Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Township Council and In the News

Several things that I can finally get to after a very busy morning....

Township Councillor Charlie Fox has researched the problems on 16th Avenue and provided South Fraser OnTrax with a copy of his Notice of Motion to help solve this problem. It was presented at the July 21st meeting of TOL council. The Notice of Motion reads:

"Whereas south Langley residents continue to express concerns regarding the safety, speed of traffic, and driving habits along the 16th Avenue corridor, and

Whereas 16th Avenue is an important east-west corridor for traffic movement south of the Fraser, and

Whereas concerns have been expressed regarding the use of roundabouts and other plans for 16th Avenue,

Therefore be it resolved that the 16th Avenue corridor be upgraded to include coordinated traffic signals at 200th, 208th, 216th, 224th, 232nd, 240th, 248th, 256th, 264th and 272nd Streets, and

Be it further resolved that these lights be connected using "Green Wave" technology, including synchronization to ensure that motorists travelling at a safe and appropriate (70km) speed would move smoothly through the corridor, and

Be it further resolved that this Green Wave be advertised properly, including signage along 16th Ave., and

Be it further resolved that left-turn bays along 16th Avenue be added at appropriate intersections, and that north-south lights be traffic-activated within the parameters of the Green Wave, and

Be it further resolved that the monies in the 2008 Budget for the traffic circle at 216th and 16th Ave. be used to commence phase 1 implementation of this initiative immediately and that the remaining monies necessary to complete the project be budgeted for completion in the 2009 budget cycle.

Be it further resolved that the Township write the Cities of Surrey and Abbotsford, inviting them to upgrade 16th Avenue in their jurisdictions to join the Township Green Wave."

Township Councillor Kim Richter presented an interesting Notice of Motion at the July 21st council meeting as well. The motion calls for developers of new multifamily housing units to provide electrical receptacles for the charging of electric cars. SFOT has requested a copy of this NOM from Councillor Richter and staff and will publish the text as soon as we receive it.

We think this is a great idea that should be considered for our community. You can find more information on public charging here. You can also download a detailed manual on the charging technology available and some costs for both single-family and multi-family structures (dated 1999) in our documents archive.

BC Transporation Minister Kevin Falcon says that he is having discussions with the new TransLink Board of Directors to implement "innovative ways" to pay for the cost of transit. South Fraser OnTrax welcomes any innovation that will allow transit to operate, but more importantly, to expand in our region. We look forward to seeing these new funding initiatives announced soon.


Strange Train Accident: Last night a man was struck by an AMTRAK passenger train at Crescent Beach. Them man was seen on the tracks by an AMTRAK engineer who blew the air horns to warn him. Apparently the guy didn't respond to the horn and failed to get off the tracks.

People need to really be aware of rail safety and the need to stay off the railroad tracks. The tracks ans surrounding area are a right-of-way (in this case owned by BNSF), and the railway can arrest trespassers. Here's some stats on rail accidents and what we can do to prevent them.

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