What’s scarier than going thousands of dollars into debt for a piece of paper that offers no guarantee of earning back its worth, let alone securing the career you’re studying for?
Getting hit by a car.
And, here at Camosun College, that fear is a daily early-morning concern.
Hate Mondays? Find yourself half asleep walking into your first class of the day? Why not catch the #14 bus to school and attempt to cross Richmond Street to truly wake you up?
Foul Bay Road has a lovely and respected pedestrian crosswalk at the main entrance of the school, complete with signs and flashing lights, so why not have the same situation on the opposite side of the school where the secondary entrance can be found, and where one of the major bus routes drops off a large number of Camosun students all day?
I realize crosswalks don’t magically appear, or I’m sure that would have happened one of the many times this issue was previously raised… no, a crosswalk at this location would take some thought and planning.
Richmond Street is certainly a doozy, especially during rush hour when most students are coming and going. Traffic quickly travels over the hill near the corner of Lansdowne with limited visibility, coming around a sharp corner prior to that. This busy road is a danger for students and drivers alike. These reasons are also what makes, or what should make, a crosswalk at this location a priority for the college.
Is this issue going to be overlooked after being brought up yet again? Is a student petition required? Or does a student really need to be struck by a vehicle to have this obvious safety concern addressed?
I find it hard to believe that the college simply doesn’t care about the well-being of its tuition-yielding attendees and “leaders of tomorrow,” as Camosun refers to them.
Yes, there’s a crosswalk at the intersection a mere block away with a two-minute wait time to cross, plus another block of a walk back up to the school grounds, but what student with less than five minutes to get to class is going to go through all of that just to cross two lanes of traffic in Victoria?
Scratch that; I’ve got an idea!
Why not simply install a crosswalk at the top of the hill in plain view of traffic, maybe throw in a couple of warning signs with flashing lights to give drivers fair warning of a pedestrian-controlled walkway? This would allow students an easily accessed and safe street crossing at the bottom of the stairs at the secondary Camosun College entrance, with the large staircase leading up to the historic Young Building.
This would make the secondary entrance of the Lansdowne campus not only safe, but one to be proud of.