Series S659 - Transportation Division traffic diagrams

As automobiles became increasingly prevalent in the City of Vancouver, there was greater planning and attention required to ensure their safe and efficient movement throughout the city. The first instance of this responsibility falling to the Engineering Department is documented as 1935, when Traffic Engineering is listed as one of the functions which was to be reported to the Board of Works. Functions included analyzing the nature and causes of accidents (including assessing any contributing condition of roadways), the movement of traffic (including speed studies), and traffic congestion; in later years, parking enforcement, transit, downtown and neighbourhood traffic planning, traffic electrical operations, and special events traffic were added to the division’s manifold functional responsibilities.