SAFER CYCLING OAK BAY

To date, over 3,046 residents have signed the combined online and paper petition.

View 2,701 signatures on the paper petition

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SUPPORT WALKING, CYCLING AND TRAFFIC CALMING

ON NORTH HENDERSON ROAD!

WE ARE CURRENTLY UPDATING AND REVISING THE WEBSITE. PLEASE RETURN THIS FALL FOR MORE INFORMATION.

For over a decade, local residents, cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users have requested that Oak Bay municipality plan for the remediation of north Henderson Road, that section of the arterial corridor that links the main entrances of Camosun College and the University of Victoria with downtown and other large recreational and sports institutions. Henderson Road residents signed a petition in 2002 calling for traffic calming and cycle lanes. View the 2002 petition. In 2007, the North Henderson Residents Association endorsed Henderson cycle lanes at a meeting with UVic. View meeting minutes, February 2007.

The road carries over 3 million vehicle trips each year, with 80% of the traffic exceeding the speed limit. Residents on the road have long argued for more speed enforcement and traffic calming measures. It is also the busiest cycle commuting traffic corridor in Greater Victoria, with up to 300,000 cycle trips per year sharing the road with vehicles. The Capital Regional District reports that 35% of all regional cycling trips are around the two campuses, while 60% of all cycle traffic originating from downtown terminates at the two campuses. The CRD also reports a 43% increase in cycling trips around the region between 2001 – 2006, and that 80% of all CRD cycling trips are in Oak Bay, Victoria and Saanich!

Compounding the problems for pedestrians, this road has substandard narrow sidewalks without proper curbs. They are well below the Transportation Association of Canada’s (TAC) and Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) minimum standard for an arterial road.

View the Safer Cycling Oak Bay design for north Henderson. Similar streetscape improvements undertaken by neighbouring municipalities (Victoria and Saanich) end abruptly at the Oak Bay municipal border.

When the final phase of Victoria’s Fort Street upgrade is finished, the project to increase safety for all travelers along the corridor and connect downtown with the College and University will be complete – insofar as Victoria’s municipal jurisdiction is concerned. North Henderson Road (Oak Bay) will then be the only incomplete part of this project.

It’s time for Oak Bay to make much-needed pedestrian and cycling infrastructure improvements in our community and work in partnership with neighbouring municipalities in Greater Victoria.

If Oak Bay is committed to greenhouse gas reductions, ensuring the safety of road users, and promoting vibrant communities with healthy lifestyles, then measures to enable transportation options must be addressed.

UPDATE: At the

meeting of the Oak Bay Committee of the Whole, Mayor Chris Causton presented his “Made in Oak Bay” plan for Henderson Road. View the Project Plan and the Cross Section prepared by the municipal engineer. The Mayor’s plan includes cycle lanes on both sides of Henderson and three traffic islands. Vehicle parking will be permitted in the cycle lanes from 7 pm – 7 am Monday to Friday, and 24 hours Saturday and Sunday.

The plan, approved by all Councilors at the meeting, was estimated at $65,000. It was further approved at the meeting that Oak Bay will apply to the Province of British Columbia for grant funding towards the project, and that an amount of $65,000 be set aside in the Municipal 2008 budget for the project. Read Safer Cycling Oak Bay’s Analysis of the Mayor’s plan.

On July 23, 2007, Oak Bay Council met to consider the motion approved by the Committee of the Whole (July 16) to add cycling lanes on north Henderson Road. With all 7 council members present on the 23rd, the motion was defeated 4 to 3.

How they voted:

IN FAVOUR OF CYCLING LANES:

Mayor Chris Causton mayor@oakbaybc.org

Councilor Pam Copley pcopley@telus.net

Councilor Nils Jensen. nils.jensen@shaw.ca

Mayor Chris Causton, Councilors Pam Copley and Nils Jensen all provided clear, convincing and unequivocal support for cycling lanes. Let them know you appreciate their support.

OPPOSED TO CYCLING LANES:

Councilor Hazel Braithwaite hazel.braithwaite@coastcapitalsavings.com

Councilor Frank Carson sfbc@coxtaylor.bc.ca

Councilor Allan Cassidy info@allancassidy.com

Councilor John Herbert jherbert@telus.net

For those who couldn't attend the July 16 or 23rd sessions, and are unaware of the comments and rationales given by the dissenting councilors, we briefly summerize their main points below.

Hazel Braithwaite.

On July 16, Councilor Braithwaite stated that she opposes the cycle lanes because bicyclists don’t pay taxes for roads. (Note: municipal roads are funded through property taxes, which we all pay.) Councilor Braithwaite also stated (July 23rd) that cycle lanes shouldn't be put on Henderson because Ring Road (the UVic campus internal circular road) doesn't have them.

John Herbert

Councilor Herbert attended on July 16 and the 23rd. On the 23rd, he read from a prepared speech. His main points were that there have been no accidents on the road and therefore there is no safety issue on the road. Despite several letters written to Council detailing cycling accidents. Despite a letter dated March 10, 2006 from the Oak Bay Police Dept. to SCOB detailing 10 accidents over two years. Despite the Oak Bay Police Dept. letter to Councilor Herbert on February 6, 2007 detailing 15 traffic accidents in the past 3 years: 5 accidents with non-fatal injury, 7 accidents with damage over $1,000, 3 accidents with damage under $1,000. (Note: On Sept. 4, and again on Sept. 26, two accidents occurred wherein motorists struck cyclists on the road. In both cases the cyclists were taken by ambulance to hospital with injuries. The Sept. 4 accident resulted in a month’s hospitalization for a retired medical doctor; the Sept. 26 accident resulted in a concussion for a regular downtown commuter.)

Councilor Herbert also said (July 16) that it was most important for road residents to have their bridge-game guests park directly in front of their home, not ½ block away, or in a nearby parking bay. View north Henderson driveways. Furthermore, Councilor Herbert stated he had asked the municipal engineer if the road was wide enough for parking on one side only, plus two cycle lanes and two vehicle lanes (Note: this would provide approx. 40 parking spaces). The municipal engineer confirmed that the majority of the road was wide enough. Councilor Herbert still opposes cycle lanes.

Councilor Herbert stated he must balance the desires of the cycling clubs against the property-owning residents of Oak Bay and their property rights. (Note: property lines end at the municipally-owned boulevard. And on north Henderson Road, the municipal boulevard occupies 5 metres between the sidewalk and private properties on both sides of the street).

Frank Carson

Councilor Carson was absent from the July 16 meeting. On July 23rd meeting, he read from a prepared speech, saying mainly that he had not read any facts or documentation that would persuade him to support bicycle lanes.

(Note: All council members have been presented with reports, studies, surveys and documentation by the following entities:

· Transportation Association of Canada

· Institute of Transportation Engineers

· Capital Regional District

· Oak Bay Engineering Dept.

· Oak Bay Police Dept.

· Statistics Canada

· University of Victoria

· Insurance Corporation of British Columbia

· Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Province of British Columbia

· Municipality of Saanich

· British Columbia Transit Commission

· City of Victoria

· Safer Cycling Oak Bay

· Capital Bike and Walk Society

· Queens University, Kingston, Ontario

· Centre for Transport Studies, Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London, England

· U. S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

· New York City Department of Transportation

· Rutgers University – Bloustein School, New Brunswick, New Jersey

· West Coast Environmental Law)

Allan Cassidy

Councillor Cassidy was absent from the July 16 meeting. On July 23rd, he expressed concern about the optics of the municipality nixing cycling lanes. Nevertheless, he opposed the motion to install the lanes. Councilor Cassidy felt that more consultation was necessary. Other councilors reminded him that he chaired the transportation committee that quashed cycle lanes in 2003.

The four councilors above also mentioned the many phone calls, emails, and letters they had received.

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In early August, we wrote to Councilors Braithwaite, Cassidy, Carson and Herbert on their decisions. We hoped to meet with each of them for fuller discussions, to better understand their views and give them the opportunity to clarify their comments. Read the letters. No responses have been received to date.

Write to Oak Bay Council, Corporation of the District of Oak Bay, 2167 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8R 1G2, or email obcouncil@oakbay.ca or the addresses above and support this initiative. See a sample letter.

Support walking, cycling and traffic calming on north Henderson Road!

Thank you for your support and commitment to this project!

SIGN THE PETITION!

Related Links	Patronize these community-minded bicycle shops
Capital Bike and Walk Society	Oak Bay Bicycles
Green Gatherings Oak Bay	North Park Bike Shop
Common Energy	Fairfield Bicycle Shop
Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition