Transportation Planning
Why do Transportation Planning?
Transportation is a major concern of residents and business people in New Westminster. Key issues include pedestrian safety at crossings, lack of facilities for cyclists, transit access and service, volume of regional truck and vehicle traffic, vehicular safety as well as air quality, noise and livability issues.
Transportation planning provides the framework required to coordinate the City’s transportation system and to ensure that mobility and access for pedestrians, cyclists and transit services are provided; that transportation demand management strategies aimed at reducing car dependency are developed. Transportation planning must also consider the requirements associated with the movement of goods and services, supporting emergency/disaster relief needs and addressing safety concerns for all modes.
Transportation Plans
The City’s current Long-Term Transportation Plan and the City’s New Westminster Bicycle Plan are now ten years old and require updating. This work, as part of a City Master Transportation Plan will be initiated in 2010 and will focus on principles of sustainability, social liveability, environmental stewardship and economic prosperity to address transportation, which is in keeping with the City’s Strategic Plan and the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP).
The development of the Transportation Plan will involve an in-depth review of the existing transportation system in New Westminster, and its role regionally. It will include consultation with stakeholders and members of the public to identify key issues facing the City. These issues will be used to direct the identification and evaluation of various improvement strategies for all modes of travel. Improvement strategies will then be refined through analysis and further public consultation to develop a final long-term transportation plan.
Relationship to the Official Community Plan
Transportation Plan recommendations are reflected within the City’s Official Community Plan , as transportation influences many aspects of a community's overall function and quality of life.
Other plans relevant to transportation include:
City of New Westminster Strategic Plan
Liveable City Strategy
New Westminster Parks & Recreation Master Plan 2008
Comprehensive Road Safety Plan 2007
The City of New Westminster Trail & Greenway Master Plan
Brunette Creek Neighbourhood Plan – Part C
Transportation Assessment for New Developments
Major development proposals may require the Developer to engage the services of a traffic engineering consultant for the preparation of a Transportation Impact Study of the proposed development.
If the Director of Engineering determines that a study is required, the Consultant will submit a proposed terms of reference for approval and may include all or some of the requirements in Section 7 of the Design Criteria of the Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw.
