Re: Traffic Safety on Riverside Drive

The Traffic Advisory Committee of the Seymour Valley Community Association is meeting regularly to discuss initiatives to address speeding and other safety concerns on Riverside Drive.

Current initiatives under review are:

Improved traffic speed and hazard signs
Use of the ICBC speed van to make resident aware of speed issues
Setting goals for average speed reductions by 2003

In our meetings we keep coming back to what the Committee members believe is the most dangerous intersection in our neighborhood, which is Riverside and Mount Seymour Parkway. This intersection has seen an inordinate number of crashes and in this regard I attach accident information obtained from ICBC.

The main hazard appears to be motorists who run orange and red lights, particularly in the westbound direction. Drivers descending the steep hill on Mount Seymour Parkway are reluctant to stop. The problem exists in the eastbound direction as well but the danger seems to be less as the cars are going uphill and do not have the speed of the downhill vehicles.

There is a red-light camera pointed in the eastbound direction but it would be more productive, in our opinion, if it was monitoring the westbound traffic.

The addition of flashing warning lights alerting motorists of an impending light change would be a huge step forward in improving traffic safety in our neighborhood. The Seymour Valley Community Association and the Traffic Advisory Committee recommend this change to the District of North Vancouver. We would appreciate your review of this matter.

Yours truly,

Ann Solheim Bill Maurer

Chair, Traffic Advisory Committee Chair, Seymour Valley Community Association