The City of Richmond is making moves to address safety issues with one of the city’s most notorious roads.
The 8.5-kilometre stretch of River Road in northeast Richmond – between No. 6 Road and Westminster Highway – has long been considered as one of the most dangerous in Richmond, especially for cyclists.
Earlier this year, the Richmond News reported how, in the last, eastern-most mile of River Road alone, there have been four driving-related deaths in recent years, one for each year, from 2013 to 2016.
According to Richmond RCMP, there were 21 driving-related fatalities on Richmond’s roads, including that of cyclists and pedestrians, from 2013 to 2015.
Although several RCMP investigations into recent crashes have pointed to driver error and road conditions as probable causes — as opposed to road design — the City of Richmond is looking at introducing new signage and altering the yellow lines on the road in a bid to make the stretch safer.
After consulting with local residents and businesses, the city may also place a dozen speed bumps, widen the road and reduce the speed limit on that section of River Road, which took the life of a popular cyclist who died after a car plowed head-on into his group.
At last week’s city council public works and transportation committee meeting, Derek Williams, of the cycling group HUB, told councillors how speed is the number one issue on that stretch, which has a 50-km/h hour limit for cars and 30 for trucks.
“You say you’re going to look into speed bumps and widening? Williams said.
“That’s all good and I totally agree with it, but the number one thing we can do now is somehow slow the cars down.
“We can cope with the cars if they’re respectful of other users, but they couldn’t care less. The police can’t be there all the time to enforce speed limits.
“Many commuters drive that road and they seem to think it’s a free-for-all.”
Coun. Harold Steves asked city staff how quickly speed bumps could be installed after locals had been consulted.
“As soon as council approves this, we can contact residents and businesses straight away,” said the city’s transportation director, Victor Wei.
Wei said the lowering of speed limits in the area could also be explored while consulting with local residents and businesses, with a report coming back to council in September.
The report that went before committee last week indicated that 94 crashes happened on that stretch between 2011 and 2015.
New and more frequent “single file” signage will likely be installed as soon as possible in the area, along with changing double-yellow centre lines to dashed lines in certain areas where it’s safer for vehicles to overtake.
Tragic toll:
Nov. 6, 2016:
Cyclist Brad Dean dies and two more are serious injured after they are hit head-on by a car travelling east in the 23000-block of River Road, where it meets Westminster Highway.
Dec. 14, 2015:
A 47-year-old man dies after the car he was driving slams into the support pillars of a train trestle in the 20000-block of River Road.
Sept. 7, 2014:
A driver dies after his vehicle flips over in the 22100-block of River Road and lands upside down in the Fraser River.
July 17, 2013:
A vehicle carrying four occupants between the ages of 18 to 21 was travelling eastbound in the 22000-block of River Road when it collides with two power poles. The 18-year-old female driver dies.
