An innovative traffic calming approach, led by the Parent Advisory Council of École Oceanside Elementary School, in Parksville, will deploy a suite of portable traffic calming measures including two solar powered speed feedback signs, a crosswalk safety sign, and four drop off safety cones.

École Oceanside Elementary School, (EOES) located at 980 Wright Road in Parksville, BC has approximately 430 children enrolled in full time education. This translates to well over 500 families using the roadways and walking paths around this school at least twice a day to get their children to and from school. With new housing development in the Morningstar area, there has been a substantial increase in the number of heavy trucks and equipment driven near this school. In addition, due to distance, many parents drive their children to and from school. Both of these factors act to increase overall vehicle traffic around the school, making the area somewhat unsafe.

The intersection of Wright Rd/Lowrey’s Rd and Wembley Rd is a large odd-shaped intersection. Many have reported near-misses and situations where, while crossing, they had to stop abruptly because a driver did not see them in the crosswalk. It is common to witness drivers fail to make a full stop at the four way stop, not yield to pedestrians and/or disregard the 30 km/h school zone speed limit. In addition, the roadways around the school do not have raised sidewalks and this leads to children having to walk between parked cars that have utilized the road shoulder for parking.

The crosswalk at Reid Rd and Wright Rd is another area of concern. Although school administration places pylons around this crosswalk, the addition of “in street pedestrian crosswalk signs” could be placed in the middle of the crosswalk on a daily basis to increase safety. This intersection is also in close proximity to people entering Wright Rd off of the Inland Highway. For some drivers, making the necessary speed reduction does not happen and often the 30 km/h speed limit is overlooked.

This grant project involves the installation of two solar powered speed feedback signs, a crosswalk safety sign, and four drop off safety cones.