First-of-its-kind protest for safe routes to school in Saanich
This morning, a handful of people gathered on Burnside Road West in Saanich to demand safer streets for our kids, specifically to demand that MoTT reinstate a crosswalk they removed.
In short, this crosswalk was provided due to construction. After removing it, MoTT failed to inform the community or respond to legitimate safety complaints, ultimately leading to a child being struck where the crosswalk used to be. This wasn't just a learning opportunity in terms of communication - it presents a window into the mind of the young pedestrian.
Let's start with a map of the situation from SaanichMap.
The province's Ministry Of Transportation and Transit (MoTT) had to close the sidewalk on Burnside due to construction on the highway bridges above (which now have shoulder bus lanes!). To assist in the detour they provided a temporary crosswalk, by closing the center lane to make a refuge island and paving a ramp on one side. Most crossings with RRFBs use poles so thick they obscure visibility of the people they attempt to protect, but the poles here were narrow, and visibility was good overall.
The problems began when the crosswalk was, according to MoTT, no longer needed. According to a resident, after the crosswalk was removed, there were near misses and 'kids running across'. More than a week before a child was hit, this resident had informed MoTT and the project management team via email. The resident asked MoTT to notify the school, who could notify kids of the crosswalk closure. They also called for the crosswalk to be reinstated.
MoTT did not reply until after someone got hurt.
In theory, had they taken either of the above actions, the collision wouldn't have happened. But I'm not convinced a warning to middle schoolers would be enough. Here's why:
- Traffic safety education (especially from schools) has a tendency to fail on the most important facts and bears a dramatic tone that middle schoolers have learned to tune out.
- People, especially suburban children, can be oblivious to the local street network, and only ever follow one route, down to the exact crosswalk.
- Despite multiple barriers and signs blocking it, protesters "had to dissuade about ten people from crossing where the crosswalk was" during the hour they spent there.
The protesters are onto something - there's a desire path here. Notice that the signalized intersection by the mall lacks a crosswalk on the North side. Nobody wants to wait for two traffic lights at a poorly timed intersection when they can cross just up the street. For people accessing the bus stop or townhouse complex nearby, this crossing was in the perfect location.
Now that the construction work is complete, and MoTT has left the area, this section of Burnside Road West may well belong to Saanich. Removing the crosswalk may have been part of "cleaning up your mess", but it's become clear that a crosswalk here is warranted, and providing a place to cross takes precedence over providing a second lane of traffic.
I'm grateful these people want to do something about it.
