ESPLANADE COMPLETE STREET

A Complete Street that prioritizes safety and embraces European design principles.

Client: City of North Vancouver

Location: City of North Vancouver

Project Type: Municipal

About This Project

Esplanade is a regionally significant Major Road Network (MRN) and Frequent Transit Network (FTN) corridor, hosting numerous transit routes, commercial vehicles, and some of the highest volumes of pedestrian and cycling numbers within the City of North Vancouver. Engineering design incorporated the first ever installation of protected intersections within the City of North Vancouver, connecting the Esplanade corridor with the broader All Ages and Abilities Bike Network.

The project is the first of its kind to integrate the findings of the 2020 Victoria human rights tribunal ruling to integrate accessibility for people with vision disabilities into the floating bus stop design. In conjunction with TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation, the floating island bus stop work has contributed to the development of enhanced design guidance for bus stops adjacent to protected cycling infrastructure.

Esplanade is the first multimodal complete street delivered on an MRN segment through an urban commercial high street area. It provides an important precedent for data collection that can support narrowed lanes and slower speeds for other urban MRN corridors across the region.

Sustainability is built right into the project. Space beneath the newly raised mobility lands provided double the standard soil for street trees, nourishing the urban canopy. Water from mobility lanes and sidewalks is directed into the planting bed and tree zone bioswales providing natural filtration of runoff before it finds its way to the storm system.

Esplanade Complete Street’s thoughtful design maximized all aspects of the infrastructure upgrades while adding a sense of place for all users. It has been transformed into a destination as much as a safe corridor for travel.

Our Approach

Faced with corridor limitations, our team prioritized user separation in high-conflict areas for enhanced safety. ISL integrated European-inspired solutions to address safety and mobility within the restricted space, leading to the integration of several vital elements.

RAISED AND SEPARATED ACTIVE MOBILITY LANES

The street’s redesign features one-way active mobility lanes, elevated, and buffered by landscaping between sidewalk and roadway, accommodating various speeds and devices while narrowing at intersections and bus stops to minimize pedestrian conflicts and reduce collision risks.

FLOATING ISLAND BUS STOPS

The project incorporated multiple floating island bus stops to support efficient and reliable transit operations while removing conflicts between transit vehicles and cyclists.

PROTECTED INTERSECTIONS

The design’s protected intersections, a first for North Vancouver, enhance road and active transportation user safety by offering safer crossings, shorter pedestrian distances, and tighter vehicle turning radii, effectively slowing corner speeds, and connecting the Esplanade corridor with the All Ages and Abilities Bicycle Network.

IMPROVING TRAFFIC FLOW AND MANAGING SPEEDS

The esplanade incorporates a tightened urban roadway cross section to support slower vehicle speeds, while still providing sufficient space for large trucks and buses.

WIDENED PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS AND CONTINUOUS SIDEWALKS

Widened sidewalks, now continuous and raised over former vehicle lane interruptions, prioritize pedestrian safety by enhancing driver awareness and reducing vehicle speeds in conflict zones.

Esplanade’s transformation into a vibrant destination street emphasizes the importance of a long-term, integrated approach that prioritizes safety, mobility for all, and community impact. Its success incorporated many design firsts for the City and region that improved traffic flow, speed management, and user safety within a restricted space.