The City of Port Coquitlam will install a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) at the intersection of Pitt River Road and Harbour Street to improve pedestrian crossing safety until the intersection is completely rebuilt in the future. This project addresses a safety need for the community on a busy arterial road with confusing sightlines.
A pedestrian was hit by a car at the intersection of Pitt River Road and Harbour Street in fall 2023. Thankfully, in this instance the pedestrian escaped with only minor physical injuries. This crossing of Pitt River Road is connected to a network of local streets and cut-through pathways leading to schools and parks and is frequented by school-aged children. The area served is a mix of single-family and multi-family residential properties.
Traffic volume, speed, and its close proximity to a major intersection combine to make this intersection a concern for the City. A 2022 traffic count showed that this segment of Pitt River Road carries approximately 6300 vehicles per day and increasing annually. Speeding is also an issue with vehicles often travelling over 60km/hr. Safety at the Harbour Street crossing is further impacted by its proximity to the Mary Hill Bypass. Traffic traveling northbound on Pitt River Road can be carrying excess speed after exiting off the Bypass. Additionally, motorists traveling southbound on Pitt River Road can be focused on the signal at Mary Hill Bypass one block ahead and not paying attention to the pedestrian crossing at Harbour Street.
It is anticipated the intersection will be completely reconstructed with additional safety improvements in coming years with nearby development. These planned improvements include a dual RRFB, additional street lighting, and concrete work for curb bulges and pedestrian landings. Additionally, new sidewalks will be constructed on Harbour Street and Pitt River Road fronting the development that tie into the existing sidewalk network. However, the City would like to improve safety at this location now rather than waiting years for the intersection to be fully rebuilt.
Vision Zero grant funding will help the City install a solar-powered RRFB on the existing south crosswalk across Pitt River Road as an interim improvement until the full improvements can be constructed. The presence of the RRFB will help alert and re-focus drivers in both directions for pedestrians waiting to safety cross Pitt River Road. RRFBs have been shown to dramatically increase driver yield compliance for pedestrians, which not only reduces pedestrian injury risk but also encourages healthy physical activity and active transportation by improving pedestrians’ perception of safety when they are crossing streets where protective treatments such as RRFBs have been implemented.
Once the interim solar-powered RRFB has been de-commissioned and replaced by the ultimate hardwired RRFB, City crews will keep the solar RRFB units and deploy them at other similar locations where safety improvements are immediately needed but may be unfunded or also waiting on the development of off-site works. This will ensure that the Vision Zero grant funds can create a legacy of safety improvements that go beyond this initial project.
