A busy road in Port Coquitlam that leads to Coquitlam's ever-growing residential development on Burke Mountain is poised for measures to slow commuters down.
On Wednesday, PoCo's transportation solutions and public works committee is due talk about plans to add $101,000 worth of traffic calming along Cedar Drive. They are:
• a raised crosswalk at the north end by Traboulay PoCo Trail;
• a sidewalk from Essex Avenue to Traboulay PoCo Trail;
• a chicane and curb bulge at Pinemount Avenue;
• and a chicane and curb bulge at Essex Avenue.
The proposed changes, of which area residents will be polled by letter this summer, come after several complaints about speeding cars and pedestrian/cyclist safety.
"Cedar Drive is one of the streets that comes up continuously," Kristen Meersman, PoCo's director of engineering and public works, told The Tri-City News today (Monday).
Besides the Traboulay PoCo Trail, which forms part of the Trans-Canada Trail, the established neighbourhood also has Sun Valley and Evergreen parks. It is close to schools (Cedar Drive, Minnekhada, Leigh) and the Hyde Creek recreation centre.
Meersman said the cost of the work is in this year's budget: $50,000 from the city's traffic calming program and $21,000 from its sidewalk program. The remaining $30,000 will come from ICBC's Road Improvement Program, including road markings and signs.
Design is expected to be carried out this year with construction likely starting in 2018, Meersman said.
Meanwhile, also at Wednesday's meeting, the committee is due to review new traffic calming guidelines for the city, as requested by Mayor Greg Moore and council last fall.
Currently, PoCo has a pilot project with ICBC for traffic calming on Nova Scotia Avenue. Another two programs are planned this year for Riverwood Gate, near Terry Fox secondary school, and for Apel Drive, between Coast Meridian Road and Victoria Drive.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com
