Tuesday December 13, 2022 | COLWOOD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
New sidewalks! A contract has been awarded by the City of Colwood for construction of new sidewalks on Owens Road and Benhomer Drive, as announced by the city yesterday.
The goal is to enhance safe routes to various School District 62 (SD62) schools in the area, including Wishart Elementary, Sangster Elementary, Dunsmuir Middle School, and Royal Bay Secondary.
Shifting to active transportation:
This is part of supporting the continuing shift to active transportation in the Colwood municipality, in cooperation with the SD62 School District’s goals to also promote safe arrival at school and returning home safely after the school day.
Expanding the pedestrian network:
The City of Colwood says it recognizes the importance of expanding our pedestrian network to ensure that walking is a safe and convenient transportation choice for the citizens and visitors in the City. Improvements are guided by the Colwood Transportation Master Plan.
“These initiatives are one important way we work to achieve our community’s broader objectives around active transportation, safety, health, accessibility, sustainability, environmental protection and economic prosperity,” as stated on the City of Colwood website.
Traffic advisory:
- You may see Engineering Surveyors in these areas between December 7 and 17, 2022:
- Owens Road
- Kelly Road
- Benhomer Drive
- Hagel Road
- Lagoon Road
- Fulton Road
- Adye Road / Metchosin Road
Active Transportation plan:
In the Spring of 2021, a new Active Transportation Plan outlined priority routes where new sidewalks and bike lanes will be designed and constructed over the next 10 years.
Determining sidewalk priorities:
Current plans focus on strategic expansion of the City’s sidewalk network, to make the best use of resources where they will have the greatest positive impact.
New sidewalk locations are generally prioritized based on:
- immediate proximity to schools and parks
- immediate proximity to transit routes
- density of land use in the area (apartments, townhouses, small lots, etc)
- whether redevelopment is expected to occur soon
- upgrades required based on traffic studies by qualified engineering professionals
===== RELATED:
Holiday season message from SD62 Superintendent (December 16, 2022)
SD62: Career development throughout K-12 (December 6, 2022)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends is a professional news portal at islandsocialtrends.ca .
Fully online since mid-2020, Island Social Trends emerged from the extensive groundwork of previous print publications in the west shore: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (2014-2020).
Since 2008, journalist and editor Mary P Brooke has taken a socioeconomic lens to the news of the Greater Victoria west shore and south Vancouver Island region, including BC provincial news, and national news impacts.
Ms Brooke holds a B.Sc. in nutrition and community health education, and a certificate in Public Relations. Her professional career in journalism goes back to the 1980s, including curriculum development for adults entering the journalism profession. As an entrepreneur, Mary Brooke owns Brookeline Publishing House Inc which over the years has published in areas of health and business, as well as delivering IT training online and print services retail.