We’re a group of residents (over 60 at last count!) in Dean Park and the adjoining South East Quadrant of North Saanich, who want to make our neighbourhood safer and more enjoyable for walking.
Not everyone wants their name on this public website, but those who don’t mind are:
Suzanne Morphet
Anne Flanagan
Joan Solberg
Nancy Monahan
Warren and Wanda McCall
Wayne Coulson
Doug S. Ross
Joan Mayell
Anne and Bruce Oxley
Dixie and Travis Stewart
Jan Korteweg
Julie and Mike Harvey
Sandra Satchwell
Lenny Degroot
Bruce Van Petten
Val Rebner
Murray MacMurchy
Gail Rybus
Larry DeBeck
Anna Wright
Alison Bott
Mike Koster
Tom and Brenda McDermitt
G. Brouwer
Ernie and Colleen Yeomans
Bert Slater
Marlene and Bill Thompson
Anne-Marie Powell
Leslie and Bob Climie
Mark Notte
Kevin and Connie Card
Wayne and Fran Biggers
George and Flora Adams
Pauline and Jim Morrison
Gary Bearham
G.W. Keats
Lori Ogle
Erin O’Neill-Berg
Melvin C. Berg
Peter and Katherine Walter
Gene Johnson
Joyce Nortdlund
Alison Josenhans
Heiner Josenhans
Tom Krieger
Terry Bouthillier
Janet Haigh
Sheila Stelck
James Stelck
Spring Harrison
Jeremy Ball
Pam McCorquodale
Supporters who don’t live in Dean Park include:
Sue Staniforth
Colin Franks
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 9, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Warren McCall
Thanks for the update. However, I need to respond to this proposal. While I do strongly support making our area (and all other roads around it) more pedestrian friendly, I cannot support any initiative that would propose narrowing roads. Narrowing roads (as done at the new school) is the most dangerous change that can be made to roadways for cyclists. There is absolutely no way that cyclists can safely travel through that area when people are driving that road; even one vehicle and one cyclist is unsafe.
The only safe way to support cycling and pedestrian traffic is to widen roads so that there can be a properly delineated cycling lane (not a shared cycling/pedestrian lane as we have at the bottom of Dean Park road). These cycling lanes need to be on both sides of the road, with a sidewalk on the outside of the cycling lane for pedestrians.
Road narrowing, while perhaps slowing down traffic slightly, only brings vehicles and cyclists into much closer proximity with very dangerous results. Since vehicle drivers have no room to pass the cyclists they get frustrated and make stupid decisions when trying to pass. Removing those road narrowing devices and widening the road to include proper cycling lanes will allow people to properly cycle and may actually encourage some of the students at the school to actually use their bicycle to go to school!
I propose that all candidates get on their bicycles and try to negotiate Barrett Drive or Dean Park Road during a busy period of traffic. They will quickly see that:
1. Road narrowing is very dangerous
2. We need cycling lanes from bottom to top on these roads
3. On street parking is also a serious problem
Thanks,
Warren McCall
November 9, 2008 at 9:08 pm
smorphet
Thanks Warren for your input.
My thought on road narrowing is that where this is no bike land and roads are narrowed (for short distances), it is to slow down traffic to such a speed that cyclists would be able to ‘keep up’ to cars. As such, cyclists would move into the middle of the lane as drivers would not need to pass them and could not, without speeding.
So at the bottom of Forest Park where the road narrows, for instance, drivers should not overtake cyclists. I agree, there’s no room and it would be dangerous.
I would also like to see the part of East Saanich Road that goes along the bottom of the Dean Park neighbourhood narrowed to discourage speeding.
However, there will be bike lanes built along East Saanich beginning next spring. Instead of widening the road to accommodate the bike lanes, I believe the road should remain the width it is now.
I have talked briefly to Brian Robinson, the Superintendent of Public Works at the District of North Saanich, about plans for the bike lanes.
My impression is that East Saanich Road will likely be widened to accommodate the lanes, which I believe would lead to cars driving even faster. We all know that people already exceed the 40 km/hr speed limit on that stretch of East Saanich.
I look forward to bike bike lanes on East Saanich but I don’t think they should be installed without thinking about the overall impact they will have on cars and pedestrians. We need to choose a design that will encourage pedestrian traffic as well as cyclists.
People for a Pedestrian Friendly Dean Park need to be involved in this project. I suggest we contact the new Council immediately following the election to determine how we can have input.
Suzanne