Re: your story Dec. 6, Region on a roll with active transportation, it’s no wonder Saanich lags the region on cycling and walking. Have you tried either of these human-powered activities on local streets? Quadra? McKenzie? Cedar Hill Cross Road? Shelbourne? If there’s a sidewalk, you have traffic speeding by a foot or two away. If you’re cycling, there’s traffic speeding by even more closely.
Aside from the Lochside Trail and Galloping Goose (regional trails by the way, not Saanich) what walking and cycling infrastructure exists in the municipality? A great new paved bikeway was built on Cook from Quadra to Maplewood, less than a kilometre long, from one busy, hazardous traffic artery to another.
For walkers, it’s a hit-and-miss roadside collection. There are signs but the policy behind them is quirky. Many streets have no exit for cars, but a footpath at the end. Sometimes the No Exit sign will have a little walking man but some postage stamps are bigger than this teeny guy. Some cul-de-sacs have a trail but there’s no sign at the entrance or the trailhead, not even the little man.
Walking and cycling are great for the environment and your health, but Saanich needs to do more to make it more attractive.
Norman Gidney
Saanich