Take a drive or a walk or a bike ride along Keith Wilson Road and it doesn’t take long to see dangerous situations as pedestrians move uncertainly in bike lanes or grass just feet away from near constant traffic.
There are almost no sidewalks along this important thoroughfare in a stretch of increasing development, and in the wake of an 83-year-old suffering life-threatening injuries in a collision on May 23, neighbours are raising the alarm bells about safety in the area.
READ MORE: Pedestrian struck in Chilliwack suffered life-threatening injuries
It should be noted that the RCMP have released few details about exactly how or where the elderly man was struck or if sidewalks or the lack thereof were a factor.
Still, frequent users are aware of the dangers.
“Keith Wilson has no sidewalks,” said local resident and mother Sasha Bossley. “All these kids and families are walking up and down Keith Wilson to and from the school, groceries, the library, two different recreation centres to access fitness, little kids on their own or even moms and strollers.”
Bossley said parents of Unsworth elementary students have been lobbying city hall for more sidewalks because of the dangers on the road and few options to travel elsewhere.
She said even though the 83-year-old was hit closer to Peach Road than Unsworth, the school yard was used as a landing zone for the air ambulance, something that she says “traumatized” some parents and students.
“This is a very dangerous road,” she said.
The Progress visited the spot recently and within minutes a woman pushing a stroller walked out from a south side street onto the bike lane on Keith Wilson, travelled east amid constant traffic in both directions.
The lack of sidewalks in that stretch is an obvious issue, but is not isolated to that road in a city that is growing rapidly with an increasingly blurred line between urban and rural life.
“Over the years, Chilliwack has changed from a rural to an urban community and our standards for sidewalks have also changed,” city spokesperson Jamie Leggatt explained via email to questions about this stretch of road. “Years ago, developers were not required to put in sidewalks. Now, when development happens, we take the opportunity to ensure developers include sidewalks in their works. Sidewalks are not only added during development, we have also been adding sidewalks throughout the community each year as budgeted.”
City council has increased the budget for sidewalk and pedestrian improvements from $250,000 per year to $400,000 per year, Leggatt explained.
“In the pedestrian plan we will be prioritizing locations close to elementary schools.”
In January, the city’s engineering department hosted a public engagement event at the Sardis Library and presented planned pedestrian crosswalk and sidewalk improvements in the Keith Wilson Road area. Long term improvements will include road widening and sidewalks from Vedder Road to Tyson Road. And over the next two years, so-called “Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons” are planned for crosswalks at Keith Wilson and Lindys and at Keith Wilson and Janis.
As for the 83-year-old struck, he was transported by air ambulance to Royal Columbian Hospital although his status to date is unclear.
The RCMP’s Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS) are investigating and city hall is waiting for their feedback regarding safety in the area.
“I can understand how there would be an increased discussion about sidewalks after such a terrible incident, as sidewalks do provide pedestrians with an increased feeling of safety,” the city spokesperson said.
Parents, however, remain worried there will be a tragedy in the meantime.
“All of us are just horrified that a kid is going to get hit or something is going to happen,” Bossley said. “There’s nowhere else to go… it’s really on people’s minds. We are all talking about it now.”
• READ MORE: Chilliwack RCMP officer charged after elderly woman struck by police vehicle
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