Last Fall, the City of Vancouver published a document called "West Point Grey Community Vision". It may be of interest to the residents of Little Australia as it has a number of points that are likely to impact our neighbourhood.
Some interesting points include:
• reduce lanes on 10th Avenue to one each way between Alma and Blanca (with left turning lanes)
• reduce speed limit to 40 km/h on 10th Avenue
• identify ‘village centre’ on 10th Avenue with street furniture, clock tower, planting/landscaping/public
art, etc. which can slow down traffic
• need larger left-turn lane and ‘advance green’ in all directions at 4th and Alma
• restrict cars to fewer lanes: use extra for buses, extended sidewalks, median refuge, bike lanes, and
more landscaping
• keep 4th and 10th as streets, not highways
• deflect car and truck traffic from 10th onto 16th
• narrow 16th Avenue between Crown and Blanca to encourage bikes and reduce cars
• provide English-style roundabout at 16th and Blanca
• provide traffic calming around Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Jules
Quesnel schools
• provide a light for crossing Blanca at 8th Avenue
• have a planted median, 2 lanes of traffic total, and Bikelanes on both east and west sides on Blanca
Street
• provide sidewalks or path on 4th Avenue to get to UEL trails
• build rowhouses on 16th Avenue locating increased density on an arterial route and next to UEL, creating
less impact on the neighbourhood
Provide Bike Parking and Racks
Bike parking and covered racks should be more readily available in WPG, particularly at Point Grey Village.
Reduce Speed Limit to 40 KM/H Speed Limit on Local Streets
The City should continue to encourage the province to move quickly to amend the Motor Vehicle Act to allow the City to reduce the speed limit on local streets to 40 km/h.
Improve Visibility at Intersections
Sufficient corner clearance at intersections should be provided to ensure clear visibility of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Reduce UBC Impacts on WPG
The City and the community should work closely with UBC and Translink to ensure that UBC growth doesn’t
negatively impact WPG. All participants should be strongly encouraged to address current issues of traffic
speed and volume along WPG arterials, and impacts related to the on-going residential, commercial, and
institutional development at UBC.
Provide Rapid Transit Service to UBC
As part of a longer-term solution, the City should work with Translink to extend dedicated rapid transit
service to UBC as a means to attract greater ridership and as a sustainable alternative to high-frequency
bus services.
Support a Community Policing Centre and Community Policing
A Community Policing Centre (CPC) serving WPG should be established and supported by the community.
Maintain Most Single Family Areas
In order to retain the basic character of WPG, most of the area that is now single family (with suites allowed)
should be kept that way.
• preserve open space, views, and character by maintaining existing density
• retain single family areas to address concerns that additional density leads to more crime, traffic, noise,
and pollution, and results in a loss in the general standard of living in WPG
Allow Full Basements in All Single Family Homes to Encourage Suites
New and renovated single family homes should be permitted to have full basements to encourage the development of more homes with a single rental suite.
Design Review for New Single Family Houses
The design of new single family houses should be improved by having new single family houses undergo design review.
Allow New Housing Near Shopping Areas
New housing types should be permitted near shopping areas in WPG, subject to detailed planning and impact
mitigation.
• provide mid-rise developments close to the ‘village’
• provide rowhouses and/or multiple family dwellings located within walking distance of shopping and
amenities on arterials
• allow mid-rises or low-rises only along commercial areas
• build duplexes close to shopping areas
• build rowhouses near shops
Housing Affordability (affordable housing) - Not Approved (Uncertain)
