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River Road to receive traffic calming measures in North Delta

The road will see three new bike lanes, two speed readers and four raised crosswalks
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River Road sees drivers going consistently above the speed limit. In 2013, the average speed was 44 km/h while in 2017 it was 74 km/h. (Grace Kennedy photo)

River Road is set to slow down after Delta council approved a traffic calming plan for the North Delta road on Monday, Aug. 14.

The measures will include raised crosswalks at Centre Street, Terrace Drive, Delwood Drive, Stegavik Court and 92a Avenue, as well as two speed reader boards and three bikes lanes. The plan originally included eliminating the right turn lane and extending the curb at 92a Ave., but this was not included in the final recommendations as 10 per cent of written responses were opposed to that measure.

The traffic calming measures come after a public consultation with River Road-area residents, which finished on July 10. Overall, 53 per cent of residents who responded were in favour of the traffic calming plan.

The consultation showed that majority of residents who lived on River Road were in support of the traffic calming (86 per cent), as well as those who were reliant on River Road to access their homes (69 per cent). Residents who had the option to use alternate roads to access their homes were divided: 48 per cent were in favour of traffic calming on River Road, while 52 per cent were opposed.

Just before the opening of the South Fraser Perimeter Road, the average speed on River Road was 44 km/h. In 2017, that speed was 74 km/h.

“I use this road all the time and believe me, nobody is going 50 (km/h). Nobody,” Mayor Lois Jackson said. “People pass when you’re going 50 on that very narrow, windy road.”

“It really needs some help,” she continued.

Director of Engineering Steven Lan suggested the increased speed on River Road could be attributed to the lack of truck traffic on the road, which before acted as a natural speed-controlling measure.

Counc. Heather King asked about potential traffic calming measures for River Road in Ladner, and Lan said staff will be bringing a report to council in the future on that area.