As Colwood continues to build new sidewalks, cycling lanes and trail connections throughout the community, we may need to adjust our driving habits in some areas to ensure safety for everyone. As we adjust to changing patterns, there will be opportunities to consider refinements to how sidewalks and cycling routes are designed. (Curious where new sidewalks are planned? Read about the seven sidewalk projects planned for 2022 and the vision for a mountain to beach trail network in the Parks & Recreation Master Plan.)
New travel patterns on Painter Road
In 2021, the City added a new sidewalk, cycling lanes, crosswalks and pull outs along the length of Painter Road, where a growing number of students walk or cycle to Dunsmuir Middle School and more and more people use the Painter Trail connection.
Like all school zones, the area around Dunsmuir Middle School is, understandably, very congested during morning and afternoon drop off and pick up times.
We need to work together to ensure safety. As a City, we're working to encourage students to walk or cycle to school and to provide safe drop off and pick up alternatives that offer a range of benefits.
Encourage kids to walk
Consider the benefits of encouraging kids walk a few extra steps on the way to school:
- Walking is good for their physical health
- Fresh air and exercise clears their mind for learning
- Making their own way to school builds confidence
- Walking creates opportunities to connect with other kids on the way
- It frees up time in your morning
- Replacing car travel with active travel is great for our environment
- More kids walking and fewer cars on the road improves safety for everyone
Never stop or park in a cycling lane
The safety of students walking and cycling to school must take priority over a speedy drop off or pick up for drivers.
When dropping kids off or picking them up from school, please use one of the many Drop and Go areas shown on the map below. There are seven side streets along Painter Road that provide a safe place to stop with a short walk to the school.
You may be ticketed if you stop or park in a cycling lane. When there is a car in the cycling lane, students on bicycles are forced to swerve into the vehicle lane, putting both the cyclist and other drivers at risk.
Get familiar with cycling lanes
It's important for drivers to understand the road markings. The buffered cycling lane on Painter Road includes space marked with diagonal 'door zone' lines to provide distance between vehicles and cyclists, then the cycling lane marked with bicycle icons.
The width of the road corridor is limited and allows for a raised concrete sidewalk along the school side, parking pullouts where width and private driveways allow, two vehicle lanes and the buffered cycling lane. It does not allow for parking on the shoulder beyond the cycling lane.
Share your ideas at LetsTalkColwood.ca
Colwood is building seven new sidewalks in 2022 and working to create a connected network of sidewalks and trails. Help us get it right! Share your ideas and mark areas for improvement on the map at LetsTalkColwood.ca
Thank you for doing your part to make it safe and enjoyable for kids to get to school!
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Media Contact
Sandra Russell, Communications Manager
srussell@colwood.ca
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