After once again being nearly struck by a driver making an illegal right-hand turn at the intersection of McBride and Columbia in New Westminster, I finally sat down and vented my spleen. Below is the letter sent to the City of New Westminster, the New Westminster Police Service and the editors of the New Westminster News Leader and the Royal City Record.

To:

• Jim Lowrie , Director of Engineering, City of New Westminster
• Councillor Jonathan X. Coté, Chair, Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, City of New Westminster
• Lorne Zapotichny, Chief Constable, New Westminster Police Service

I am a long-time New Westminster resident and commute by bike daily to work at SFU and back. My route home takes me partially along the Central Valley Greenway, including the stretch through Woodlands and along Columbia towards downtown.

After the CVG was opened last year several improvements were made to the intersection at McBride and Columbia, including a dedicated red-turn light from westbound Columbia onto McBride, no-right-on-red signage and crosswalk markings allowing cyclists to ride through the crosswalk.

Unfortunately, the first two measures have proven to do little to improve cyclist safety. Drivers routinely ignore the right-turn red light and no-right-on-red signage and continue to make illegal right turns against the light. Rarely do I have a commute where I am not narrowly struck by a driver making an illegal right turn (usually without stopping at all before whipping around the corner). I stopped one evening and counted over fifteen vehicles in a twenty minute span making illegal right turns.

The city has been aware of this matter for many months; it was discussed at the September 3, 2009 meeting of the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (item 4.1.c, page 3), at which city staff advised that a “User Compliance” study was underway. This matter again raised at the January committee meeting and I was dismayed to learn (third-hand as the minutes do not seem to be available online) that the staff recommendation to solve this issue was to remove the ability for cyclists to ride across the intersection. Indeed, the dashed crosswalk markings have been removed from the pavement and “cyclists must dismount” signs have been installed.

My question to the City of New Westminster is this: in what way does requiring cyclists to dismount make this intersection safer? Drivers continue to make illegal right turns at speed, regardless of whether a cyclist is walking or riding through the intersection. I have spoken to several pedestrians who have also narrowly avoided being struck by vehicles making illegal turns. I myself walked my bicycle through the intersection today and was nearly struck by a vehicle making an illegal right turn against the red light.

I propose that the City and the New Westminster Police Service take the following actions to make McBride and Columbia safer for westbound cyclists and pedestrians:

• Increase the amount of no-right-on-red signage and make it more visible. It was quite difficult to see the signs during the dark winter evenings.
• Consider a lighted no-right-turn sign, active when the right-turn light is red— similar to a no-left-turn sign that used to be installed for the rail crossing at Braid and Brunette.
• Change the solid red light to a red arrow.
• Reinstate the cyclist crosswalk privileges. This is, to my knowledge, the only intersection along the New Westminster portion of the CVG that requires cyclists to dismount.
• Police enforcement of the no-right-on-red signage and law.

It is only a matter of time before a cyclist or pedestrian is injured or killed by a driver making an illegal turn at this intersection.