Gibsons staff continue seeking feedback on a possible trial closure of the south end of Glassford Road for nine months.
The proposed trial follows a petition received last year asking for traffic calming measures in the area to protect young children, since many families live in the area, according to the town’s website.
If it goes ahead, the intersection where Glassford Road meets Gower Point Road would be blocked off for nine months using temporary blockades to prevent vehicle access.
Council is also considering whether to opt to keep Glassford Road open while reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h and add other traffic calming measures.
A corner section of Glassford Road is also being considered for lot creation that may be used for affordable housing, subject to community consultation. In 2017, council directed staff to find road ends to create lots for affordable housing.
Council is seeking input from the community on the road closure idea – with an online meeting held June 7, another held June 21 and an online survey available until June 28.
At a June 21 community meeting, one resident called the road closure “ridiculous” since it would force more traffic in front of Dougall Park and overload the four-way stop there – an issue raised by other residents at the June 7 meeting.
Another resident said they were concerned about pedestrians walking along Gower Point Road if more traffic runs through it because vehicles can’t take Glassford.
Infrastructure services director Dave Newman said the town may be able to fund shoulder widening for pedestrians along Gower Point Road from South Fletcher to Glassford.
At least one resident said they supported the closure and traffic calming, and another noted that because it’s straight and wide, Glassford Road functions more like a collector road than Gower Point Road, which is designated as such.
Newman has described Gower Point Road as “a little bit of an odd duck,” because it’s not ideally suited to the purpose of collecting traffic.
The survey is available here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/F2LGCLL
People can also provide comments by June 28 here: [email protected]
