Nov
16
Although we understand that accessibility is a big topic, we are focusing on sidewalks. Depending on the feedback we receive, future articles may expand sidewalk concerns, or we may move on to other mobility accessibility issues such as public buildings, parks, and washrooms.
By Rita and Ted Button
The Pedestrian Master Plan can be found here (full PDF version). Completed in 2008 by Opus Hamilton Consultants of Vancouver, and adopted by the City, this plan has the goal of improving the pedestrian experience. It recommends that the plan be updated every five years. In a meeting with two employees of the City's Planning and Engineering Department, we discovered that the actual budget to implement the plan is about half of what was initially recommended. As a result, the five-year update cycle for the plan is closer to ten years. The plan also prioritizes where new sidewalks will be created and is an integral part of all new planning and development activity.
The main managing tool for the Pedestrian Master Plan appears to be the Sidewalk Priority Index (page ES-6), comprised of two components: Pedestrian Potential Index and Deficiency Index. These Indexes assign a score to each potential location for a new or extended sidewalk. The resulting score, based on eighteen evaluating criteria, assists the City in determining which blocks should have priority for new sidewalks. Examples of the evaluating criteria are the following: Is the sidewalk on a transit route? Is it near a school? Do repeated pedestrian-related collisions occur in this area? How often has the problem been reported? The full list that is used to prioritize the order in which sidewalk improvements will be scheduled is stated on pages 28-29.
The public are also invited to report sidewalk-related issues by using any of the following methods: call the City Hall switchboard and leave a message-available 24/7: the number is 250-385-5711; call Public Works at 250-361-0400; call Public Yards at 250-361-0600; or fill out the online Service Request Form on the city's website using this link:
After you've made the report, a City worker checks the problem, and identifies the area with a swipe of bright paint. Next, it's assessed and scheduled for maintenance according to its assigned priority and cost.
It's good to know that the city wants the pedestrian experience to be safe for all. The meeting we had with the two members of the city's Planning and Engineering Department answered some of the questions that resulted from the research such as the extent to which the goals of the Pedestrian Master Plan had been met. The Mayor reports on the progress in his annual Letter; however, he does not go into the nitty gritty detail of which streets were improved and which have yet to be modified. Recently, a new facility, VicMap http://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/community/maps.html has been made available on the city's website. This interactive map allows people to find bus stops, parks, streets, etc., and could, eventually, map out public projects and initiatives such as sidewalk enhancement and repairs. Detailed tracking of projects and their progress/completion could also occur here. What an excellent communication vehicle this could become!
From the meeting, we also discovered that part of the challenge in measuring progress emanates from the fact that many different budgets are accessed in the sidewalk improvements issue. For example, repairs such as that of fixing a lifted square comes out of the Public Works maintenance budget. The Planning and Engineering Department manages the Capital Planning Budget of approximately $300,000 annually-about half of what was recommended in the 2008 Plan is used for new or enhanced sidewalk plans. Both people we talked to emphasized the importance and value of public input, which is, therefore, invited at initial planning stages, as well as at visits, open houses and presentations at neighbourhood association meetings. Close attention is paid to these comments that often change an aspect of a project, since through feedback, new ideas emerge.
The Neighbourhood Transportation Plan, dating back to 1996, also has a budget that impacts the installation of new sidewalks-this budget is responsible for the latest smooth sidewalk transition at Simcoe and Oswego, across from the James Bay Elementary School. As well, any large building project will affect the accessibility of sidewalks since plans are discussed and approved by the various City Hall departments using the principles of the Pedestrian Plan whose tentacles permeate all city building projects.
At our meeting, we also learned that priorities sometimes get changed because of new projects-especially massive underground projects that often create economies of scale opportunities so that the work of placing hydro poles underground, for example, may occur as a byproduct of another initiative, creating a win-win situation for all.
Thus, measuring progress against original plans becomes murky, at times. On the other hand, as we left the meeting, we felt assured that accessibility, not only for those with mobility issues but also for other issues such as vision and hearing, is always an important, integral part of the decisions when approvals for new initiatives occur.
James Bay is a great place to live. It is easy to see that the City is a positive element in everyone's continued efforts toward improving the quality of life in Victoria for all!