Long trek to bus stop frightening in Westerra
The walk from Leshae Bells’ home on the western edge of the city to the nearest bus stop may take only 20 minutes — but it’s a fear-filled stretch of time as she treads carefully along the side of a high traffic, high speed roadway.
There’s no sidewalk or fencing to distance the 18-year-old woman from the 80 km/h traffic zipping along Dewdney Avenue as she heads to her downtown job.
“One day I had to walk when it was really foggy out and I couldn’t see a thing which was really hazardous for me,” said Bell.
“I was really scared.”
Bell lives in the three-year old Westerra subdivision, which doesn’t yet have transit service into the community.
So residents have to trek to the closest bus stop 1.6 kilometres away on Dewdney Avenue and Courtney Street.
It’s not the arguably modest distance that bothers Bell, but the potential danger as she walks that has her constantly on edge.
She’s always on the look out for cars, dresses in bright clothing and has literally jumped out of the way to avoid cars coming too close for comfort.
The city expects to extend transit service into Westerra sometime in 2020.
“Transit has service standards when new service is introduced into a new community,” said Nathan Luhning, the city’s manager of transit administration.
“For residential areas like Westerra, there needs to be 1,000 residents per kilometre of route. Depending on the development, some take longer to reach those thresholds than others.”
Luhning said the city does receive requests for service in Westerra, and they take that opportunity to explain the planning process to residents.
“For the most part they understand,” he said. “I do understand that (in) certain situations like this, it may be difficult.”
Based on projection numbers transit received from the planning department, it’s expected Westerra will reach that threshold by next year.
Luhning said extending transit service into the area will be part of the 2020 city budget process. Once the budget is approved, the proposed routes will go before the community and protective services committee.
A route would likely be implemented sometime between May and August of 2020.
But that doesn’t help Bell in the short term, especially as winter approaches and icy, snowy roads pose an even bigger risk to pedestrians. As it stands now, if Bell comes home from work after dark, she doesn’t risk the walk and instead calls a taxi to get the rest of the way home.
“She’s as aware as I am that the later in the day you go, the more likely people are under the influence — so she’s scared,” said Bell’s grandmother Sarah.
And so is Sarah.
“I’m absolutely terrified for her because I can see her being hit and killed.” she said. “I don’t think (the city’s) intention was to put people’s lives at risk, but they are. No lights. No sidewalks.”
Another problem in the area, said Leshae, is that the lines on the road are so faded that vehicles, especially at night, have trouble seeing them, so veer into where she is supposed to be walking.
“Personally, I can understand where the city is coming from,” she said of the threshold. “But at the exact same time, it is dangerous for those of us who have to use transit.”
Sidewalks, fencing or a barricade of some kind to protect her from the traffic “would make it so much safer,” she said. “That would definitely be something I would hope for.”
The city was unavailable to comment further on pedestrian safety in the area.
According to Luhning, transit service was extended into new communities including Fairways West, Greens on Gardiner and additional service in Harbour Landing last year.
Other developments that don’t have transit service include Aurora and the airport, but are on the city’s radar, he said.
I don’t think (the city’s) intention was to put people’s lives at risk, but they are. No lights. No sidewalks.