Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Opinion

EDITORIAL: Cross safely

A s the sun shines longer each day, it would seem pedestrians are safer now that the dark evenings are over. But the heavy rain still makes it difficult for drivers to see people crossing the street, even at marked crosswalks.
Squamish Chief Staff

As the sun shines longer each day, it would seem pedestrians are safer now that the dark evenings are over. But the heavy rain still makes it difficult for drivers to see people crossing the street, even at marked crosswalks. 

Squamish residents have taken to social media admonishing many pedestrians for not walking or running defensively and begging them to wear reflective clothing while making eye contact with drivers before crossing the road. 

Despite these warnings, accidents happen. What can be done?

One step is to install more lit crosswalks where people press a button to initiate blinking lights before crossing, said a spokesperson for the District of Squamish. 

In 2016, lit crosswalks were added near all public elementary schools – Mamquam, Brackendale, Squamish, Garibaldi Highlands, Stawamus and Valleycliffe – as a way to calm traffic in school zones and support the Safe Routes to School program. The other three lit crosswalks are at Garibaldi Way and Tantalus Road, The Boulevard in Garibaldi Highland and Willow Park at Mamquam Road. 

The District of Squamish plans to add an additional lit crosswalk to every school, with Garibaldi Way and Skyline Drive already approved. ICBC provided funding towardsthe beacons, which cost $17,000 per crossing. 

But, in the evening when children aren’t walking unsupervised, the only sure way to not be hit by a car is to walk defensively. This means wearing bright clothing and, if you’re not, make sure to walk especially carefully. 

On local Facebook groups, people rightly say, again and again, to not assume a car will stop; make sure it does before crossing. And, if you don’t use a crosswalk – because it’s not always feasible – really be cautious of what’s going on around you. 

This may seem like common sense, but judging from all the stories on social media of near misses many people need a reminder. 

Mayor Patricia Heintzman says more needs to be done: “Yes, people have to be brighter at night. It’s critical for people who are walking or on bikes to be as visible as possible… ‘Be bright at night’ is a good start, but schools and the school district, Vancouver Coastal Health, doctors, youth groups and the District of Squamish could all do more to get this message out.”