TRAFFIC – City seeks feedback on changes to 1st Avenue intersection
(Image: City of Kamloops)
The City’s Transportation Division is seeking public input on traffic flow improvements at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Lansdowne Street.
The proposed intersection improvements include the removal of the southbound left-turn lane onto Victoria Street from 1st Avenue and the creation of a second northbound left-turn lane from 1st Avenue onto Lansdowne Street to help increase capacity along the Lansdowne Street corridor.
During the afternoon peak hour, the northbound left turn movement onto Lansdowne Street exhibits a much higher traffic volume than the existing southbound left turn from 1st Avenue to Victoria Street, according to a City news release.
“By converting the existing southbound left-turn lane onto Victoria Street into a northbound left-turn lane onto Lansdowne Street, the added capacity will reduce delays at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Lansdowne Street.
“In addition, vehicle queueing is often observed beyond the intersection and into Lorne Street, Lansdowne Street, 1st Avenue, and Victoria Street, backing up through the crosswalk and other intersections upstream,” the release said.
“Performing the proposed improvements would reduce delays on Lansdowne Street by 30 per cent, making 1st Avenue more efficient by allowing the Lansdowne Street light to stay green for a longer period.”
From now until Jan. 26, residents are asked to complete the traffic flow survey and provide their opinions as to how traffic moves through the corridor. Following the survey, Council will decide whether to proceed with the proposed changes or keep the intersection as is.
If approved by Council, the intersection changes will be planned in coordination with the City Centre Sanitary Project scheduled to begin this spring.
While the recommended option being presented would retain existing signal timing, a series of future improvements are planned along the corridor that include:
- additional intersection signal timing improvements along Lansdowne Street
- upgrades to the Lansdowne Street/2nd Avenue rail interconnection
- vehicle detection to provide better efficiency
- potential adaptive signal technology that “learns” to optimize signals and react to varying traffic patterns
Funding for this project would be made possible through the existing Intersection Capacity Improvement capital program.
For more information on the proposal and to take the survey, visit LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/1stAve.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Why are they making changes to recent expensive changes? Measure once and cut five times?
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Two further comments.
It is kind of perplexing reading highly touted CoK traffic engineers seeking feedback from everyday’s commuters which are otherwise thought of as the great unwashed under any other circumstance. Didn’t they studied traffic patterns WELL BEFORE spending money (lots of it) as they did, and here is the second comment, when upgrading Second Avenue at Lansdowne and First Avenue at Victoria/Lansdowne?
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I hope some thought is given for priority access by emergency vehicles to the underpass at 1st Avenue. Why?
The upgraded CN crossing on Lorne Street is in use by several long coal trains each day. Those trains block access for emergency vehicles (KFR large trucks specifically) from the east. KFR fire trucks are too large and heavy to use the Red Bridge.
If the level crossings at 2nd and 3rd Avenues are blocked due to CP freight train(s), that leaves the ONLY access to and from the Sandman Centre and the large hotel as the underpass at 1st Avenue.
“Bottleneck Under the Bridge”
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The highest traffic priority should be to prepare for (including application for funds) for a bridge near the airport connecting to the TCH somewhere near the westward weight scale to divert traffic especially heavy commercial trucks from the downtown and the north shore.
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Generally … ya, I can see that having 2 left lanes from 1st Street northbound onto Lansdowne westbound to be a benefit for traffic going that way … but hang on a sec.
This in effect turns 1st Street between Lansdowne and Seymour into a one way northbound.
Allowing left turns again from Victoria onto 1st, would only clog up the Victoria benefit of this plan, as cars try to turn from Victoria westbound, right towards Lansdowne, would have to wait for cars on Victoria in front of them, trying to turn left up 1st Street there, as well as jam up the 1st Street northbound traffic flow with the same cars trying to turn left there.
So we have to assume that the left turn would not be allowed, which in turn means that 1st becomes a one way between Lansdowne and Seymour.
Soo … how does one get to City Hall Parking lot?
I assume this means tearing out the concrete blocking northbound turns into City Hall, which means people will be able to turn left up 1st Street from Victoria. The desired effect has a few consequences that are undesirable.
A complex bit of design, but I am personally all for increasing flow from Victoria onto Lansdowne … I do it all the time.
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