About 100 people gathered in the rain outside Saanich Municipal Hall on Friday, urging council to increase speed enforcement and make roadways safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
The rally was in reaction to the death of Reynolds Secondary School student Kaydence Bourque, 16, who was struck by a vehicle in a marked crosswalk along Cedar Hill Cross Road on Monday night, and died the next day.
Caroline Tamsley, who lives in the Reynolds Park neighbourhood close to the scene of the crash, said she felt compelled to attend, saying three pedestrian deaths along the roadway over the past few years show how dangerous it is for those who walk and cycle.
She wants to see improved crossings and better sidewalks in the area, adding her mother, who uses a wheelchair, often has to enter the roadway in some areas because of inadequate sidewalks.
Judy Gaylord, 77, said she doesn’t use Cedar Hill Cross Road anymore while riding her e-bike because the bike lane ends on a downhill slope around a curve to the crosswalk. And vehicles on the road go too fast, she said. “I’ve had close calls, oh yes,” said Gaylord. She said she added a wire and flag to the roadside edge of her bike and motorists have still made contact with the flag.
The municipality is three years into its 30-year Active Transportation Plan, which is intended to shift the focus from infrastructure for motor vehicles to safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists, such as improved crosswalks, bike lanes and new sidewalks.
But those at the rally said council isn’t acting fast enough, and it should immediately address problem areas like Cedar Hill Cross Road and other frequent danger spots.
Adam Friesen said: “There are multiple bike transit routes in which crossing over from Victoria and Esquimalt into Saanich is like exiting The Shire and entering infrastructure Mordor.”
Lana Taves, who attended the rally with her son Axel, a Reynolds graduate, said the dangers for vulnerable road users “always come down to speed.”
She wants lower speed limits on the streets of Saanich, saying the difference between the current speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour and a reduced one of 30 km/h can be a matter of life or death for pedestrians and cyclists, since those hit by a vehicle doing 50 km/h are far more likely to die.
Saanich has agreed to a three-year pilot project that would lower some speed limits to 30 km/h, but still needs approval from the provincial government. Cedar Hill Cross Road would not be included in the pilot proposal, however, as routes with solid yellow lines would remain at 50 km/h.
Meanwhile, the roadside memorial on Cedar Hill Cross Road at Merriman Drive — about 30 metres from the home of the teenager who died — continued to grow Friday with bunches of flowers on both sides of the crosswalk.
A GoFundMe campaign reached $60,000 on Friday afternoon, far exceeding the original goal of $5,000, with proceeds going to Kaydence’s parents, Crystal and Doug, as they take time off work to deal with the death of their son.
