By Dominic Abassi

New signal timing aims to create ‘green wave’ for drivers along Bowen Rd.

Sep 24, 2018 | 7:45 AM

NANAIMO — Anyone who uses Bowen Rd. as part of their daily commute knows the struggle is very much real.

But a new traffic signal coordination plan put in place by the City aims to cut down on the stop-and-start nature of one of Nanaimo’s busiest corridors, ideally leaving drivers riding the green wave instead of seeing red.

Starting Sept. 24, new timing patterns are in effect along the entire length of the Bowen Rd. corridor, the result of a consultant’s study into solutions to congestion for the roughly 20,000 to 30,000 drivers who use the key arterial every day.

“It sets it up so that if you get a cluster of vehicles travelling consistently at the speed limit through the corridor…you will consistently get green lights. If you’re travelling the entire corridor, you should be able to progress through it quite a bit more quickly,” manager of transportation Jamie Rose told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He said the study, started in the fall of 2017, was in reaction to a bevy of concerns the City was hearing about Bowen traffic.

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“It encourages drivers to drive the speed limit and provides a lot less stop-and-start, which reduces delay and greenhouse gas production.”

Rose said it won’t be a perfect solution right off the hop, noting there will be further study examining the results and minor tweaks made to address problems that arise.

One of the problems the City has already heard about is the elimination of the left turn signal for drivers turning off East Wellington Rd. Rose said it’s a problem they did not predict based on their data and they will be looking for a fix.

“Evidently there’s a higher demand there than the signal is intended to carry.”

Overall, Rose said people turning onto Bowen from connecting side streets can expect some longer wait times.

He said for the concept to work, drivers need to do their part.

“It’s critical that people are travelling at a consistent speed so they don’t race up to a signal just to get to a red.”

Rose said as the neighbourhoods around Bowen continue to grow, the City will continue to look at ways to make life easier for commuters.

“We anticipate there will continue to be some growth on the corridor so we want to improve the efficiency…We’re also looking at some strong cycling, pedestrian and transit connections to support the overall transportation plan.”

The consulting work and changes to the traffic signal timing cost the City roughly $80,000.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi