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Colwood traffic plans worry city councillor
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Give affected residents plenty of notice: Day Kyle Wells News staff
Colwood’s transportation master plan is cruising along, but has hit a speed bump as concerns are raised over future traffic patterns. Coun. Cynthia Day is concerned about the potential for existing neighbourhood roads to be used as links between busier roadways. Her main concern is a lack of notice to residents who could be affected. “I think it’s difficult because it’s at an early stage,” she said. “I just don’t think we should be developing plans that residents are not in favour of, I think that’s money in the ditch.” Among the roads being considered is Painter Road, which could be punched through to connect Metchosin Road to Wishart Road. Bunker Road could also be expanded to connect Wishart to Veterans Memorial Parkway. Colwood’s deputy city engineer Emmet McCusker said staff are working on modelling future traffic flows and studying impacts up to 2038. At the centre of the work is the proposed development of the Royal Bay area and its influence on vehicle traffic. The model shows that if nothing is done and the development moves ahead, traffic will increase substantially in the
area around Wishart elementary, as well as along Metchosin and Latoria roads. To address that, staff are looking at opening up connecting routes, including Painter Road, though McCusker said it may be too steep to be feasible. “We’re not saying that we need to do this, but should we feel that’s the recommended way, we would also recommend there be sidewalk improvements and safety improvements that would significantly upgrade those streets in order to be able to handle that traffic safely.” Any changes likely wouldn’t be instituted until about 2030, McCusker added. Council passed a motion this week ensuring that if any major changes to the use of a road are proposed, direct contact will be made with nearby residents, who will then have a chance to provide input before the matter is decided upon. A number of Painter Road residents attended Monday’s meeting, mainly because Day canvassed the neighbourhood to tell them of her concerns. “I’m just concerned we’re developing a plan based on a map, somebody looking at a map and saying ‘Gosh, wouldn’t it be good to have a road here,’” she said. Another public engagement of some type will be held in four or five weeks. McCusker hopes to see the plan finalized by late July. kwells@goldstreamgazette.com
Don Descoteau/News staff
Belmont blast Belmont secondary golfer Dylan Green watches his drive on the 10th hole at Olympic View Golf Club during the annual Victoria Police high school tournament. School teams from around the Capital Region and Lower Mainland played a tworound event Wednesday and Thursday in Colwood.
Curtains set to close on Lakewood elementary’s theatre era Phil Duchene will leave big shoes to fill Kyle Wells News staff
Langford’s Lakewood elementary is
approaching the end of an era, as theatre teacher Phil Duchene gets set to retire after one last hurrah. After 40 years of teaching, and 12 years of putting on musicals at Lakewood, Duchene is semi-retiring and stepping back from his role at the school following the run of this year’s major spring musical, Annie.
Since his arrival, the school has put on a major musical every year. The productions involve about half of the student population and take six months to rehearse, polish and perform the final product. Duchene said the experience has been beyond rewarding. “It’s a combination of the intensity of the
experience for everybody and the privilege of being allowed to do it,” he said. “It’s an indulgence, it really is. The bottom line is you get to practise your art, and how many artists get to do that?” PLEASE SEE: Annie takes to the stage, Page A21
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