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"Ocean Park opposition startles"

(Merchants concerned about impact on business)

By Tracy Holmes - Peace Arch News (with permission) as published: April 07, 2009.

Work to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety in Ocean Park has been delayed.

Surrey engineer Philip Bellefontaine confirmed last week he is going back to the drawing board after “quite a strong reaction” last month to designs for stretches of 16 Avenue and 128 Street.

Work including median installation, adding two crosswalks, building curb bulges and adjusting driveway access had been anticipated to get underway last month, Bellefontaine said. Now, it likely won’t start until after the summer.

More than two years has already been spent on the $150,000 project, prompted by concerns voiced by residents and merchants alike regarding pedestrian safety, speeding vehicles and driver inattention. While studies found the area is not one of the city’s traffic-incident hot spots, it is unique in terms of the volume of pedestrian traffic and the percentage of senior pedestrians.

Designs for improving the area were reached after extensive consultation with members of the area’s community and business associations. Those wrapped up last fall.

However, after hearing “occasional grumbles” about the project, Bellefontaine said he invited himself to last month’s Ocean Park Business Association meeting, and that’s when everything changed.

“I received, I think for the first time, quite a strong reaction against the proposal we were putting forward, and that was a little surprising,” Bellefontaine said. “The bottom line is we will need to have more discussion.” Bellefontaine said the main concern he heard was around the disruption medians would create to business access and egress.

OPBA president Sandy Smith agreed many people are worried about potential impact to their stores, particularly in looking at the impact medians installed along 24 Avenue east from 152 Street had. There, access to many businesses has been limited by the restrictions to traffic flow. “The business community is very afraid of the fact... if people perceive that it’s not that comfortable to shop here, they’re just going to go right by,” she said. “I sure didn’t want the 24 Avenue thing happening at all. It’s ugly, it’s not good for business.”

Smith said one suggestion for change given to Bellefontaine was the installation of flashing-light signage, like that near the entrance to Crescent Beach, to alert motorists that they are approaching a unique area and need to be mindful of their speed.
They’d also like more crosswalks, she said.

Bellefontaine couldn’t predict what the next proposal would look like, but said he is happy to revisit the plans. “We certainly don’t want to impose something that’s not welcome. I was given a clear sense of what the taste in the mouth was,” he said.

“We mustn’t lose sight of the fact the community wants us to do something, and we want to help.”

The OPBA meets at the Ocean Park Community Association Hall 1577- 128 Street. Light lunch is available for $6. We meet every 2nd Thursday of the Month @ 12:00PM. Interested in attending? or can't attend? please call OPBA Membership Chair, Anita Mirzaagha @ 604.376.3183 or-Mail @ Anita Mirzaagha. The Association is always interested in hearing from interested businesses please contact Anita with your ideas, questions and suggestions.