We are writing to you as concerned citizens deeply invested in the safety of our seniors, children, and parents in the downtown Squamish community. We acknowledge District efforts over the past two years in developing the new Transportation Master Plan for the District of Squamish.
We appreciate the significant work put into identifying and addressing issues within our transportation network and incorporating feedback from over 800 residents to create a safer and more efficient system. One key focus area has been considering lowering speed limits across the community.
In 2022, the residents of Westwinds and Shannon Retirement Home submitted a petition addressing the excessive speed of vehicles on 3rd Avenue. Despite nearly two years passing since our petition and the discussion in June 2022, we have not observed any action regarding traffic calming measures, data collection, or evaluations of traffic speeds and volumes.
We urge you to take immediate action on the following requests:
Designated Residential Neighbourhood Way Program: Implement this program with appropriate street signage on 3rd Avenue by Westwinds, reducing the speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h, similar to the Cottonwood and Hemlock residential areas.
Additionally, include the Safe Routes to School Program for the downtown section from 3rd Avenue to Bailey Avenue to ensure the safety of children attending Squamish Elementary and Howe Sound Secondary School. 2. Speed Humps/Bumps: Install speed humps or bumps on both sides of the flashing crosswalk in front of Westwinds on 3rd Avenue to ensure the safety of seniors, children, and parents who use this crosswalk daily.
Flashing Crosswalk Enhancement: Upgrade the existing flashing crosswalk in front of Westwinds to a more prominent and visible standard, comparable to those in front of schools and on Highway 99, as current signage is frequently ignored by drivers.
School Zone Signs: Erect school zone signs in the section by Westwinds and Shannon Retirement Home to alert drivers and enhance safety for pedestrians.
30 km/h Speed Limit Signs: Place 30 km/h speed limit signs on both sides of the flashing crosswalk in front of Westwinds and Shannon Retirement Home to reinforce the speed reduction.
No Parking/Will Be Towed Signage: Install “No Parking/Will Be Towed” signs and paint this restriction on the parking area on the same side as the Westwinds building and in front of Shannon Retirement Home to eliminate blind spots and improve visibility for drivers entering or exiting these areas.
Bailey Avenue Crosswalk Enhancement: Add two more stop signs and a flashing school crosswalk at the Bailey Avenue crosswalk to further slow down drivers and enhance safety for students and parents crossing to Squamish Elementary and Howe Sound High School.
We respectfully request that these measures be included in the Fall 2024 Budget for Implementation & Signage installations. We believe that the costs associated with these requests can be distributed over multiple budget cycles to ensure the timely and effective implementation of these essential safety measures. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
We look forward to your positive response and prompt action to enhance the safety of our community.
Seniors of Squamish (SOS) wrote this letter recently to the District of Squamish.
David J Lassmann says
bureaucracies are often idiotic and our local government is increasingly bureaucratic. No one is in a position to take responsibility and act on initiative.
Francine Lessard says
Wow that request is exhausting to read as I feel it has been requested over and over and nothing ever gets done about it. It’s going to take another couple more fatalities for anything to be done. And even then we are always falling on deaf ears.
The speed at which people travel in school zones is alarming and I was told that speed bump are not a good idea for it would slow down snow removal. Like really they are so many speed bumps in snowing areas I don’t believe it for one second.