Transportation Background

How people get around their neighborhood and community is one of the most vital considerations when starting a neighbourhood planning process. How are people getting to services? Can residents easily walk or bike to a doctor’s office or to get groceries? How are our roads functioning? This background document provides an overview of the existing transportation conditions observed by staff in the Garibaldi Estates.

Existing Transportation

Roads

The Garibaldi Estates is served by one arterial road: Highway 99, two major collectors: Mamquam Road, Garibaldi Way, one minor collector: Tantalus Road. Most of these roads have transit stops, and parking is generally informal, if not limited. The District has issued a request for proposals as part of this project to better understand shortcomings and opportunities, specifically as it relates to the Mamquam Road/Highway 99 intersection, which see heavy traffic.

The majority of roads in the estates are rural by nature: gravel shoulders, many driveways, and limited stop signs/crossing opportunities, which can encourage higher speeds and less pedestrian travel.

Sidewalks

Staff note that the Estates tends to have quite long streets, with very few sidewalks, which are primarily located on Diamond Road and Tantalus Road. Because of the length of the streets, many walks to services (parks, grocery, etc.) are upwards of 1,000m – or more than 10minutes of walking. Limited north-south sidewalk opportunities exist. This makes for limited opportunities for safe walking. Garibaldi Way, Mamquam Road, and Diamond Head Road have all been identified as locations for sidewalks and/or pedestrian improvements in the medium term in the District’s Active Transportation Plan.

Bike Lanes

The Estates is partially served by bicycle infrastructure in the form of bike lanes on portions of Garibaldi Way, the corridor trail, Tantalus Road north, and Mamquam Road. The District’s Active Transportation Plan identifies Garibaldi Way, Mamquam Road, Diamond Road and Diamond Head Road as priority areas for improved bicycle infrastructure.

Transit

The Estates are primarily served by two bus routes: the #2 and the #9, while #4 does serve a portion of the area. There are bus stops nearly every 400m; however, the Ridgeway/south Skyline/Park Crescent area appears to be upwards of 600m away from the nearest stop.

Core Transit Network & Density

Previously staff have engaged with BC Transit to discuss land use planning options that would support enhanced bus service and increased ridership (also known as transit mode share). A key result from these discussions was the importance of developing a strong Core Transit Network that provided 15 minute service frequency. One of the critical metrics to achieve this level of services is the density of jobs and residents within a 400 m walk of the bus stops along the core transit network. A density of 3,500 residents and jobs/km2 is considered by BC Transit to be an appropriate minimum density to support 15 minutes frequency service along a core transit network. Resident and job density above this threshold further supports the viability of frequent transit. Consequently, higher density development along the core transit network could support more frequent transit and provide additional incentives for mode shift in the community. This aligns with a key goal from the District of Squamish Community Climate Action Plan:

Big Move #2: Shift Beyond the Car

Support and incentivize high density infill development along the core transit networks, around neighbourhood nodes and in mixed use areas through additional housing forms (plexes, row housing, suites), density bonuses, and reductions in parking requirements.

District of Squamish Transit System