, it could still be incorporated by way of the City's planning and development approval process that includes considerable opportunity for public input and "mitigation".



Regards

Jim Routledge
250 616 2151

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