My little Deuce Coupe …
More than 850 hot rods will motor their way to the Inner Harbour, July 19-21 for Northwest Deuce Days – a celebration of the Deuce Coupe. See our 12-page section on the event: Pages B1-B12
SAANICHNEWS SAANICH Friday, July 12, 2013
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Walkable Saanich Councillor plans walking tour to help bump up the pace of plugging the gaps in sidewalks Kyle Slavin
inform the need. What I’m trying to do is be an advocate: gathering evidence, having a look at the need and at what’s out there, to help make a compelling Cars whiz by Coun. Dean Murdock case to quantify that need that exists.” on Wilkinson Road as he walks not on a Colin Doyle, Saanich’s director of sidewalk, but on a dusty gravel path. engineering, says the existing pedesIt’s this kind of pedestrian-unfriendly trian plan isn’t the be-all-end-all for his roadway that Murdock plans to spend department when determining sidewalk his summer touring to get a better priorities. sense of where sidewalks are needed in “The (pedestrian plan) is never a Saanich. replacement for the nuances that our “Wilkinson is a major challenge, parstaff see in their work every day. We ticularly as you get to the five road inject good old common sense into intersection. Just west of there there’s (determining priority roads) to make a serious lack of sidewalks,” Murdock sure everything fits,” Doyle said. said. “That is, we know, a major vehicle “As land changes, the model changes. corridor. We’ve got commercial there, Something like Uptown happens and we’ve got the Camosun campus, we’ve that creates the need for additional sidegot tech centre, we’ve got PISE, but walks. Until we have a there are no sidewalks.” sidewalk on every road While Saanich engineers “I think if we in Saanich, we’re not have a document that helps determine which continued on the path really finished, are we?” Saanich currently sidewalk construction we’re on now, it’ll be classifies roads into projects get annual fundwell over 30 years three categories: major, ing, the councillor said it and residential. doesn’t go far enough. before we get to all the arterial Major roads should “What we don’t have is major and connector have a sidewalk on both a long-term approach or sides of the street; arteroad map on how we’re roads. ” rial roads get a sidegoing to meet this need in – Dean Murdock walk on one side, and the long run,” he said. Saanich councillor residential roads get no “I think if we continued sidewalk. on the path we’re on now, “What you find if you look at our road it’ll be well over 30 years before we get classification system, there’s still lots of to all the major and connector roads. gaps in that inventory,” Doyle said. “If you look at our neighbouring Murdock hopes his walking tour will communities – Oak Bay, Victoria, Langbring attention to those gaps, and ultiford – you see sidewalks on most of mately lead to an approach that makes the streets, particularly the ones wellSaanich a more accessible community. travelled, and in Saanich that’s not the “Residents have expressed very case.” clearly that there is a need for sideAfter touring the municipality, Murwalks, and we need to plan on how dock says he intends to make a recomwe’re going to meet that need.” mendation to council that Saanich creResidents interested in having Murate a sidewalk strategy that examines dock walk their sidewalk-less streets can how a comprehensive pedestrian route contact him at info@deanmurdock.ca, or is achievable. on Twitter (@Dean_Murdock). “I’m using this sidewalk tour to help
News staff
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Saanich Coun. Dean Murdock walks on Wilkinson Road where a gravel path exists instead of a sidewalk. Murdock is planning to walk the roadways of Saanich this summer with local residents to determine priorities for building sidewalks.
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