With about 7,000 commuters using the stretch daily, Moray Street is said to be one of the busiest routes connecting Port Moody and Coquitlam.
It also happens to be one of a few north-south routes that bridge the two communities together, which causes an increase in traffic with its current posted speed limit of 30 km/h.
Now, following months of research, Port Moody is hoping local residents and businesses can share input, feedback and concerns by launching a road safety study set to help city staff come up with solutions to reduce congestion in the neighbourhood.
According to the study, some "traffic calming" measures have already been implemented along Moray Street, with its stretch between St. Johns Street and Brookmount Avenue being called into question.
However, despite flashing speed limit signs and new pavement paint to better indicate on-street parking and bike lanes, the city is hoping residents can help them make Moray even safer.
This includes:
- Possible reduced speeding
- Encourage sustainable methods of transportation (walking, rolling, cycling, etc.)
- Improving overall safety and accessibility
"While these measures have resulted in improvements, there is room to make further changes to improve safety for road users and community residents," the survey's post explains on Engage Port Moody — the city's main portal for public engagement and feedback.
"[Participants'] input will be included in a traffic calming study to help us design solutions for a pilot project to address traffic concerns on Moray Street."
In early February, Port Moody city council approved a staff recommendation for engineers and police to find ways to traffic calm congested commutes with city general manager Jeff Moi suggesting Moray Street as its first candidate for a study.
Moi added said the new procedure gave time for the city to update traffic calming policies initially developed in 2001 when traffic pressures weren’t as great or widespread.
“There’s been a lot of traffic calming initiatives since then,” he said, “but now we’re beginning to receive calming complaints and requests for places that have already been traffic calmed.”
The Moray Street traffic calming community survey is live between now and Aug. 8.
Interested participants are encouraged to map their feedback by pinning exact safety concerns on a Google Map, which is included in the Engage Port Moody posting, for more accurate findings.
If preferred, paper surveys are also available at city hall.
For more information, you can visit Engage Port Moody's website.
- with a file from Mario Bartel, Tri-City News
