Thinking of travelling around the city? With heavy development and maintenance work taking place in Vancouver, plus several public events lined up, the city’s top engineer has a few tips.

“Know before you go,” is one thing Jerry Dobrovolny wants the public to remember.

That could mean looking up the city’s projects and events map. Or listening to the traffic report on the radio.

“Leave a little bit of extra travel time,” is another, especially if going downtown.

According to Dobrovolny, there are over 30 development projects underway in the downtown core and Downtown Eastside.

Utility companies are also doing their own work. As well, the city and the Metro Vancouver regional government are busy with water, sewer, and road upgrades.

“Try something different,” is another idea Dobrovolny wants the public to think about.

That means leaving the car behind to walk, bike, or hop onto transit.

Dobrovolny made these suggestions in a briefing today (May 13) about how the city is coordinating development activity and events to minimize impacts on traffic. He was joined by Joe Walls, engineering coordination lead, and Steve Brown, manager of traffic and data management.

According to Dobrovolny, it’s one of the busiest years since the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“The local economy is booming,” Dobrovolny reported.

And with scores of public events lined up starting this spring from festivals to fireworks, the city engineer stressed the importance of knowing what’s ahead.

“There will be changes in the travel patterns; there will be changes in the road network,” he said.

And, Dobrovolny added, it will change many times until the fall.