Project Status
July 7, 2023
Traffic calming measures have been completed on Glassford Road with the implementation of four speed humps, 30 km/h speed limit and ‘Local Traffic Only’ signage, and bike symbols painted on the road. The barricades have also been removed.
April 18, 2023
At the Council Meeting on April 18, 2023, the Director of Infrastructure presented the Glassford Road Active Transportation Design Options. Staff made the recommendation was to advance design Option B – Glassford Road Reopening. This motion was carried by Council.
The primary design element with Option B includes:
- The removal of the temporary barricade on Glassford Road to permanently re-open the road to through traffic.
- The active transportation design treatments consist of the mid-lane painted shared-use bicycle symbols.
- Four speed humps on Glassford.
- A posted 30 km/h speed limit and ‘Local Traffic Only’ signage.
The estimated cost to complete Option B is $50,000.
The presentation can be seen on Town of Gibsons – Council Meeting – April 18, 2023 (6pm) – YouTube at minute 28:09.
Related documents:
- 2023-04-18 Staff Report – Glassford Road Active Transportation Design Options
- 2023-03-20 Gibsons Cyclist and Pedestrian Upgrades – Glassford Pathway (Closure Option) (Attachment A )
- 2023-03-20 Gibsons Cyclist and Pedestrian Upgrades – Glassford Pathway (Non-Closure Option) (Attachment B)
- 2023-04-02 Glassford Engagement Memo_R2 (Attachment C)
Project History
February 28, 2023
A Glassford Road Community Engagement Session was held at the Gibsons Public Market on February 28th, 2023.
Urban Systems and the Town of Gibsons presented two designs based on previous community feedback. Community members were asked to provide their thoughts on the current designs through an online survey which was open until March 14th, 2023. Results are being compiled and will be analyzed to help inform the next steps.
November 29, 2022
On Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 3pm a Special Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting was held in Town Hall Council Chambers regarding preliminary draft road improvements on Glassford Road, Blain Lane, and Dogwood Road.
At this meeting, staff presented a report to Council, which included:
- a summary of feedback received at the September 27, 2022, Active Transportation Community Workshop (facilitated by Urban Systems), and
- a preliminary draft of proposed improvements to Glassford Road, Blain Lane, and Dogwood Road (based on the community feedback received at the Active Transportation Community Workshop).
On September 27, 2022, Urban Systems, the consultancy group that is working with the Town to implement various aspects of its Active Transportation Network Upgrades, led an online community engagement session to collect feedback on proposed traffic calming and active transportation changes on Gower Point Road (near Dougall Park) and on Glassford Road. The session was well attended and valuable input was gathered from local residents.
Next steps for the project include preparing a summary report for Council and the community on the comments received, and providing recommendations to Council based on that feedback.
We will continue to provide updates here as the project progresses.
View hard copy of Community Workshop Presentation here.
View recording of Community Presentation here.
In July 2020, a petition was presented to Council asking that traffic-calming measures be considered for Glassford Road, which is home to many families with small children.
In order to reduce speed and to make the road safer for all users, a closure of the south end of Glassford Road, where it meets Gower Point Road near Franklin Road, was proposed.
In June 2021, two online community meetings and a dedicated survey were conducted to receive feedback on a proposed trial closure of Glassford Road at Gower Point Road. A total of 126 people completed the survey, with a majority (68%) of those who live on Glassford Road saying they were in favour of a trial closure.
Accordingly, on July 20 2021, Council passed a resolution to implement a six-month trial closure of Glassford Road at Gower Point Road. Read the related Staff Report:07-20-2021 here.
After that, and depending on the findings and related costs, additional traffic calming measures (such as a reduced speed limit and the introduction of physical measures such a speed cushions) may be implemented.
On January 11, 2022, Dave Newman, Director of Infrastructure Services provided a verbal report to Council on the Glassford Road trial closure. According to traffic counts conducted in December 2021:
- Traffic on Glassford Road fell by 66% (as compared to counts conducted prior to the closure)
- Traffic on Gower Point Road increased by 17%
- Traffic on Dogwood increased by 100%
- Traffic on Blain Lane increased by 725% (from about 8 vehicles/day to 66 vehicles/day).
The increase on Blain Lane triggered its temporary closure in December 2021, as it is a short gravel laneway that is not built for large amounts of traffic.
Read the January 2022 memo from Urban Systems re: 3 trial closure traffic counts here.
On March 3, 2022, a letter was sent to neighbourhood residents requesting that they complete a brief survey re: their experience with the trial closure of Glassford Road. The survey closed on March 14, 2022 and the preliminary survey results will be presented to the Committee of the Whole on March 15, 2022.
Read the March 2022 Letter to Residents re: Glassford Road Traffic Calming here.
On March 15, 2022, the Director of Infrastructure Services presented the results of the second Glassford Road neighbourhood survey to the Committee of the Whole.
Following the Director of Infrastructure’s report to Committee, the discussion about next steps re: the road closure was deferred until April 19, 2022. At that time, the Director will present alternatives options and associated costs for achieving traffic calming on Glassford Road.
Read the 03-15-2022 Staff Report here.
Read the March 2022 Glassford Road Survey results here.
In summary, the trial closure of Glassford Road achieved the desired outcomes:
- An 85% reduction in speeding on Glassford Road;
- A 64% reduction in the volume of cars using Glassford Road as a shortcut;
- A combined 56% reduction in vehicles exceeding the speed limit on Gower Point Road and Glassford Road.
Survey respondents who lived on Glassford Road were 74% in favour of a continued closure of Glassford Road. About 60% of residents living on roads intersecting Glassford Road, and 94% of residents living on Gower Point Road between Franklin Road and Dogwood were not in favour of a continued closure.
On April 20, 2022, the Interim Chief Administrative Officer reported to the Committee of the Whole that he had been working with a third-party consultant on potential traffic-calming measures for Glassford Road and that the Director of Planning & Development will now be brought into those discussions.
Council requested that an in-person, on-the-street meeting be held with local residents to further identify traffic-calming measures that might satisfy the neighbourhood.
On May 17, 2022, a recommendation to re-open Glassford Road was made at the Committee of the Whole Meeting. It was also recommended that the speed limit on the road be lowered to 30 km/hr and that temporary road narrowing measures be put into place while more permanent traffic calming measures are considered. The recommendations need to be endorsed by Council at the June 7th Council meeting before action is taken.
Read the related 05-17-2022 Staff Report here.
On June 7, 2022, following a presentation by a neighbourhood youth delegation, Council resolved that Glassford Road remain closed, but that the barricades be relocated from the top of Glassford (at Gower Point Road) to north of Blain Lane (as indicated by the red bar, right). Additionally, the speed limit on surrounding roads were lowered to 30km/hr.
The closure of that section of Glassford Road reflected the needs of the local residents, which include approximately 30 children who use the space as a play area. The changes also enabled cyclists to travel more safely through Lower Gibsons.
At the same meeting, the Town committed to consulting with the community on the development of a long-term Active Transportation Plan, which will include a review of traffic-calming measures on Glassford Road and Gower Point Road.
Community Engagement
Feedback on the traffic-calming proposals has been collected in several ways, including through an online meeting, held Monday, June 7th (view video recording of that meeting here), an online public information meeting held Monday, June 21st (view video recording of that meeting here) and an online survey, which closed on June 29th, 2021.
2021-07-12 Glassford Road Traffic Calming Survey Results
A second neighbourhood survey was conducted from March 2 to March 14, 2022. Preliminary survey results were presented to the Committee of the Whole on March 15, 2022.
On September 27, 2022, Urban Systems, the consultancy group that is working with the Town to implement various aspects of its Active Transportation Network Upgrades, led an online community engagement session to collect feedback on proposed traffic calming and active transportation changes on Gower Point Road (near Dougall Park) and on Glassford Road. The session was well attended and valuable input was gathered from local residents.
Additional Resources
Traffic Calming Master Plan FINAL Dec 11 2007
Speed Data – ALL – Pre Closure July 2021
Speed Data – All – Post Closure August 2021
Speed Data ALL December 2021
