This decision comes a week after Council voted 4-3 to delay the decision on June 11, 2012. Last week’s Council meeting heard residents voice concerns about many unresolved issues concerning the project. Of course, there was the repeated concern that PMV did not release all of the technical reports until June 1, 2012 and that they failed to provide any consultation on these reports after they promised to do so in September 2011.

Public Input

The Public Input Period beings at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 18, 2012. View the agenda for the meeting.

The same valid concerns will undoubtedly be voiced once again from the many stakeholders in this project.

North Van Urban Forum has been busy with the week’s delay to slice and dice PMV’s noise study and prepare a set of amendments for City Council to consider should they approve the project.  Read the article Released: June 18 Council Briefing for Low Level Road / Port Metro Vancouver Expansion Project and view their Council Briefing. With their recommendations to Council, North Van Urban Forum is looking to the see how they can protect residents from future noise issues.

What lessons have been learned?

Given that this has been one of the largest projects, if not the largest project, ever undertaken by the City, what lessons have been learned? Will the City and residents be more wary of another port / rail expansion project disguised as a road project? Certainly, other communities should take notice of PMV’s “public consultation” process. What lessons has PMV learned from this project?

The LLRP will close 3 at-grade crossings. The closure of the Neptune-Cargill crossing will also bring a new overpass which will increase the overall safety level at this crossing for everyone including residents, bicyclists, drivers, and port employees. The LLRP will also close the St. Patricks and St. Andrews at-grade crossings which will bring much needed safety improvements as well.

Who else benefits?

Is this expensive aspect of project being undertaken solely to address the noise pollution problems from train whistles that residents have been complaining about?

Is it possible that the PMV and CN Rail also stand to benefit from closing these crossings?  This is aside from the safety benefits for all stakeholders, with which no one can disagree.

Ability to build longer trains

PMV has also stated that the LLRP will provision for the future addition of 2 new rail tracks. These 2 new rail tracks will allow CN Rail to build longer trains.

If the two ideas are coupled together …

If the 3 at-grade crossings were NOT closed, would CN Rail be able to build longer trains? Perhaps not.

Canadian Railway Operation Rules (CROR) state in section “103. Public Crossings at Grade” under rule 103(d) that:

“Except at those public crossings indicated in special instruction, no part of a movement may be allowed to stand on any part of a public crossing at grade, for a longer period than five (5) minutes, when vehicular or pedestrian traffic requires passage. Switching operations at such crossing must not obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic for a longer period than five (5) minutes at a time. When emergency vehicles require passage, employees must cooperate to quickly clear the involved crossings.”

Simply stated, this rule means that a train cannot block an at-grade road/rail crossing for longer than 5 minutes when a vehicle or pedestrian is waiting to cross.

Questions

• Does this rule imply that the building of a longer train would be inhibited, or made more difficult, by the existence of 3 at-grade crossings?
• Does it mean that railway employees would need to be physically present to observe the at-grade crossings to ensure that building a longer train is not violating CROR Rule 103(d)?
• If so, will this effort increase CN Rail’s costs to build longer trains?

Longer trains reduce shunting noises

A second key benefit marketed to residents is that longer trains will reduce shunting operations. The latter is another source of rail noise that impacts residents. PMV has stated that building longer trains will improve operating efficiencies.

Does improvement to operating efficiencies mean that it will be cost less money to build longer trains to transport more freight? Does this mean greater profits for the railway?

Potential benefits from the project

PMV’s marketing campaign has stated that the potential benefits from the proposed project include a reduction in noise pollution as well as economic benefits.

So if closing 3 at-grade crossings provides the ability to build longer trains then this will increase operating efficiencies, reduce costs, and increase profits. These are key benefits to port and rail operations. Why are these benefits not included in PMV’s marketing campaign?

Transparency in the community consultation process would have been a great benefit too …

 What’s in a name they ask?

Great question! It is reminder of a previous RANT article “North Van Port & Rail Expansion Project?” that questioned the name of the “Low Level Road Improvement Project”.

The answer is  …

The name of the project sets the tone for the marketing campaign to sell the project. It’s a lot easier to sell a road improvement project to the public than a project than expands port, rail, and road operations.

PMV Committed to Availability of Noise and Environmental Studies Last Fall

In August 2011, PMV asked residents for their input about the previous consultation process (i.e. January – May 2011) and what PMV could do to improve it for their next round of consultation. Residents stated that they were concerned about noise from the port. In response PMV stated the following in their September 2011 Update:

• “There is an acoustic engineering report and due to its technical nature, it will be available at upcoming consultation activities where we can fully explain the study and its findings.”

• “We are finalizing an environmental report in addition to the acoustic engineering report. These will be available at upcoming consultation activities where we can fully explain the studies and their findings.”

These reports were not available at the February / March 2012 consultation events as PMV had previously indicated 6 months prior in their September 2011 update.

Noise and Environmental Studies Still Unavailable

PMV’s latest update, at the Public Input Meeting on May 23^rd 2012, was that they were still finalizing the reports and that they would be delivered to City Council on or before June 11th , 2012.

City Council Scheduled to Make a Decision on June 11^th

City Council is expected to make a decision on whether or not to proceed with the Proposed Low Level Road Project on June 11^th. If PMV delivers these studies to City Council on that day or even just days before, it gives little time for Council to read the studies and consider them in the context of the project, and evaluate their impact on the community.

The biggest stakeholder group of this project, the residents, will have no opportunity to review these studies, and will not have the opportunity to consult with the PMV Project Team as PMV had committed to in September 2011.

June 11^th Deadline is Too Rushed

Many Councillors echoed residents’ concerns and have stated that the June 11^th deadline is too soon to make a decision on this project given the last minute delivery of the noise and environmental studies.

The North Shore Outlook’s article, North Van city hosts lengthy Low Level Road meeting, quotes Councillor Pam Bookham stating “They [the port] have had a year. That’s ample time to complete this work. We need time to get as many answers as we can. I’m prepared to continue this discussion for as long as it takes.”

The Outlook article also states: “Councillors Don Bell, Rod Clark, Guy Heywood and Bookham each said they were uncomfortable with the port returning to council on June 11 for a final decision because they felt there isn’t enough time for them or the community to digest the forthcoming reports.”

A Unique Moment in Time

Councillor Rod Clark, who chairs the City of North Vancouver’s Waterfront Industrial Noise Committee, had a distinctive perspective on this issue. High-lights of Clark’s comments include:

• “This is a unique moment in time for Council and for the community to stand up and get something done for the future so there is not only the Low Level Road which is going to provide all this economic benefit, it can also provide community enhancement in other words, noise control, and that is the other big hanging question here …”

• “Finally, I am going to state categorically, that I will not support the Low Level Road Project on June 11^th until we have the noise and the air pollution addressed and acceptable to the City of North Vancouver, and I do that on behalf of the community where I live and represent them on Council …”

Public Input Meeting Video

Watch the video clip of the Public Input Meeting using RealPlayer from www.real.com.

How Successful was this Consultation? 

The consultation certainly addressed important issues regarding the height of the road, slope stability, traffic intersections, proximity of the elevated road to residents, increased noise and view impacts from the elevated road, safety, parking, cycling and pedestrian options, the Spirit Trail, etc.

All of these topics are important for a project entitled the “Proposed Low Level Road Project”, the official title of the project.

Port and Rail Expansion

However, the “Proposed Low Level Road Project” is not only about the Low Level Road. The primary purpose of this project is to expand port and rail operations. The unofficial title for this project is the “North Van Port & Rail Expansion Project”.

There was little discussion about the effects on the community of port and rail expansion (and changes to rail operations) during this consultation period. Certainly the potential benefits were highlighted in many project materials, including PMV’s Consultation Discussion Guide.

The most clear and tangible benefit of the project, with respect to rail noise, is the elimination of train whistles due to the closure of 3 at-grade rail crossings.

However, questions remain regarding other types of port noise. The Consultation Discussion Guide states that:

• Train Engines: “Noise walls may help further reduce the noise; final noise wall configuration will be based on noise analysis which is underway.”
• Train Shunting: “Noise modelling indicates that with the Project, rail noise will decrease over the next 5-7 years.”
  
• Terminal Noise: “Cargill Terminal recently completed a noise assessment, which identified a number of areas where suppression screens would help reduce the noise and are working on an implementation plan to address these opportunities.”

Cargill has made good on this promise and will install mufflers on fans and redirect the noise away from residences and toward the water.  See the North Shore News May 4^th article Taming a noisy monster – Plant aims to bring quiet to NV neighbourhood.  Cargill’s actions have not gone unnoticed by North Van City Councillor Rod Clark who appreciates the company’s efforts, and further states “I would suggest there might be a little arm-twisting on the rest of them.” when referring to other companies operating at the port who have not put forth plans publicly to mitigate noise created by their operations.

The potential benefits that have been stated about reduction of train engine noise and shunting noise have not yet been substantiated with documentation made available to the public. Further, there has been absolutely no mention of another source of rail noise and community complaints: locomotive idling.

When will the Noise and Environmental Impact Reports be Available?

The recently completed public consultation did state that noise and environmental studies were in progress. These reports were not made publicly available during the recent Information Sessions, Open Houses, or Workshops. Yet PMV’s September 2011 Update stated the following:

• “There is an acoustic engineering report and due to its technical nature, it will be available at upcoming consultation activities where we can fully explain the study and its findings.”
• “We are finalizing an environmental report in addition to the acoustic engineering report. These will be available at upcoming consultation activities where we can fully explain the studies and their findings.”

Are these reports now finalized? Does the noise report include the noise model? Will they be released with the “preferred design”? Will PMV provide further consultation opportunities for these topics so that they can fully explain the studies and their findings?

Questions on Porttalk

Residents asked a variety of questions on the porttalk.ca forum including questions about rail noise, environment, and the financial aspects of the project. These types of questions were not answered by the Project Team on the forum.

The Consultation Summary Report states that “Project team members representing Port Metro Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver were clearly identified and active in the forum discussions, posting replies and answers where appropriate.” Are questions regarding rail noise, environmental impacts, and financials considered to be inappropriate?

North Van Urban Forum Questions Business Case

One question that was asked on the porttalk.ca forum was about the financial business case for the City to give the land on which the Low Level Road currently sits to the Port in order for the City to realize the benefits of slope stability, Spirit Trail completion, etc. This question was not answered by the PMV Project Team on porttalk.ca.

Local residents who have created the North Van Urban Forum took this question to City Council on Monday, May 7^th and asked that Council prepare a business case that quantifies the costs and that proves the current agreement is beneficial to taxpayers.  See their letter to City Council and their recent post North Van Urban Forum brings greater transparency to the Low Level Road Project.

Was the Consultation Successful?

The consultation may be deemed successful with regard to the actual road.  However, with so many outstanding questions regarding rail noise, environment impacts, and the business case, can this consultation be considered successful with regard to the port and rail expansion?

• How can residents feel comfortable with the project with these questions unanswered?

• How can City Council make an informed decision with these questions unanswered?

• Will the “preferred design” answer these questions in the next week?

• Is there sufficient time scheduled for residents and City Council to absorb these materials, ask questions, and receive answers from PMV before a decision is made to proceed with the project?

The public consultation phase of the Proposed Low Level Road Project has been completed. When will the public consultation phase for the “North Van Port & Rail Expansion Project” begin?

Port Metro Vancouver Information Sessions

PMV will present the “preferred design” at two Information Sessions in May 2012:

• Saturday, May 12^th at the John Braithwaite Community Centre (10 am – 2 pm)
• Wednesday, May 16^th at the Pinnacle Hotel (4 pm – 8 pm)

Waterfront Industrial Noise Committee

The City of North Vancouver’s Waterfront Industrial Noise Committee will meet on Thursday, May 17^th to discuss the project design and provide their feedback to City Council.

Public Meeting Hosted by City of North Vancouver

North Vancouver City Council will host a Public Meeting to hear comments and feedback from the community.  This event will take place on Wednesday, May 23^rd at 6 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers.

City Council Decision

On Monday, June 11^th (date to be confirmed), PMV will ask City Council to make a decision to move forward with the project.

Port Metro Vancouver Decision

Subsequent to City Council’s decision on this project, the Port Metro Vancouver Board will make a decision if they wish to proceed with the project.  The date for this decision is not yet available.

The decision to proceed with Detailed Design also included a commitment by PMV to continue consultations with the community.  Local residents are key stakeholders in this project and expect that the Detailed Design will answer questions such as:

• What will be the height of the new Low Level Road?
• Where will the 2 new rail tracks be located for the rail expansion?
• What measures will be implemented to mitigate noise from the expanded rail yard?
• What measures will be implemented to mitigate impact on the environment?

PMV recently advertised their forthcoming events for the much anticipated community consultation with residents in Lower Lonsdale about the project.

Information Displays – February 2012

Port Metro Vancouver will be hosting 2 Information Display sessions where residents can drop-in during the scheduled hours:

February 11 at Lonsdale Quay Market, Market Level, Rotunda (10am – 4pm)
February 15 at John Braithwaite Community Centre Lobby (4pm – 8pm)

The recent advertisement states: “Since Summer 2011, Port Metro Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver have been working together to redefine the proposed project scope and develop options for public input. Please visit us in February to find out about where we’re making changes so that you can decide how you may want to participate in the March consultation program”.

It seems that the key objective of these Information Display sessions is to help residents choose which Open Houses and/or Workshops to attend.  In order to achieve this objective, are the Information Display sessions going to make the Detailed Design publicly available?

Open Houses  – March 2012

Port Metro Vancouver will be hosting 3 open houses:

March 3  at Ridgeway Elementary School (10am – 1pm)
March 7  at Pinnacle Hotel (5pm – 8pm)
March 24 at Ridgeway Elementary School (10am – 1pm)

The recent advertisement further states: “In early March, we will be launching a consultation program to seek input on the redefined project scope and proposed options, which are being developed to achieve project and community interests. The consultation program will include a number of open houses and workshops so that you can choose how you want to be involved – participate in all events or in the subject areas most relevant to you.”

This approach to community consultation raises some interesting questions:

• Will the Open Houses make the Detailed Design publicly available (if it is not unveiled at the Information Display sessions)?
• Are the “subject areas” pre-determined or will residents be able to suggest additional subject areas during the Information Display Sessions?
• Will all of the Open Houses present the same content or will each Open House focus on different subject areas?
• If the latter is true, will the Information Display sessions in February provide details on which subject areas will be addressed at each Open House in March?
• If each Open House addresses one or more different subject areas, then do residents have to attend all sessions to understand the complete detailed design?
• Does the phrase “the redefined project scope and proposed options” suggest that PMV is bringing some different design options to the discussion?

.

Workshops  – March 2012

Port Metro Vancouver will host a series of workshops, in which participants must register to attend, on the following dates: March 3, March 8, and March 24.  Registration for the workshops is available on the porttalk.ca website.  The registration page states that all of the workshops will contain the same content and follow the same format.

When will the Noise and Environmental Impact Reports be Available?

Will the acoustic engineering report and environmental report referred to in PMV’s September 2011 Update be made publicly available during the Information Sessions, the Open Houses, and/or Workshops?  The September 2011 Update stated the following:

• “There is an acoustic engineering report and due to its technical nature, it will be available at upcoming consultation activities where we can fully explain the study and its findings.”
• “We are finalizing an environmental report in addition to the acoustic engineering report. These will be available at upcoming consultation activities where we can fully explain the studies and their findings.”

When will these reports be available on the porttalk.ca website?

When will the Detailed Design Report be Available?

When will the Detailed Design Report (in its entirety) of the proposed Low Level Road and Rail Expansion project be made available for the public to review?  When will the report be available on the porttalk.ca website along with all other project documentation?

Given the concerns that this project has caused in the community, ensuring that these documents are readily available to the public will help residents to fully absorb the modified design and prepare for the Open Houses and Workshops.  Residents have been asking for details about this project for a year and these documents will assist in answering their questions and better prepare them to work with the Project Team.  Total transparency of the process and documentation will facilitate better communication between the key stakeholders of this project.

Finally, availability of these documents in a timely manner is critical given that there is only a 3 week period between the first Open House on March 3rd and the last Workshop on March 24th.

Project Status

See PMV’s website for the latest project status.  Check out the online discussion forum, porttalk.ca, that was launched in December.

Participate!

Community consultation is key to the success of this project for all stakeholders.  Participate in these consultations to raise your concerns and have your questions answered!

North Vancouver City Council approved the detailed design phase of the project on July 18^th 2011.  Since that approval was granted, PMV reported in its November 9^th Update that it had retained the services of consulting and engineering firms to assist in this phase of the project.

Community Engagement – Online Forum

Coinciding with their December 13^th Update, PMV launched an online forum, porttalk.ca, where residents can interact with the Project Team as well as other residents.  The intent of the forum is to generate discussion between interested stakeholders and provide feedback to the Project Team.  The forum is moderated by the Project Team.  The online forum is powered by an independent company, Bang The Table.

Next Up – Another Open House?

PMV indicated in their November update that they would be hosting their first “World Café” (aka another Open House) in late January 2012.  No details of date, time, or location have been made available yet.  Recurring World Café events are intended to take place thereafter.

Recent Council Meeting

In the January 9^th, 2012 CNV Council Meeting, Councillor Clark indicated that residents have been asking for status updates about the project.  The City Manager stated that a report would be available in the near future.

The Low Level Road Project has been a major subject of discussion since February and yet only 3 candidates for City Council even mention the project in either their platform statements or on their websites.

Two incumbent Councillors, Bob Fearnley and Guy Heywood, discuss this project on their websites.

Local resident Amanda Nichol has entered the municipal election race for City Councillor.  She states on her website:  “The low road improvement project is what motivated Amanda to pursue a position on City Council. The consultation stage initiated by PMV was appalling and giving one million of our taxpayer dollars towards the next phase of this project was not the best option. Consultation is essential to ensure that our residents’ quality of life is not diminished.”

View profiles of mayoral candidates and city councillor candidates on the CNV website.

The Low Level Road Project is a significant issue for our community.  Find out where the candidates stand on this issue and vote on November 19th!

Consultations on Consultations

In August 2011, PMV informally consulted local residents (who signed up) in smaller sessions on how well PMV’s overall public consultation process worked.  PMV released the “Low Level Road Project Feedback Summary Report” on August 25th, 2011.

Future Public Consultations

Ideas have been discussed about how the public will be consulted during the Detailed Design Phase.  Suggestions include a Community Liaison Group, another Open House or Town Hall Meeting, Online Forum, etc.

Will any of these forums be able to answer questions raised at the May 25th 2011 Town Hall Meeting?  View the questions raised by residents at this meeting on PMV’s YouTube Channel.  The independent facilitator of the Town Hall Meeting provided a summary report with meeting notes that highlighted comments from local residents.

Project Name Change

PMV renamed the “Low Level Road Improvement Project” to the “Low Level Road Project”.  The new project name keeps the focus of the project on the road and not on the port and rail expansion aspects of the project.

Schedule Delay?

PMV stated in their Summer 2011 Newsletter that detailed design would start near the end of September.  However, in contrast, PMV’s September 16, 2011 Q&A Update, indicates that they are still in the process of selecting an engineering firm for detailed design.

Waiting for Updates …

The Port has not provided any updates on the project since mid-September.  There has been no announcement of an engineering firm to undertake the detailed design of the project.  Nor have they announced any future public consultations.

View the Port’s Community Consultation page.