City of Nanaimo encourages all road users to be alert and be seen

Koch (pictured) says no matter how someone commutes, everyone will be a pedestrian at some point in their journey. Photo: Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7fm

As the days get shorter and the weather becomes cold and wet, the City of Nanaimo is reminding everyone commuting to stay alert and be seen in their community, whether by car, bike, or while walking.

November 13 is Pedestrian Safety Day in Nanaimo and drivers are encouraged to pay extra attention and slow down while driving, as pedestrians and cyclists are less visible after the sun goes down.

Pedestrians and cyclists are also encouraged to make eye contact with drivers, use designated crosswalks and wear highly visible clothing to stay safe while walking or biking along roads.

To help encourage road safety, city staff were handing out free feather-shaped reflector keychains to pedestrians on Pedestrian Safety Day.

CHLY met with Madeleine Koch, Active Transportation Project Specialist for the City on the corner of Fitzwilliam and Wesley Street, while she was handing out the reflectors. 

“With the days getting darker and wetter, it's harder to see people who are out walking, so we're helping pedestrians stay a little bit more visible with these reflectors. We also want to remind drivers that it's a very important time to stay extra alert on the road and be on the lookout for people,” Koch said. “Not everyone's going to have some reflection on but there are a lot of people out, even when it becomes darker at this time of year.”

Koch said a day like Pedestrian Safety Day is important for everyone, as everyone will be a pedestrian at some point in their journey.

“That's something I think is important to reflect on these days, we all have at least one part of any trip that we take–even if we're driving–we are going to be walking at some point,” she said. “So the [reflectors] are good for everybody to just be aware when you're out after dark these days.”

Koch said it is also important that drivers follow B.C.’s safe passing law, introduced in June of this year. Drivers must now keep new minimum distances from vulnerable road users.

The provincial government states that vulnerable road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, individuals riding on animals or in vehicles pulled by animals, as well as people who use electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters and electric kick scooters. 

The new rules require drivers to stay a minimum distance of one metre on highways with speeds of 50 km/h or less and one-and-a-half metres on highways with speeds of 51 km/h or more from vulnerable road users.

By definition in the Provincial Highway Act, a highway refers to all public streets, roads, ways, trails, lanes, bridges, trestles, ferry landings and approaches and any other public way.

“The farther cars are away when they're passing a vulnerable road user, the less likely for a collision and potential for injury or death,” she said.

Koch said the biggest piece of advice she has for pedestrians is to wear clothes or items that will help you be seen. 

“But also don't assume that just because you're wearing high vis people do see you. It's really unfortunate, in a way, we have to be defensive pedestrians,” She said. “Where we're just having to be very careful that we're being seen before crossing the road, and just not assuming that we're being seen at the same time.”

According to the City of Nanaimo, intersections are the most common place for drivers to hit pedestrians.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.