The long awaited event has occurred! The Ministry of Transportation and Transit has lowered the speed limit on Hwy 101 through Elphinstone to 60 kph and installed a crosswalk in front of Poplars Mobile Home Park. Another crosswalk and a pedestrian operated light are in the works for Woodcreek Park.
I would like to thank every community member who advocated for these safety improvements, and I know that there are MANY of you. Individuals and community groups have been writing and emailing the province for decades. I’m not going to try and list you all because I would inevitably leave some people out, so this is a blanket expression of gratitude.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, I organized a spur-of-the-moment crosswalk walk in front of Poplars for a few of our local public safety advocates. I promise that we’ll hold a bigger celebration when the second crossing goes in at Oceanview Drive!
Randene Neill (MLA), Jeremy Waksel (MoTT Sechelt Office Manager), Dr Moliehi Khaketla (Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health), Sandra Cunningham (Woodcreek Park Neighbourhood Association), Donna McMahon (Area E Director, SCRD), Sally McBride (Senior Policy Lead, Healthy Public Policy, VCH), Kathleen Duncan (Manager, Poplars Mobile Home Park), Stephen Forgacs (Transportation Choices Sunshine Coast), Claire Finlayson (Woodcreek Park Neighbourhood Association)
[Please note that when you press the button, the signal activates immediately, even though it’s hard to see and there’s no audible signal. Wait for traffic to stop before you step out!]
It was a long time coming
Four pedestrians have been killed crossing the two kilometre stretch of Hwy 101 that runs through Elphinstone.
- March 4, 1994 – 14-year-old Jaime Dew killed crossing the highway to catch the bus near Lower Road
- January 5, 2007 – 12-year-old Brynn Suddes killed trying to cross the highway to her home from the bus stop in front of Poplars
- March 21, 2016 – 86-year-old Janice Farrell died crossing the highway from the bus stop at Oceanview Drive
- December 6, 2024 – A young man was struck by a vehicle on a rainy night in almost the same place as Brynn
These were tragedies, not only for the families of the victims, but for the drivers.
It shouldn’t take four deaths to get a crosswalk across a densely populated stretch of highway, but that’s the reality of a provincial transportation system that prioritizes speed of travel for motor vehicles over every other consideration. Let’s hope that this signals that the province is finally recognizing the importance of pedestrian safety on our roads, and that we’ve seen the last transit user killed on this section of highway.
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