If you’ve travelled along Eighth Street near Moody Park this week, chances are good you’ve noticed some changes to the stretch of road in front of Century House.
The bus stop in front of Century House has been extended further into the roadway and a section of the road from Century House to Sixth Avenue is now separated from travel lanes by plastic posts.
“We have made interim changes to Eighth Street in coordination with the recent repaving work there,” said Mike Anderson, the city’s acting transportation manager. “In line with the city’s Bold Steps Toward Climate Action, we have reallocated some of the excess road space to provide more space for walking between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, as well as Century House. This had actually been a suggestion early during the pandemic, when we repurposed other road space around New Westminster for walking and cycling, but we held off on this location until the repaving was complete.”
Anderson said the city’s longer-term plan is to widen the sidewalk and possibly add trees, but that’s not possible within the current budget.
“One benefit of making interim changes is that we can adjust them relatively easily,” he said in an email to the Record. “We have already recognized that some of the plastic delineator posts need to be adjusted to provide more space for parking closer to Sixth Avenue. Once those adjustments are made, parking will be available but will be offset from the curb.”
Otherwise, said Anderson, the traffic lanes on Eighth Street remain as they were before the street was paved, although they are narrower.
“The bus stop in front of Century House has also been modified so the bus now stops in traffic,” he said. “This is a transit priority measure and makes the stop more accessible for transit users. We will continue to monitor and adjust the layout if necessary.”
In November 2019, city council adopted the Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action, which aims to guide the city towards reaching a zero-carbon future by 2050. The seven bold steps are: a carbon-free corporation; a car-light community; carbon-free homes and buildings; pollution-free vehicles; carbon-free energy; a robust urban forest; and a people-centred public realm.
“The city’s Bold Steps Toward Climate Action include reallocating a minimum of 10% of today’s street space that currently only serves motor vehicles (excluding transit) to sustainable transportation or public gathering by 2030,” Anderson said. “This will include both interim and permanent changes around the city, and this location is one example of this.”
