A RAMP video showing this past Friday’s effort to maneuver a standard delivery truck just on one block of the 10th Avenue bikeway to access the Rize development site is now online here:
Vancouver Transportation Policy: Where the Rubber hits the Road (video includes city staff comments and footage of truck maneuvering along 10th and Watson)
CTV new coverage:
Watson Street fails truck route test
On Friday afternoon at 1:30 PM Residents Association Mount Pleasant put the acid test to the route that City Engineering and Rize Alliance have decided will serve as a lane to receive large delivery trucks, historic Watson Street. To accomplish this they hired a semi trailer and professional driver. When he got to the location he appeared to be shocked. There was a lot of congestion with cyclists, pedestrians and other vehicles.
In making the turn from 10th Avenue onto Watson Street he had to stop half way then back up, his wheels then went onto the sidewalk and he barely cleared the building. All the time bikes were whizzing by and cars were piled up waiting.
Watson Street was very tight; it would have been a nightmare if he had encountered another truck from one of the proposed loading bays or cars from the 320 parking stalls in the design.
After a lengthy wait for traffic and pedestrians the truck was finally able to make the right turn onto Broadway. To complete the turn the driver had to use 3-1/2 lanes, crossing over the centre line into the oncoming centre lane.
An attempt to enter Watson Street from the other direction did not go any better, the truck ended up getting stuck and a tow truck had to be called to move a parked vehicle.
Conclusion: The proposed truck entry and exit routes both pose serious problems, not only for the trucks themselves, but for cars, pedestrians on Broadway and for cyclists on the 10th Avenue bike route. Add this to the long list of reasons this development should be rejected.
