Second Avenue, bike lanes hot issues at Columbia St. meeting

NEWS — The Second Avenue shortcut and lack of bicycle lanes were top of mind tonight (Wednesday) as 60 people crowded elbow to elbow to look at the City’s plans for upgrading Columbia Street.

The City, anticipating a much smaller turnout, rented a tiny meeting room in the Sandman Inn to put up drawings showing the proposed changes.

The plan is to widen and upgrade the street between Third Avenue and Sixth Avenues, as well as adding medians, left-turn lanes and new traffic lights to make it safer. The intersection at Fourth Avenue and the lighted intersection at Third in front of Royal Inland Hospital have been a bone of contention for years.

Work would begin next year.

There was no obvious consensus on Second Avenue. Drivers coming down Columbia Street can turn left across uphill traffic to enter the West End rather than continuing to the Third Avenue intersection.

Some West Enders want it closed off because it’s frequently used as a shortcut by people heading downtown, and they say it creates unsafe speeding through the neighbourhood.

Others voiced the opposite opinion tonight, wanting it to remain open because it’s a handier access for West End residents than having to continue to Third and then backtrack into the neighbourhood.

“Why not put a left turn lane at Second Avenue?” asked one resident, adding the route may be annoying to some “but not to the people who live in the West End.”

Several people wondered why there are no bicycle lanes in the blueprints, and weren’t assuaged when told it’s because Columbia isn’t designated as a bike route in the City’s bicycle master plan due in part to lack of space.

“Why not include everybody — pedestrians, cyclists and cars?” insisted one resident.

Another said changes are needed to the bus stop at Third Avenue in front of Starbuck’s because it causes traffic to back up. Others were concerned about left-turn configurations and access to the area north of Columbia.

Development and engineering director Marvin Kwiatkowski said tonight’s open house was only the beginning of consultation. “We’re in the preliminary stage,” he said. “We’ll be going back with feedback to council.”

He said a timeline for receiving input hasn’t been set, but it will take several months.