James Bay aims to make streets safer, more flexible

Proposals geared to accommodate all-ages, all-abilities, all-modes use

A “shared streets” approach is being proposed for James Bay streets to make it safer and easier to get around.

The proposals, developed through the James Bay Neighbourhood Association, focus on the all-ages, all-abilities, all modes use of streets.

For example, in the commercial, five-corners area of James Bay, the shared streets concept could be patterned after Vancouver’s Granville Island or what has been tried on Victoria’s Broad Street — essentially softening curbs and using different road surfaces in an attempt to make the space safe, yet more flexible.

Plans are at an early, conceptual stage, said neighbourhood association president Marg Gardiner, but the idea has merit “because right now we have people with walkers and wheelchairs and they’re zig-zagging all over that area.”

Leaning heavily on an earlier study called Getting Around James Bay, three “solutions” are being put forward for public comment through an online survey:

• The Shared Solution proposed for the five corners area.

• The Complete Solution, which would designate routes for sidewalks, cycle lanes and vehicle roadways (with altered treatments for Superior, Oswego and Government streets).

• The Neighbourhood Solution, which calls for traffic calming in certain areas (particularly on those streets that see a lot of tourist traffic during cruise-ship season).

The neighbourhood association notes that as the oldest community on Vancouver Island, James Bay has narrow streets and even narrower sidewalks.

“We’re the most walkable community, in that most people walk, but we’re the most troubled with walking, in that our sidewalks do not encourage walking,” Gardiner said.

The situation is exacerbated by a growing number of seniors in the neighbourhood.

Dallas Road, Superior, Government and Oswego streets are all proposed for safe access for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and transit riders.

The neighbourhood association proposes that they be added to the city’s priority bicycle network and that protected bike lanes be built on Superior and on Government from Superior to Wharf Street (Dallas Road is already slated for a protected bike lane).

While Oswego Street and Government south of Michigan are probably too narrow for separated bike lanes, they could be a good fit for neighbourhood greenways — shared bicycle routes, the neighbourhood association says.

The survey can be found on the association’s website, jbna.org.