Lower Sapperton Traffic Calming Plan

Project Update

January 2026

The City has completed a review of the lanes in the Lower Sapperton neighbourhood. As part of this work, traffic volume and vehicle speed data were collected and analyzed.

The lane between Fader Street and Garrett Street was found to have higher traffic volumes compared to other lanes in the area. As a result, the City is considering the addition of speed humps along this laneway to help manage vehicle speeds.

At this time, traffic volumes and speeds on other lanes in Lower Sapperton do not warrant additional traffic calming measures. These locations will continue to be monitored and reviewed as needed

Project Background

Over the past couple of years, these neighbourhood representatives have engaged directly with many community members on various potential traffic calming measures and reached strong consensus on a neighborhood plan. The City received the neighborhood's proposal and reviewed it in detail with a transportation consultant. The intent of the plan is to limit opportunities for hospital-related traffic to shortcut through the streets of Lower Sapperton.

As the current phase of hospital construction approaches completion, Fraser Health Authority (FHA) and its design-build contractor, EllisDon (ED), have begun work on the streets surrounding RCH, including Sherbrooke Street. This presents an opportunity to incorporate traffic calming measures into ED's ongoing work on Sherbrooke Street. Implementing these measures now will minimize disruption and help limit costs for the City while establishing new traffic patterns in line with the upcoming changes to hospital access.

Update: Project Changes

Following feedback from residents, we have modified the proposed changes. Rather than fully restricting access to the lanes, we will only restrict left turns from Sherbrooke Street into the lanes (to block eastbound traffic). Residents will still be able to turn right into the lanes from westbound Sherbrooke Street. This adjustment aims to discourage hospital-related traffic from using the lanes as a shortcut to Highway 1, while maintaining local access and allowing for waste pickup.

While these changes may not be as effective as the original design in fully preventing short-cutting, we believe they strike a balance between reducing through-traffic and preserving neighborhood accessibility.

After completion of the project, we will monitor traffic flow and assess if further restrictions are needed.

Image

Key Changes

The following changes were originally proposed:

• Access to Kelly Street from Sherbrooke Street will be prohibited for all traffic except bicycles and other small mobility devices. Access to the 400 block of Kelly Street will be from Major Street only, with cars parked facing southbound on both sides of the street. Traffic can exit out to Sherbrooke Street.
• Access to Fader Street from Sherbrooke Street will be prohibited for all traffic except bicycles and other small mobility devices. Access to the 400 block of Fader Street will be from Major Street only, with cars parked facing southbound on both sides of the street. Traffic can exit out to Sherbrooke Street.
• Left turns on to and off of Garrett Street will be prohibited at Sherbrooke Street. A median will be installed on Sherbrooke Street to reinforce this restriction.
• Left turns on to and off of Wilson Street will be prohibited at Sherbrooke Street. A median will be installed on Sherbrooke Street to reinforce this restriction, similar to what was in place several years ago.
• Access to all lanes between Kelly Street and Rousseau Street will be prohibited from Sherbrooke Street except for authorized vehicles (specifically City waste collection vehicles). This restriction will be posted on new signs at Sherbrooke Street. Drivers will be able to leave their garages/parking in either direction, but must enter the lanes via Major Street. Waste collection will remain as it is today.