3745 replies to this topic

[lanforod]

^ that was a year ago. So Victoria needs to get with the times and start using that glass bead paint!

[DustMagnet]

So I was at Costco yesterday afternoon with everyone else on the south island and upon leaving I figured I'd try out the new double left turn from Millstream to the TCH southbound.

 

I suppose it has to do with starting at a baseline and making adjustments over time but it's always an initial disappointment when they add extra turn lanes and reduce the light timing such that the traffic flow doesn't benefit.

[Nparker]

...I figured I'd try out the new double left turn from Millstream to the TCH southbound...but it's always an initial disappointment when they add extra turn lanes and reduce the light timing such that the traffic flow doesn't benefit.

And it always will be a disappointment. This is what happens when you cheap-ass and don't build a full cloverleaf in a location that was destined to see massive traffic growth.

[On the Level]

Part of the mess with that overpass was caused by not having synchronized traffic lights.  Have they at least timed the lights correctly now that they have added the extra lane?   

[LJ]

Part of the mess with that overpass was caused by not having synchronized traffic lights.  Have they at least timed the lights correctly now that they have added the extra lane?   

No the problem is because the lights are synchronized that the problem exists. I was in a lineup there a few days ago and you get fewer cars through on each green than you did before with only one lane. I called the engineering dept. to have a chat about it. Some of the synchronized lights have higher priority than others. If one of them gets tripped in the middle of a sequence the left turn light may turn red very quickly to re-sync the lights. Also before it was a left turn permitted light, you could make the left turn after the green arrow giving way to oncoming traffic, now you can't. The city is aware of the problem and has already made some changes and will continue to monitor it. They welcome calls to advise of a problem especially if you can note the time of day etc.

[DustMagnet]

Hey, what happened to the roundabout at Six Mile and Atkins?  (Necro'ed from first post in this thread - I wasn't here then.)

 

The conditions described 12 years ago haven't changed...  Did the sweet casino money dry up?

[Cats4Hire]

Interurban right infront of Camosun is single lane right now. I think workers for the nursing building are just storing their equipment and the vehicles on the road instead of actual road work though.  

[Citified.ca]

Congested traffic on a southern Vancouver Island thoroughfare. Data from the Capital Regional District shows vehicular travel to and from downtown Victoria is on the decline despite rising congestion and gridlocked streets in the city centre.
 
Despite rising congestion and gridlock, fewer cars are entering downtown Victoria: CRD
https://victoria.cit...n-victoria-crd/

[DustMagnet]

Despite-rising-congestion-and-gridlock,-fewer-cars-are-entering-downtown-Victoria-CRD.jpg
Congested traffic on a southern Vancouver Island thoroughfare. Data from the Capital Regional District shows vehicular travel to and from downtown Victoria is on the decline despite rising congestion and gridlocked streets in the city centre.
 
Despite rising congestion and gridlock, fewer cars are entering downtown Victoria: CRD
https://victoria.cit...n-victoria-crd/

Despite, or due to?  According to the article that's the plan.

Edited by sebberry, 10 June 2018 - 05:01 PM.
Removed giant paperclip.

[Mike K.]

Despite.

Congestion is rising so it must mean more cars are causing that congestion, right? The mayor even said so herself. Except ...there are fewer cars on downtown streets than a decade ago.

[Coreyburger]

Despite.

Congestion is rising so it must mean more cars are causing that congestion, right? The mayor even said so herself. Except ...there are fewer cars on downtown streets than a decade ago.

 

Is congestion rising downtown? I hear a lot of anecdotes, but that isn't data. AFAIK, nobody has done travel time studies in Victoria at all, so there isn't any data to prove (or disprove) the point.

[Brantastic]

Is congestion rising downtown? I hear a lot of anecdotes, but that isn't data. AFAIK, nobody has done travel time studies in Victoria at all, so there isn't any data to prove (or disprove) the point.

I was wondering that too. I've experienced congestion downtown a few times, but the real choke points are further north. McKenzie, Admirals, Craigflower, Tillicum, Gorge, Burnside, Wilkinson, etc.

Also, how is a waning supply of parking adding to the congestion? If you mean people are circling around the block several times to find a spot, wouldn't that factor into the traffic counts by double or triple counting that car as they circle around?

[RFS]

Having driven Bay St from Vic West to Cook St on a daily basis for approx. 5 years I can say with total certainty it has become FAR more congested 

[Coreyburger]

Having driven Bay St from Vic West to Cook St on a daily basis for approx. 5 years I can say with total certainty it has become FAR more congested 

 

That's not downtown Victoria though. And that area isn't covered by the Citified article (which only looked at entrances to downtown)

[Brantastic]

Having driven Bay St from Vic West to Cook St on a daily basis for approx. 5 years I can say with total certainty it has become FAR more congested 

Using the same Fall 2007 to Fall 2017 comparison used in the article, traffic numbers are down on Bay Street too, based on CRD data. What specifically could have caused increased congestion on Bay Street then? Have there been traffic calming measures of some sort there?

[Coreyburger]

Using the same Fall 2007 to Fall 2017 comparison used in the article, traffic numbers are down on Bay Street too, based on CRD data. What specifically could have caused increased congestion on Bay Street then? Have there been traffic calming measures of some sort there?

 

Are all day numbers down or peak numbers down? You can easily have both a decrease in all day and an increase in peak numbers.

[RFS]

Using the same Fall 2007 to Fall 2017 comparison used in the article, traffic numbers are down on Bay Street too, based on CRD data. What specifically could have caused increased congestion on Bay Street then? Have there been traffic calming measures of some sort there?

 

They only have data for Tyee, Blanshard, and cook.  The real congestion is tyee to government.  That stretch is bumper to bumper throughout the day.  Their numbers for Tyee are virtually unchanged since 2007 so if it isn't increased volume, it is the effect of increased inefficiency elsewhere in the system.  Chronic underbuilding

[RFS]

Use Google's typical traffic tool, and Bay St from Tyee to Blanshard is orange to dark red (slow to very slow), Monday to Friday, from around 830 am all day till around 630 pm.  Probably more reliable data than the CRD and definitely more up to date

[rjag]

They dont want to do time and motion studies because they know what the results will be. With the reduction in numbers there has also been a reduction in travel lanes and intersection complexity. Now to add to the mix are shorter traffic light duration, shorter turn light duration, shortened turn lanes and more opportunity for lane obstructions via large vehicles loading and unloading in travel lanes. 

 

Not to forget all the construction on key arterials where the city does not impose strict time limits for lane closures, the collapsed lane on Johnson at Cook that has been closed for 6 months...these are the types of priorities the City is dropping the ball....or perhaps its intentional to see if they can create more disruption/congestion to frustrate people out of their primary modes of travel... 

[Mattjvd]

Having driven Bay St from Vic West to Cook St on a daily basis for approx. 5 years I can say with total certainty it has become FAR more congested

Absolutely. At peak traffic times I can walk from Bay and Tyee to Bay and Douglas faster than it can be driven.