A list of Chilliwack’s most frustrating and even dangerous stretches of road is included in the City of Chilliwack’s latest transportation document.
The final draft of their 2018 update was released on April 18, and lists the top three busiest stretches, a breakdown of Promontory traffic, and a list of the areas with the most ICBC claims.
It also notes areas that cause traffic chaos, such as Vedder from Keith Wilson to Thomas. About 20,000 trips a day are made along that route, which is serviced by just two directional lanes. It also notes that by the end of 2019 that stretch will have an additional two lanes, at a cost of $7 million.
The top three busiest stretches were found by way of traffic counters — those heavy cables that are placed across the roads at times.
They are Yale Road, from the highway to Hocking, which sees more than 37,000 trips per day. Following that is the Evans Road overpass, south of the roundabout, which sees about 32,000 trips per day. Third highest is Vedder Road, along the stretch from Spruce/Britton to Stevenson, clocking in at 28,000 trips per day.
While the Yale Road stretch has grown slightly since 2011, from 33,601 trips per day, Evans south has grown in traffic volume by 10,000 trips a day in the same time frame. The Evans connector was opened in October, 2009.
A total of 24,551 trips are made each day, either entering or leaving Promontory via Promontory, Prest or Thornton.
Not surprisingly, some of the heaviest corridors also were recorded as the highest for ICBC claims. Vedder and Luckakuck saw 57 claims in 2017, according to ICBC information. Vedder and Promontory/Watson was second with 51 claims. The remaining top five had similar numbers: Yale and Hocking with 27, Vedder and Knight with 26, and the Evans Roundabout with 25 claims.
A full list of the traffic counts, with some areas dating back to 1992, is available on the City of Chilliwack website. The final draft of the Transportation Plan is also now available online, including a traffic calming policy.
Traffic calming devices are not currently being added to Chilliwack city streets, but the draft plan suggests they should be considered in the future. Those include speed bumps, speed humps, traffic circles, speed tables, raised intersections, raised crosswalks, and more.
Additionally, a pedestrian plan includes an update to the 25 highest-ranking priority sidewalk and crosswalk projects for implementation over the next five years. This included recommendation to improve pedestrian crossings with the installation of rapid flashing beacons.