White posts bulking out several sidewalks in Oak Bay for the past three years will remain, despite questions about their current value.
The bollards carve out extra space for pedestrians in several areas of the community, including along Oak Bay Avenue and Crescent Road.
Established in 2020 as temporary expanded sidewalks in response to the pandemic, the bollards allowed people to more easily pass each other.
In 2022, the crosswalk at Wilmot and Oak Bay Avenue got a $8,335 upgrade with the addition of aluminum planters alongside the white delineators. Other than that, the white flexible posts have been simply maintained for three years.
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Recently, municipal staff reviewed the pandemic measure and recommended the bollards be removed everywhere except the crosswalks at Wilmot and Oak Bay Avenue.
Different areas heard different, yet similar concerns, and discussion was parsed off into two areas, the village and Crescent Road.
The motion to retain bollards on Crescent Road passed with Coun. Hazel Braithwaite, Cairine Green and Mayor Kevin Murdoch opposed.
The area is a narrow one-way sidewalk that supports about 200 households, with people walking to nearby schools, buses, grocery stores and the beach, said Coun. Carrie Smart, who lives in the area.
She said the bollards have improved safety for those walking with strollers or side-by-side.
“Cycling safety was definitely improved with this measure,” she said.
The motion to remove the bollards on Oak Bay Avenue failed, with Couns. Ester Paterson, Smart, Andrew Appleton and Leslie Watson opposed.
Council opted to leave them in place in the village, despite Business Improvement Area president Martin Cownden voicing sincere appreciation for the quick efforts during the pandemic to put measures in place. He said then it helped keep businesses connected to customers and allowed for easier access. It was critical for survival mode, but is a hindrance for recovery, he said.
“The combination of lack of parking in that section of the village and a perception of parking scarcity is prompting customers to consider shopping elsewhere. The megamalls have tons of parking,” Cownden said.
In a show of contrary perspectives some said they’re hearing the bollards make people feel safer, even those with mobility aids or issues more comfortable walking in the village. While others said they’ve heard stories of those with accessibility concerns who don’t come to the village because they can’t find parking close enough.
The perception of added safety also remains in contention.
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Green said speeding remains an issue and argued the changes don’t improve safety for pedestrians or cyclists.
“It behooves us to look at the long-term planning – rather than a reactive approach, a proactive approach,” she said.
Watson is among those who sees it as an improvement.
“I certainly would not support them as a long-term solution, (however) I think removing them would be counter-productive,” she said. “The bollards give a physical clue to drivers that the road is narrower and therefore they drive more slowly … even though it’s not a perfect solution it has, and does, change behaviour.”
What everyone agreed on is that the measures highlighted a need for improved pedestrian access in many areas of the community.
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Not convinced it’s a safety improvement, Murdoch, who seemed on the fence, leaned to removal – noting the district plans to work on a village area plan this year.
“I think we all agree the sidewalks have to be widened,” Murdoch said. He later added: “There’s a reason we’re doing a plan because we can only afford to do this once.”
This is simply no longer a pandemic response conversation, Appleton said.
“What the bollards have allowed us to do is … it has revealed the deficiencies in our pedestrian and walking and accessibility and the nature of our infrastructure. These were problems that were always there,” he said. “We revealed some of the challenges that we have at the street level.”
