A staff update on potential traffic changes around Clarke Road and Barnet Highway during Evergreen Line construction did little to allay the concerns of Port Moody council members.
At Tuesday's meeting Neal Carley, the general manager of engineering and parks, went through all five options that had been considered by the Evergreen project team, including some that had been rejected early on.
"I wish we'd had all this information three weeks ago," said Coun. Diana Dilworth. "It probably would have meant a lot less anxiety."
Plans that were discussed earlier this month were criticized by both residents and council for being too unsafe.
A traffic light has since been added at Charles and St. Johns streets for southbound traffic, with a widened intersection to allow Seaview residents access to St. Johns.
Carley said the Evergreen Line project team has worked closely with staff in examining the options but, ultimately, the decision on traffic pattern changes rests with them.
Five factors were considered in examining each of the options - safety, mobility, reliability, constructability and cost.
Most of the options were discounted because they would cause traffic delays on nearby streets or because it would require travelling on grades considered too steep.
"The biggest issue for me is safety," said Coun. Bob Elliott. "And of all the options, Option 2 looks like the most viable."
Option 2 is the one initially presented to council, but at Tuesday's meeting Mayor Mike Clay remained unimpressed.
"What I know at Clarke and Charles streets is you have kids walking to and from school, going through a strangely configured three-way intersection where people are going to be not paying attention to pedestrians but freaking out about, 'What am I supposed to do?'
"I'm supposed to believe this makes for a safer intersection and I have an impossible time believing it."
A representative of the Evergreen project team said they made some 40 calls to residents to get feedback on the plans since the traffic light was added, and while most were happy she said there were still concerns about the left-turn out of Charles Street.
