Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Sidewalk/Bike Lane Project on Bowen Rd


The City of Nanaimo will be constructing a sidewalk and bike lane along the southwest side of Bowen Road between Pine Street and Buttertubs Drive. This project is currently out to tender and scheduled to begin in October and will take approximately ten weeks to complete.

Traffic control personel will be on site to ensure that traffic delays are minimized. Drivers are urged to use extra caution when driving through construction zones; be aware of on-site workers; obey posted construction signs; and follow the directions of traffic control personnel.

When complete there will be a raised asphalt sidewalk which will extend from Pine Street to Buttertubs Drive and will also include a dedicated bike lane for cyclists. This also means there will be a continuous sidewalk the full length of Bowen Road. This type of sidewalk on an existing road bed is the least expensive sidewalk to install.

During the construction commuters should either allow a bit more time or take an alternate route.

allvoices

5 comments:

  1. What's that odd looking piece of yellow cement in front of Karen Hovestad's expanded automotive business on the corner of Bowen and Howard Ave?

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  2. Less expensive, but likely not as safe, sidewalk pedestrian protector.

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  3. (submitted by Janet Irvine) - Excellent photo that you took, Jim. Following is the Project Overview from the City’s website ... Isn't there something missing here? No upgrade to the pedestrian crossing?!

    “Bowen Road is one of the busiest arterial roads in the City and carries more than 15,000 vehicles per day. With the Bowen Road Quarterway Bridge upgrade complete, the section of Bowen Road south of Buttertubs Drive and north of Pine Street is the only remaining section that does not have raised sidewalk. As indicated in the Transportation Master Plan major upgrades to this section of Bowen Road are expected in the long term (15-20 years). In the interim there is community support for improving pedestrian and cycling facilities. As well, an assessment of the Traffic Signal at the intersection of Bowen Road and Wakesiah Avenue has indicated that it is approaching the end of its service life and is in need of renewal.”

    More to come on this later!

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  4. (submitted by Janet Irvine) - Further to what I have previously written, it is good that your photo shows the crest of the hill on Bowen, just east of Howard. In January of this year, I happened upon another MVI at Bowen & Howard around 6:45 p.m. Doubt if the incident was publicized.

    The unsafe pedestrian crossing in the photo made the news in June 2012, when I wrote to the media and mayor/council (incl. photos). At that time, an elderly man on a scooter was hit by a vehicle at the crossing. For that effort, my correspondence was acknowledged by the admin assistant to mayor/council. *Full stop!*

    The story in the NDN on June13, 2012, advised that said manager’s department would review the intersection and expected review to wrap up by the end of June. Rather strange that I wasn’t contacted, during the city’s review, as I had much more to contribute about what occurs in the area of the Bowen and Howard pedestrian crossing on a daily basis. As the city knows, it is located directly across from an entrance and exit to one of the city’s busiest recreation complexes and Bowen Park. (Also, since city’s review of June 2012, a new business has been operating at the corner of Bowen/Howard and, of course, the very nature of the business has brought with it an additional very high volume of traffic.)

    On June 26, 2012, I wrote to the City’s Senior Manager of Engineering, mayor/council/directors, and brought to their attention that, regarding road safety, the City’s website advised that “Engineering Support Services has a dedicated traffic technologist who is responsible for assisting residents with their road safety complaints such as requests for stop signs, crosswalks, site visibility issues ....... “. The city eventually responded to the effect that something would be done in 2014 and here we are! Perhaps, the city may have overspent on all the extensive landscaping, including more trees/shrubs, new sports field on Bowen around the Buttertubs Drive area?

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  5. (submitted by Janet Irvine) - As neither the City’s News Release of September 18, 2014, nor the “Project Overview” on the City’s website, mentioned anything whatsoever, about upgrading the pedestrian crossing on Bowen at Howard Avenue, I called the City to enquire about it and was advised by Jamie Rose, Municipal Services Inspector, that said pedestrian crossing will be upgraded to include activated beacons.

    The City would be aware that those who cross Bowen at Howard, include citizens, who attend the Bowen Complex (Nanaimo Harbour City Seniors), so, in the interest of safety, hope that the long-overdue crossing upgrade is completed in a timely manner!

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