FAQs
What would be done to improve driveway safety, especially for driveways near the intersection of Young Road and Victoria Avenue?
The intersection will be narrowed for vehicles turning from Young Road onto Victoria Avenue. Parking zones near driveways will be reviewed during detailed design to ensure safety.
With the large parking lot available on the south side of Victoria Avenue, why does the City want to create more parking?
As the downtown grows, so does the demand for parking. Because of this, we are exploring different options to expand parking downtown. In the short-term, adding centrally located street parking so more customers and visitors can walk to their destination within minutes is a possible solution.
If there will be parking on the north side of Victoria Avenue, how will people access their properties?
Instead of accessing property by travelling westbound on Nowell, drivers will come from Young Road and head eastbound on Nowell. All driveway accesses will be maintained.
Will people park on Victoria Avenue and walk to their destination in Downtown Chilliwack?
All signs point to yes! The available parking on Yale Road is often full and drivers are circling the block to find parking. Businesses and customers have asked us for more parking close by, and we recently opened a walkway through to Yale Road from Victoria Avenue.
Why are both Victoria Avenue and Princess Avenue going east for the proposed one-way streets? Why not one east and one west?
Most people coming downtown are coming from Young Road, rather than entering from Nowell Street.
What side of Princess Avenue would the parking be on?
The travel lane would be on the south side and parallel parking would be on the north side of the road.
What side of Victoria Avenue would the parking be on?
There would be angled parking on the south side and some parallel parking on the north side of the road.
When would construction begin on Princess Avenue?
We are taking your feedback to City Council for a final decision in mid-January 2021. If approved, construction could be anticipated to begin in the late spring of 2021.
Would the City contact businesses to advise them of the construction schedule?
Yes, if Council approves this proposal, the City will advise affected properties of the construction schedule.
Has a safety audit been done yet?
ISL Engineering completed a traffic study for the City. They looked at these intersections as part of that study, including safety. If we move forward with this project, we will look at more site-specific issues, like driveway safety.
There is currently no access to the large parking lot on the south side of Victoria Avenue from Nowell Street. Would that be changed?
Yes, these proposed changes include in and out access from the parking lot onto Nowell Street.