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CORPORATION OF DELTA, BC

Elementary Schools

Safe Routes to School Plan

Final Report

850-1185 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC V6E 4E6 Canada

Tel: 604-684-4488 Fax: 604-684-5908 www.opushamilton.ca

ISO 9001:2000 Registered


Elementary Schools Safe Routes to School Plan

Final Report

Opus International Consultants (BC) Ltd. Prepared by: Lisa Moffatt, B.A., M.A. Transportation Planner Reviewed by: Kanny Chow, P. Eng. Senior Project Manager September, 2008 H-08195.00 / H-80036

Sarah Rocchi, P.Eng., PTOE Senior Project Manager

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN


TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Study Purpose 1 1.2 Location 2 1.3 Method 2

2.0 GENERAL ISSUES 5

3.0 ANNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY 8

4.0 BEACH GROVE ELEMENTARY 13

5.0 BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY 18

6.0 BROOKE ELEMENTARY 22

7.0 CHALMERS ELEMENTARY 26

8.0 CLIFF DRIVE ELEMENTARY 31

9.0 COUGAR CANYON ELEMENTARY 36

10.0 DELTA MANOR ELEMENTARY 41

11.0 DEVON GARDENS ELEMENTARY 46

12.0 ENGLISH BLUFF ELEMENTARY 52

13.0 GIBSON ELEMENTARY 57

14.0 GRAY ELEMENTARY 62

15.0 HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY 67

16.0 HEATH ELEMENTARY 72

17.0 HELLINGS ELEMENTARY 78



18.0 HOLLY ELEMENTARY 83

19.0 JARVIS ELEMENTARY 87

20.0 LADNER ELEMENTARY 92

21.0 MCCLOSKEY ELEMENTARY 97

22.0 NEILSON GROVE ELEMENTARY 102

23.0 PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY 107

24.0 PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY 111

25.0 PORT GUICHON ELEMENTARY 115

26.0 RICHARDSON ELEMENTARY 120

27.0 SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY 124

28.0 SUNSHINE HILLS ELEMENTARY 129

29.0 BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI HOUSE 134

31.0 ÉCOLE DU BOIS-JOLI 144

32.0 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL 148

33.0 SACRED HEART SCHOOL 155

34.0 SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY 159

35.0 STATE OF THE PRACTICE 165

36.0 OTHER OPPORTUNITIES 171

37.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 177



TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED) APPENDIX A MISSING SIDEWALK LINKS APPENDIX B SCHOOL SITE DESIGN GUIDELINES APPENDIX C GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1.1 SCHOOLS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY 3

TABLE 2.1 SUMMARY OF ISSUES AND CONCERNS 5

TABLE 35.1 REVIEW OF RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 166

TABLE 37.1 CROSSING FEATURES BY ROAD CLASSIFICATION 178



LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 3.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – ANNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY 11

FIGURE 3.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – ANNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY 12

FIGURE 4.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BEACH GROVE ELEMENTARY 16

FIGURE 4.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – BEACH GROVE ELEMENTARY 17

FIGURE 5.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY 20

FIGURE 5.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY 21

FIGURE 6.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BROOKE ELEMENTARY 24

FIGURE 6.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – BROOKE ELEMENTARY 25

FIGURE 7.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – CHALMERS ELEMENTARY 29

FIGURE 7.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – CHALMERS ELEMENTARY 30

FIGURE 8.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – CLIFF DRIVE ELEMENTARY 34

FIGURE 8.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – CLIFF DRIVE ELEMENTARY 35

FIGURE 9.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – COUGAR CANYON ELEMENTARY 39

FIGURE 9.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – COUGAR CANYON ELEMENTARY 40

FIGURE 10.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – DELTA MANOR ELEMENTARY 44

FIGURE 10.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – DELTA MANOR ELEMENTARY 45

FIGURE 11.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – DEVON GARDENS ELEMENTARY 50

FIGURE 11.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – DEVON GARDENS ELEMENTARY 51

FIGURE 12.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – ENGLISH BLUFF ELEMENTARY 55

FIGURE 12.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – ENGLISH BLUFF ELEMENTARY 56

FIGURE 13.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – GIBSON ELEMENTARY 60

FIGURE 13.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – GIBSON ELEMENTARY 61

FIGURE 14.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – GRAY ELEMENTARY 64

FIGURE 14.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – GRAY ELEMENTARY 66

FIGURE 15.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY 70

FIGURE 15.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY 71

FIGURE 16.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HEATH ELEMENTARY 76

FIGURE 16.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HEATH ELEMENTARY 77

FIGURE 17.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HELLINGS ELEMENTARY 81



FIGURE 17.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HELLINGS ELEMENTARY 82

FIGURE 18.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HOLLY ELEMENTARY 85

FIGURE 18.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HOLLY ELEMENTARY 86

FIGURE 19.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – JARVIS ELEMENTARY 90

FIGURE 19.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – JARVIS ELEMENTARY 91

FIGURE 20.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – LADNER ELEMENTARY 95

FIGURE 20.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – LADNER ELEMENTARY 96

FIGURE 21.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – MCCLOSKEY ELEMENTARY 100

FIGURE 21.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – MCCLOSKEY ELEMENTARY 101

FIGURE 22.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – NEILSON GROVE ELEMENTARY 105

FIGURE 22.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – NEILSON GROVE ELEMENTARY 106

FIGURE 23.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY 109

FIGURE 23.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY 110

FIGURE 24.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY 113

FIGURE 24.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY 114

FIGURE 25.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – PORT GUICHON ELEMENTARY 118

FIGURE 25.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – PORT GUICHON ELEMENTARY 119

FIGURE 26.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – RICHARDSON ELEMENTARY 122

FIGURE 26.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – RICHARDSON ELEMENTARY 123

FIGURE 27.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY 127

FIGURE 27.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY 128

FIGURE 28.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SUNSHINE HILLS ELEMENTARY 132

FIGURE 28.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – SUNSHINE HILLS ELEMENTARY 133

FIGURE 29.1 SIGHT DISTANCE SEQUENCE AT BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI 136

FIGURE 29.2 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI 137

FIGURE 29.3 PROPOSED CHANGES – BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI 138

FIGURE 30.1 RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS FOR DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 141

FIGURE 30.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. 142

FIGURE 30.3 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 143

FIGURE 31.1 OBSERVATIONS AT ECOLE DU BOIS-JOLI 145



FIGURE 31.2 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – ÉCOLE DU BOIS-JOLI 146

FIGURE 31.3 PROPOSED CHANGES – ÉCOLE DU BOIS-JOLI 147

FIGURE 32.1 SITE LAYOUT – IMMACULATE CONCPETION SCHOOL 150

FIGURE 32.2 CROSSWALKS DURING PICKUP AT IMMACULATE CONCPETION SCHOOL 150

FIGURE 32.3 INTERSECTION OF 88TH AVENUE AND 119TH STREET LOOKING EAST 152

FIGURE 32.4 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL 153

FIGURE 32.5 PROPOSED CHANGES – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL 154

FIGURE 33.1 PICK UP OPTIONS AT SACRED HEART SCHOOL 156

FIGURE 33.2 SCHOOL CROSSING AND CROSSWALK SIGNS AT SACRED HEART SCHOOL 156

FIGURE 33.3 LOCATION FOR SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION 157

FIGURE 33.4 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SACRED HEART SCHOOL 158

FIGURE 34.1 SCHOOL SITES FOR SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY 160

FIGURE 34.2 SCHOOL PICK UP ON 55A STREET AT SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY 161

FIGURE 34.3 SCHOOL BUS PARKED ILLEGALLY BLOCKING VIEW OF CROSSING STUDENTS 162

FIGURE 34.4 HIDDEN DRIVEWAY TO SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY 162

FIGURE 34.5 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY 164

FIGURE 36.1 BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY ENTRANCE 171

FIGURE 36.2 DELTA MANOR PEDESTRIAN AND MOTOR VEHICLE SEPERATION 172

FIGURE 36.3 PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION 173

FIGURE 36.4 HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION 173

FIGURE 36.5 OBSCURED SIGNS ON STREET NEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 176

FIGURE 37.1 WAY TO GO! PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 182



1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Safe Routes to School

The Delta School Board’s Safe Routes to School Program is a program initiated

by the Corporation of Delta to develop maps for distribution to schools in the

Delta School District to demonstrate preferred routes for students to walk to

elementary schools in the municipality. The maps were developed with the

recognition that some routes would be considered priorities for improvements in

the short to long term.

1.1 Study Purpose

The purpose of this study is to help promote walking as a sustainable

transportation choice for traveling to school by evaluating Delta’s Safe Routes to

School Program in terms of deficiencies in pedestrian facilities around the

schools.

Walking is an important part of transportation as almost all trips start and end with

walking. The benefits of a “walkable” community are immeasurable. A walkable

community has the following benefits:

� enhances economic development by increasing access to businesses;

� mproves the environment by reducing air pollution;

� alleviates traffic by reducing trips in the car, and

� promotes a sense of community by transforming neighborhoods into

friendlier, more attractive places to live.

In addition to these benefits, a walkable community also encourages residents to

adapt a healthier lifestyle, as walking is one of the most affordable and accessible

types of exercise available.

Delta’s Official Community Plan outlines policies for alternate modes of

transportation, neighbourhood livability and transportation demand management;

all of which may be supported by a successful Safe Routes to School Program.

The Corporation outlines the following policies in each of these areas:



2

� Policy 2.9.25: Improve the pedestrian environment by implementing

sidewalk, street crossing and lighting improvements;

� Policy 2.9.26: Consider pedestrian safety and accommodate the

mobility challenged when designing road infrastructure;

� Policy 2.9.30: Monitor and review the effectiveness of traffic

management measures after they have been implemented;

� Policy 2.9.31: Review neighbourhood priorities on an annual

basis to ensure that local traffic issues are being addressed in a

timely manner; and

� Policy 2.9.35: Review and update Delta’s road classifications

with the objective of meeting the diversified needs of the

Corporation, encouraging sustainability, increasing livability and

reducing environmental impacts.

1.2 Location

The location of the study included the three areas of Delta: North Delta, Ladner

and Tsawwassen.

1.3 Method

The study tasks were completed in four phases:

� Phase 1: Site Visits

� Phase 2: Interviews with School Officials and/or PAC Representatives

� Phase 3: Evaluation

� Phase 4: Recommendations

Site visits were conducted at each of the 26 public school and 6 private school

sites shown in TABLE 1.1. All of the site visits were conducted in conjunction with

pick up and drop off of students.



3

TABLE 1.1 SCHOOLS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY

SCHOOL ADDRESS

Annieville Elementary 9240 - 112 Street

Beach Grove Elementary 5955 - 17A Avenue

Boundary Beach Elementary 6570 - 1A Avenue

Brooke Elementary 8718 Delwood Drive

Chalmers Elementary 11315 - 75 Avenue

Cliff Drive Elementary 5025 - 12 Avenue

Cougar Canyon Elementary 11664 Lyon Road

Delta Manor Elementary 4750 - 57 Street

Devon Gardens Elementary 8884 Russell Drive

English Bluff Elementary 402 English Bluff Road

Gibson Elementary 11451 - 90 Avenue

Gray Elementary 10855 - 80 Avenue

Hawthorne Elementary 5160 Central Avenue

Heath Elementary 11364 - 72 Avenue

Hellings Elementary 11655 - 86 Avenue

Holly Elementary 4625 - 62 Street

Jarvis Elementary 7670 - 118 Street

Ladner Elementary 5016 - 44 Avenue

McCloskey Elementary 11531 - 80 Avenue

Neilson Grove Elementary 5500 Admiral Boulevard

Pebble Hill Elementary 246 - 52A Street

Pinewood Elementary 11777 Pinewood Drive

Port Guichon Elementary 4381 - 46A Street

Richardson Elementary 11339 - 83 Avenue

South Park Elementary 735 Gilchrist Drive

Public Schools

Sunshine Hills Elementary 11285 Bond Boulevard

Boundary Bay Montessori School 3800 72 Street

Delta Christian School 4789 53 Street.

École du Bois-Jolie 785 - 49 Street

Immaculate Conception 8840 119 Street

Sacred Heart 3900 Arthur Drive

Private Schools

Southpointe Academy 1715 56 Street

Site visits were conducted using existing Safe Routes to School Maps developed

by Delta staff for each of the public schools. No prior Safe Routes to School

Maps had been developed for the private schools, so the maps for these

locations were generally based on the routes for the closest public schools.

Interviews were conducted with each of the school by Mavis Johnson or Lisa

Moffatt. In each case, either the Principals and / or PAC representatives were

involved.



4

This study was conducted in two stages. Site visits and interviews for the public

schools took place in winter/spring 2007. Site visits and interviews for the private

schools took place in February and March of 2008. An evaluation of both the site

visits and interviews was conducted to complete the picture of each school’s

situation, to identify areas of safety concern, to develop new recommended

Routes to School Maps, and to determine priorities for facility improvement. A

chapter for each school is included, followed by the new recommended Safe

Routes to School Map, as well as a map identifying issues and potential solutions

for the new routes. Delta-wide issues and programs to improve school route

safety were also identified.

Based on the new routes, missing sidewalk links were identified. All safe routes

to school were identified as candidates for sidewalk improvements, except on

some low-volume cul-de sacs. Missing sidewalks on local streets were generally

considered to be lower priority, unless significant concerns were raised during the

interviews or during site visits. Missing sidewalks on collector and arterial streets

were considered to be higher priority. Delta practice indicates that only one

sidewalk is required on local streets. The missing sidewalk links are summarized

in APPENDIX A.

The focus of the recommendations for private schools differed slightly from the

focus for public schools as private schools do not have a catchment area. Often

students are not only travelling from within Delta to attend these facilities, they

also travel from neighbouring municipalities and other locations including:

� Richmond; � North Delta (to Tsawwassen); � White Rock; and � Surrey.

As many of the private school students live further from home, the incidence of

them walking to school is considerably lower than for public school students,

ranging from 0 percent to 20 percent. Our focus on these site visits was the

circulation of traffic on-site at pick-up times. Schools wishing to improve the flow

during pick-up times may wish to consider implementing a three-zone system as

discussed in APPENDIX A. The three zones include one area to wait in-car in a

queue to pick up a child, one area to park your car and walk to the school to pick

up the child, and one area to park your car and wait for your child to come to you

(for older children).



5

2.0 GENERAL ISSUES

A summary of issues and concerns identified by school representatives as part of

the interview process is presented in TABLE 2.1. Complete interviews are

presented in subsequent chapters for each school location.

TABLE 2.1 SUMMARY OF ISSUES AND CONCERNS

SCHOOL

Lack

of

Side

wal

ks/

Inad

equa

te

Wid

th

Issu

es w

ith

Cros

sing

s

Cros

sing

G

uard

Re

ques

ts

Sign

age

Win

ter

Mai

nten

ance

Scho

ol S

ite

Layo

ut

Traf

fic

Spee

d

Lack

of

Rout

es

Traf

fic

Volu

me

Annieville X X X X X X Beach Grove X X X Boundary Beach X Brooke X X X X Chalmers X X X Cliff Drive X X X X X X X Cougar Canyon X X X Delta Manor X X X Devon Gardens X X X X X X English Bluff X X X X Gibson X X Gray X Hawthorne X X X X Heath X X X X Hellings X X X Holly X X Jarvis X Ladner X X X McCloskey X Neilson Grove X X X Pebble Hill X X X Pinewood X Port Guichon X X X X Richardson X X South Park X X Sunshine Hills X X Boundary Bay Montessori X X X Delta Christian X Ecole du Bois-Jolie X X Immaculate Conception X X X Sacred Heart X X X X Southpointe Academy X X X X



6

The majority of schools in the study had concerns with the lack of sidewalks on

existing identified routes or that the sidewalks were an inadequate width. While

many of the routes are indeed on streets without sidewalks, it is also true that

most of these streets are in quiet residential areas with many of the routes on

local roads. However, some of the routes are located on collector roads, higher

volume local streets, or streets where physical conditions (such as narrow

shoulders, ditches, or parked vehicles) detract from the pedestrian environment.

Most of the schools in the study also had concerns about crossings near school

locations. Some of these crossings are on curves in the road. Another frequently

cited concern was that the crossing was not at the intersection closest to the

school.

Many of the schools also voiced concerns about traffic speed at or near the

school where children would be expected to walk. Some of the schools also have

an issue with traffic cutting through the school zone to avoid delays on nearby

arterials.

Summary of Other Findings from Public Schools:

� 30 percent of the schools said they were consulted in the development of the existing plan developed by Delta staff;

� 5 percent of the schools use the existing plan developed by Delta staff;

� There are no walking bus programs;

� 65 percent of the schools participate in the “Way to Go!” Program;

� None of the schools have a formal school Road Safety Plan;

� 53 percent of schools are served by one or more adult crossing guards; and,

� 46 percent of schools are served by School Safety Patrols. The “Way to Go!” Program is a province-wide program sponsored by ICBC to

reduce vehicle trips to schools. It includes programs to promote walking and



7

includes instructions to develop a Safe Routes to School Map. There is a

discrepancy in that the schools consider that they participate in the “Way to Go!”

Program without using their safe routes to school map. Generally, when schools

indicated that they participated in the “Way to Go!” Program, it meant that the

school promotes a “Walk to School Day”, at least once per year. Participation in

other aspects of the “Way to Go” Program was less evident.

Very few of the schools were using Safe Routes to School maps previously

developed by the Corporation. The interviews conducted in this study may help

raise awareness of the plan.



8

3.0 ANNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 9240-112 Street., North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Jaye Sawatsky

PAC attendees: Kerry Belanger,

Katherine Silen

General Observations and Site Visit

The school is located on 92A Avenue between 112 Street and 114 Street in an

older residential community of North Delta. 112 Street is a bus route and there is

often additional congestion and speeding traffic with cars travelling through the

neighbourhood from 114 Street along 92A Avenue onto River Road. There is

some traffic calming in the form of raised crosswalks on several streets around

the school. In addition to the main entrance to the school, off 112 Street, there is

an entrance that is heavily used on 114 Street. Four buses bring children to

special programs at the school. Non-staff vehicles are not allowed in the staff

parking lot.

92 Avenue is designated as a safe route to school, however the sidewalk on the

south side is narrow with no curb and gutter. Students must also cross through

the parking lot to access the main entrance.

Interview

The school acknowledged that the PAC members had input into the current Safe

Route to School map. The school is a great supporter of the Walk to School

Programs and encourages adults to send or bring their children along these

routes. The school includes safety messages in their PAC newsletters. It is

estimated that about 90 percent of the students walk to school. There is no

official “walking bus” program, although organized walks take place frequently

and the school is very active in the “Way to Go!” Program.



9

The demographics of the school have remained stable since the Plan’s inception,

although the school population is on a slight decline (currently 318). Continual

reminders about the Plan go out in the PAC Newsletter.

The school representatives expressed their concerns that call for improvements to

the Plan:

� The lack of sidewalks and areas with soft shoulders; and

� The speed of vehicles on streets around the school.

The school representatives feel that they have an open invitation to work with the

Corporation and have had some discussions with Delta about more traffic

calming measures.

The school does not have a formal Road Safety Plan nor do they participate in a

volunteer student school patrol program. They have one paid adult crossing

guard located outside the school entrance at the intersection of 112 Street and

92A Avenue and one at the intersection of 114 Street and 92A Avenue.

Recommended Improvements

� Side-mounted

signage at crosswalk

at school entrance

should be facing both

directions of traffic on

both sides of the

street;

� Trees should be

trimmed back for

maximum visibility of

all signage;

� Crosswalk treatments should be consistent; and

� Additional safe routes could be designated on off-road paths and

lower-volume streets, such as 96A Avenue.

� The crosswalk located directly in front of the west entrance of the

school is difficult to see on the wide cross-section of 112th Street.

Annieville - Signage hidden by trees



10

One of the crosswalk signs was obscured by foliage at the time of

the site visit. Additionally, a mid-block crosswalk is less likely to be

anticipated by drivers. As

this crosswalk does not

connect to any of the

designated safe routes to

school, it could be

considered for removal.

Alternatively, the visibility

could be improved

through the provision of

curb extensions.

� Some new safe routes

have been proposed on lower volume roads as an alternative to the

higher-volume collectors.



11

FIGURE 3.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – ANNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY



12

FIGURE 3.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – ANNIEVILLE ELEMENTARY



13

4.0 BEACH GROVE ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 5955 – 17A Avenue, Tsawwassen

PRINCIPAL: Bonnie Steffler

Chair of PAC: Laura Dixon


This is an older residential area with

very few sidewalks and roadside

ditches. Streets are narrow, with

overgrown foliage. Vehicles angle

and parallel park on the shoulder,

occasionally encroaching onto the

street. Pedestrians must share the

roadway with vehicles. However, on

the local streets, speeds are posted

at 30 kilometres per hour. Outside of

school pick-up and drop-off times,

traffic volumes were low, as shown

by the lack of traffic in the adjacent

photo.

Braid Street south of 16th Avenue, typical road

cross-section in the school boundaries.

Poor drainage is a huge issue with children crossing local streets through huge

puddles of water (which were in the form of ice on the day the interview was

conducted).

Many of the families whose children attend this school have at least one “stay-at-

home” parents. That leads to a great deal of parent volunteerism in school

activities.



14

Interview

The PAC feels that they are very much included on the Safe Routes to School

Plan and that they are very connected to the Engineering Department at Delta. In

fact, the PAC traffic safety committee’s responses to the former Safe Routes to

School Plan resulted in a new version, which has been in use since May 2004.

The Safe Routes to School Map is sent home at the start of each school year and

“mini-maps” are frequently printed in the PAC newsletters to establish and to

advise parents of new “walking bus” routes. Many families that attend the school

use the Plan, which results in high participation in Walk to School days and the

“walking bus” program.

It is estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of students walk to school

everyday. Walk to School Day is held every Friday to further encourage walking.

There are also many cyclists, skateboarders and scooter riders. Participation is

monitored using a chart. Children are responsible for recording their participation

on the “walking chart”.

School representatives suggested some improvements to the Plan:

� Many of the surrounding streets need sidewalks and better drainage (PAC

continues to have dialogue Delta on both these fronts); � One idea the PAC is trying to promote is to have no pick-up and drop-off

activities outside the school, but rather, have parents drive their children to

a nearby parking lot (they suggested the South Delta Recreation Centre)

and walk the remaining distance; and � The PAC is also trying to establish a formal bike route from the Imperial

Village subdivision to the school. The PAC also identified the following issues:

� Significant congestion on school days at pick-up and drop-off times on

Braid Road;

� Heavy traffic volumes on Beach Grove Road with parked vehicles on the

shoulder; and

� Diagonal parking in front of the tennis courts leads to congestion during

pick-up and drop-off times.



15

The school does not have a formal Road Safety Plan, but likes the idea. The

school does not have an adult crossing guard, nor do they participate in the

School Safety Patrol Program. However, the school is very active in the “Way to

Go!” Program and considers themselves to be an extremely environmentally

friendly and supportive school.


� Review drainage issues. � Provide sidewalk on the West side of Beach Grove Avenue from 12 Ave to

17A Avenue. � Restrict parking on the recommended safe routes since providing

sidewalks on local streets might detract from the character of this

neighbourhood. In order to reduce the parking impacts of this

recommendation, parking could be restricted on one side only, leaving one

shoulder clear for students to walk on. Students would walk northbound

on Braid Road, and southbound on Farrell Crescent. Consultation with

residents is recommended prior to implementing such restrictions. � Restrict pick-up and drop-off outside the school and implement a

recommended pick-up and drop-off spot at the South Delta Recreation

Centre. Students can then walk the rest of the way to school on paths and

the north side of 17A Avenue. In the short term, incentives could be used

such as sponsoring “Bagel Days,” special days where bagels or coffee are

provided to parents who drop off at the Recreation Centre. � Change angle parking at tennis courts to parallel parking.



16

FIGURE 4.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BEACH GROVE ELEMENTARY



17

FIGURE 4.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – BEACH GROVE ELEMENTARY



18

5.0 BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 6570 – 1A Avenue., Tsawwassen

PRINCIPAL: Doug Thompson


This school had the least amount of traffic observed in the municipality. The

school offers Kindergarten to Grade Three and currently has an enrollment of 36

students. The majority of the students attending Boundary Beach Elementary

walk to school since families live quite close to the school. The school is situated

at the corner of 1A Avenue and 65B Street and is surrounded by a park area.

Many parents and children walk along 65B Street to school; however, there are

no sidewalks on this street and this street is not marked on the Safe Routes Map.

The staff parking is at the front of the school but there are only a few spots

available.

Doug Thompson, the Principal of both Boundary Beach Elementary and South

Park Elementary, came to the school for the meeting.

Interview

School representatives admit that they were not consulted regarding the Map, but

there is currently a discussion regarding the placement of some crosswalks on

Boundary Bay Road. The Map is included in the school newsletter, however,

people tend to make their own way to the school and the majority of students

walk to school. There is no formal “walking bus” program although students

participate in organized walking days.



19

There is a concern about decreased enrollment at the school, which has dropped

by half in ten years. It is uncertain whether or not the school will remain open

much longer.

School representatives had one suggestion to improve the Plan. They would like

to see a safer route through the parking lot. No sidewalk is provided on the south

side of 1A Avenue adjacent to the parking lot, so no attractive alternative exists.

The school feels that it has an open invitation to work with the Corporation and is

in ongoing discussions regarding crosswalks on Boundary Bay Road.

The school does not have an adult crossing guard nor do the students participate

in the School Safety Patrol Program.


Due to the uncertain future of the school, low enrolment, and limited number of

students walking unaccompanied, Boundary Beach is a low priority for

engineering improvements. Corporation staff could work with school staff to

identify the preferred route for students from 65B Street to access the school, and

mark the route accordingly.



20

FIGURE 5.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY



21

FIGURE 5.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY



22

6.0 BROOKE ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 8718 Delwood Drive, North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Barbara Hague

Chair of PAC: Pat Lavery


Brooke Elementary School is located in a residential area bordered by Brooke

Road, Dunlop Road and Delwood Drive.

Brooke Road at Nordel Way (looking

north)

The school is on the southeast side of River

Road but is not connected directly to River

Road. Some children cross River Road and

some must also cross Nordel Way. Both roads

are high volume arterials with significant truck

traffic. A pedestrian signal with pedestrian

countdown timers is provided at Brooke Road

and Nordel Way. None of the crossings of

River Road in the catchment area have signals,

although overhead signs are provided for the

crosswalks. There are two access points to the

school: a gate from Brooke Road and the

formal vehicular entrance off Delwood Drive.

Traffic calming exists on Dunlop Road. Main

Road, currently included on the Safe Routes

Map, has speed humps, but is narrow, winding,

and has no sidewalks. Main Road (looking east)



23

Interview

The school representatives indicated that there was some parental input into the

current maps via a survey, but no formal mapping has taken place and the map is

not currently used. The school is also not aware of the percentage of students

that walk to school because they have not conducted parental surveys. The

population of the school has remained stable since the development of the Map.

The school participates in the “Way to Go!” Program and was the winning school

in October 2006 with a 94 percent participation rate on average over eight events

throughout the school year. They also used to have a “walking bus” program, but

they no longer do, as the parental volunteer who organized this is no longer with

the school.

The school representatives are very concerned with the lack of formal crossing

opportunities on River Road and Nordel Way. Also some drivers are cutting

through Delwood Drive and Brooke Road as a short cut from River Road to

Nordel Way. They are also concerned about the speed of vehicles, particularly

trucks, along these routes. Concerns about lack of sidewalks on Main Street,

which is shown as a part of the current Safe Routes to School Map, were noted.

The school has a paid adult crossing guard at the intersection of Nordel Way and

Brooke Road but they do not have a school safety patrol. The school participates

in the “Way to Go!” Program, but not on a regular basis. The school

representatives admit that they would like to do more in the area of safe routes to

school but lack the necessary volunteers.


Based on the site visits and interviews, the following improvements are

recommended:

• Designate Dunlop Road as a safe route to school, to provide an alternate to

Main Road.

• Provide speed humps on Delwood Road.

• Provide an adult crossing guard at the intersection of Brooke Road and

River Road.

• Provide sidewalks on Main Road, Terrace Road and Delwood Road as they

were identified as medium priority for sidewalks.



24

FIGURE 6.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BROOKE ELEMENTARY



25

FIGURE 6.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – BROOKE ELEMENTARY



26

7.0 CHALMERS ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 11315 – 75 Avenue., North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Matt Carruthers (met with Vice-

Principal. Mrs.Lauman)


The school is located at the intersection of 75 Avenue and 113 Street, which is a

curve in the road rather than a right angle intersection. There are signs indicating

‘no parking’ in front of the school during pick-up and drop-off times. There is no

crosswalk outside the school but there is a raised marked crosswalk at 75 Avenue

and 115 Street. The entrance at 75 Avenue and 113 Street is the primary

entrance to the school. There are three other entrances to the school: at the dead

end of 75A Avenue, across the fields from 77 Avenue, and on the West side of the

school. There are “No Parking” signs at the first entrance, which is located at the

dead end of 75A Avenue. At the second entrance, located at the rear of the

school across the fields from 77 Avenue, there is a marked crosswalk with an

adult crossing guard. Lastly, the entrance on the West side of the school has a

path that leads to 112 Street. The behaviour of drivers was observed to be quite

risky. Some drivers made U-turns right outside the school and others double

parked, not only while they dropped off their children but also while drivers got

out of their vehicles to escort their children into the school.

Interview

School representatives were not aware of the Safe Routes to School Plan. As a

result, the map is not used, although safety messages are frequently included in

the school and PAC newsletters. School representatives feel that they have an

open invitation to work with the Corporation.



27

It is estimated by school representatives that 50 percent of the students walk to

school.

There is a declining enrollment at this school even though the school provides

Late French Immersion for Grade Six and Grade Seven students, which brings

two classes of students from outside of the school catchment area. The out-of-

catchment students may also contribute to additional trips by vehicle.

School representatives had suggestions for improvements to the plan:

� Provide a marked crosswalk outside the primary entrance to create a

formal crossing point;

� Expand the driving loop on school property to provide a stopping lane and

a through lane for all vehicles, which is currently only available to staff and

day care vehicles;

� Make 75 Avenue at 113 Street a one-way to eliminate drivers doing U-turns

outside the school; and � Request more frequent visits by the Delta Police Department to monitor

driver behaviour.

There are also concerns about surrounding streets having no sidewalks or having

inadequate sidewalks.

There is a paid adult crossing guard on 77 Avenue at the rear of the school, but

the school does not participate in a School Safety Patrol Program.

Recommended Improvements:

� Establish a new route on the pathway between the school’s west entrance

and 75 A Avenue;

� Construct a new route on the pathway between the school’s south

entrance and Glenbrook Place and 75 Avenue;

� Construct sidewalks on 115 Street between 72 Avenue and 76A Avenue;

on 113 Street between 72 Avenue and 77 Avenue; and on 117 Street

between 75A Avenue and 77 Avenue.

� Provide a new route from the school’s north entrance to 77 Avenue.



28

� Attempt to direct some of the pick-up and drop-off activities to other

entrances to reduce congestion at the school entrance and thereby reduce

risky behaviours such as double-parking. With the formalization of

pathways, alternate drop-off areas could include 75A Avenue, the

intersection of 77 Avenue and Swanson Drive, and Glenbroke Place.

Establish a new route on the pathway

between the schools’ west entrance and

75A Avenue.


between the school’s south entrance

and Glenbrook Place and 75 Avenue.



29

FIGURE 7.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – CHALMERS ELEMENTARY



30

FIGURE 7.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – CHALMERS ELEMENTARY



31

8.0 CLIFF DRIVE ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 5025 12 Avenue., Tsawwassen

PRINCIPAL: Doug Pready

PAC Chair: Sue Rachatelleau


The school is located on 12 Avenue in Tsawwassen. 12 Avenue has sidewalks on

both sides of the street. The surrounding streets, however, do not have sidewalks

and the roads are very narrow. Parking for pick-up and drop-off on Cliff Drive

reduces the width of the road to allow only one vehicle through at a time. Parking

in close proximity to the school on 12 Avenue is restricted with “No Parking”

signs, but the signs are ignored by many drivers. Traffic travels quickly along 12

Avenue and there is a lack of speed reduction measures. 12 Avenue is also a bus

route. There are two marked crosswalks at the East and West sides of the school

across 12 Avenue. Two separate teams of school patrollers are supposed to be

at the two marked crosswalks, but neither were present during the site visits

conducted on March 30 and April 4.

There is a marked crosswalk directly in

front of the school entrance, connecting

to a pathway. For southbound drivers,

although an “X” is visible on the road,

the crosswalk itself is outside of their

primary cone of vision, because of a

curve in the road.

Cliff Drive – southbound view of crosswalk at

school entrance.



32

Approximately 10 metres west of the intersection of 12 Avenue and Cliff Drive is a

church, where parents are permitted to pick-up and drop-off their children. Also,

beyond the tennis courts, east of the school there is an additional parking area.

The only vehicles allowed into the school area are staff cars and pick-up and

drop-off for Kindergarten and daycare students. Many of the surrounding streets

identified on the Safe Routes Map, including Bayview Drive, Cliff Drive behind the

school, and Upland Drive, are very narrow, have no sidewalks, and have several

blind corners. The front entrance to this school was one of the most congested

areas visited of all the schools.

Interview

School representatives recall the Safe Routes Map being sent out for comment

but admit that the PAC did not respond and that the Map is not currently used.

The school has a relatively stable enrollment of roughly 340 students. The school

leases some classrooms to pre-school and post-school daycare so there is motor

vehicle activity dropping off and picking up from 6:30 AM to the beginning of the

preschool classes, a burst of activity at mid-day related to preschool, and then

again from the end of the school day to 6:30 PM.

School representatives feel that there is a large walking population of students to

the school but could not estimate the percentage. The school has not

participated in many walking programs. In the past, however, they participated in

an April 2006 Walk to School Day organized by the “Way to Go!” Program.

School representatives made several suggestions for improvements to the Plan:

� The Map should show cut-throughs and paths that connect between

heavily used streets;

� The Map should include bike paths; and

� The map should not show Bayview Drive. School representatives do not

consider it to be a safe street for students as it is narrow with blind curves

and no sidewalks.

School representatives feel that there has been good interaction with the

Corporation over the years. Several suggestions were also made for



33

improvements to pedestrian facilities, although some of these areas are under the

jurisdiction of the School District:

� “Drop-off / Pick-up” signage needs to be enhanced and “No Parking” sign locations should be reviewed (Delta and School District);

� An area of unused green space at the front of the school could be paved to allow for a vehicular pick-up and drop-off area (School District);

� Address the need for sidewalks on many of the streets – roads are narrow with no shoulders and some open ditches (Delta, summarized in FIGURE 8.2);

� Improve lighting around the school (the School District could make an application through the local area improvement program);

� Increase parking capacity for the school (School District); � Perhaps make Cliff Drive a one-way road to avoid conflicts (Delta); � Improve winter maintenance of roads and sidewalks (Delta); and, � “Staff” parking signs installed at the entrance to the staff parking lot to

deter others from driving into the staff parking lots (School District).

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan. There is a paid adult crossing

guard that operates at 52 Street and Winskill Drive. There are also two separate

teams of school safety patrols at both crosswalks outside the school on 12

Avenue. The school would like an additional adult crossing guard on 12 Avenue

outside the school.


Based on the site visits and interviews, the following improvements were

recommended:

� Work with school staff to identify additional pick-up and drop-off areas to

reduce congestion on Cliff Drive;

� Reduce curb radius at the intersections of 10A Avenue and Bayview Drive

and of Wilmington Drive and Bayview Drive;

� Possibly remove Bayview Drive from the Safe Routes to School Plan; and

� Provide a raised crosswalk, and “Crosswalk Ahead” signage to improve

sight distance to the crosswalk at the school entrance.



34

FIGURE 8.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – CLIFF DRIVE ELEMENTARY



35

FIGURE 8.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – CLIFF DRIVE ELEMENTARY



36

9.0 COUGAR CANYON ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 11664 Lyon Road., North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Dennis Ducklow

Members of PAC: Beth Penner, Mike Marzalik


The school is located in an older residential community. It is adjacent to

Seaquam Secondary School with some green space between the two schools.

The sidewalks outside the school are narrow, which is particularly significant at

the end of the day with both schools closing at the same time. Across from the

school is a creek, over which many children cross to the residential area on the

north side of the school. The path from the creek to the road does not end near

the crosswalk located on Lyon Road at Commonwealth Crescent, which

encourages students to cross away from the marked crosswalk. There is an

additional crosswalk immediately outside the school on Lyon Road, but the sight

distance is poor as there is a curve in the road at this point. There is a second

access at the rear of the school where steps take students onto Summit Crescent.

On the east side of the school, there are two cul-de-sacs where parents pick-up

and drop-off their children. There are two special programs at the school that

require bussing of children from outside the catchment area.

Interview

The school representatives were consulted in the development of the Safe Routes

to School Plan. This occurred prior to the arrival of the current Principal.

However, the Plan is not in use because the school feels that there are no safe

routes until the Corporation improves some of the surrounding intersections and

implements more traffic calming measures.



37

The PAC has made several presentations to the Delta Traffic Safety Committee

and the Delta Traffic Calming Committee about safety at the intersection of Lyon

Road and Nicholson, a three-way stop. Apparently a similar intersection at Lyon

Road and Wade Drive was significantly improved by the Corporation after the

PAC had been very vocal about safety issues at the location.

The school strongly encourages walking and discourages driving. Formal

walking days, with about 90 percent participation, are held at least once a month.

The school does not participate in a formal “walking bus” program but

participates in the “Way to Go!” Program.

School representatives feel that a three-way stop at Lyon Road and Nicholson

would be an improvement to the plan. The school’s PAC felt they had good

opportunity to be in discussions with the Corporation.

School representatives had some concerns about pedestrian facilities in the area:

� Many of the sidewalks are inadequate due to the volume of pedestrians

from both schools; � The crosswalk on Lyon Road at Commonwealth Crescent is not used as

most high school students jaywalk between both crosswalks; and � The crosswalk immediately outside the school is not very visible.

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan and although they would like an

adult crossing guard, traffic counts do not indicate sufficient vehicle volumes.

There is a school safety patrol who is trained by the Delta Police, but was not

present at the time of the site visit.



38


� Provide curb extensions at the intersections of Lyon Road with

Nicholson Road and Commonwealth Road to improve crosswalk

visibility;

� Relocate the crosswalk on Lyon Road in front of the school to

improve visibility;

� Provide some alternate safe routes on pathways to help divert

students from busier streets such as Lyon Road; and,

� Construct sidewalks on Lyon Road between Ryall Crescent and

Rockford Place as well as on Somerset between Northview Crescent

and Lyon Road.

Crosswalk at Lyon Road on Nicholson Road is not

very visible and traffic safety concerns have been

expressed by school representatives.

Crosswalk on Lyon Road at High School has foliage

covering sign and is located on a curve.



39

FIGURE 9.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – COUGAR CANYON ELEMENTARY



40

FIGURE 9.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – COUGAR CANYON ELEMENTARY



41

10.0 DELTA MANOR ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 4750 57 Street., Ladner

PRINCIPAL: Iris Scott (Interview with Vice

Principal, Chris Orregaard)

PAC rep: Nadia Clayton


The school is located on 57 Street near Ladner Trunk Road. 57 Street at Ladner

Trunk Road is a cul-de-sac, but there is pedestrian access from Ladner trunk

Road to 57 Street via a pathway. During the site visit, many parents drove to the

cul-de-sac, did a U-turn, and waited for their children on the opposite side of the

street from the school. Immediately across the street (on the west side) from the

school is a church parking lot which is heavily used for pick-up and drop-off.

Many children were observed to cross from the school to the church parking lot

on the north side of the intersection. Unfortunately, the marked crosswalk is on

the south side of the intersection.

Cones are set out in the morning

and afternoon to assist in

crossing on the north side of the

intersection, as shown in the

photo to the right. The Adult

Learning Centre is located next to

the school and also has a parking

lot in front of the building.

There is a school safety patrol at this location. The school also has “Walk/Bike

zone” signs to deter vehicles from driving close to the school. The only vehicles

permitted to drive into the school grounds are staff and after-school daycare,



42

although this is abused by many parents. South of the school, several school

buses pick up children on the school side of the street.

Interview

The school representatives were not aware of consultation on the development of

the Safe Routes to School Plan. They also felt that the map was not very useful.

It is estimated that less than half of the students walk to school. Additionally, a

few students cycle. There is no “walking bus” program but the school actively

participates in the “Way to Go!” program.

The school enrollment is declining since it is an older neighbourhood with few

new families moving in. There are two special programs in the school that bring

children from outside the catchment area, which increases the likelihood that

students do not walk.

School representatives recommended improvements to the plan:

� Completion of the sidewalk network as many of the streets surrounding the

school, including designated safe routes, have no sidewalks or have them

only on one side of the street; and,

� Installation of an additional crosswalk on the north side of the intersection

57 Street and 47A Avenue (between the school entrance and the church

parking lot where a significant amount of the pick-up and drop-off activity

takes place.)

The school representatives feel that they do have occasion to work with the

Corporation and welcome this opportunity.

The school representatives also feel that better winter maintenance of streets and

sidewalks surrounding the school would be beneficial.

The school has a paid adult crossing guard at the traffic signal on Ladner Trunk

Road and 57 Street but the school does not participate in a school safety patrol

program.



43


Based on the results of the interviews and the site visits, the following

improvements are recommended:

� Provide pedestrian countdown timers at the following intersections:

o Ladner Trunk Road @ 57 Street

o Ladner Trunk Road @ Harvest Drive

o Ladner Trunk Road @53 Street



44

FIGURE 10.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – DELTA MANOR ELEMENTARY



45

FIGURE 10.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – DELTA MANOR ELEMENTARY



46

11.0 DEVON GARDENS ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 8884 Russell Drive, North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Elaine Greenhalgh

PAC Chair: Mike Pearson

PAC Traffic & Safety: Dave Milton


Devon Gardens Elementary School is located on Russell Drive, a narrow, curved

residential street without sidewalks. Parking for staff is located on the school

property. Parking for pick-up and drop-off is located across the street from the

school. There is a marked crosswalk at the exit of the school on Russell Drive. A

separate exit is located at the rear of the school onto 112 Street, where there is

also a mid-block crosswalk without overhead flashing lights.

Abutting the school on the south side is Downs Road. This is a narrow, short lane

and a cul-de-sac with several houses on the opposite side from the school.

Although the lane is marked as a fire lane with “No Parking” signs, many parents

park there during pick-up and drop-off. Because the lane is a dead-end, parents

sometimes reverse out of Downs Road onto Russell Drive.

The majority of traffic on Russell Drive is local, although during the morning rush

hour, some traffic cuts through Russell Drive to avoid backed up congestion on

Nordel Way approaching the Alex Fraser Bridge. Some students are required to

cross Nordel Way at one of two pedestrian signals. The Principal and the PAC

members present reported that they often saw drivers running red lights at the

pedestrian signals. The PAC is trying to have an overpass built over Nordel Way.

Since the school is French Immersion, some students live outside the identified

catchment area.



47

At the end of the school day, tape is placed across the entrance to the school

parking area to prevent drivers from driving up to the school entrance, unless they

have a pass for daycare. This is controlled by two additional school patrollers.

School signage is located close to the school and may not provide proper

warning to alert motorists. There are no sidewalks on either sides of the street in

front of the school. Sidewalks are located on one side of Russell Road but end at

the school.

Students at Devon Gardens cross Nordel Way, 112 St and River Road – each of

these crossings has a crossing guard. The Principal would also like an adult

crossing guard at Nordel Way and Shepherd Way. Drivers are frustrated due to

delays and children are walking on the street as there are no sidewalks in front of

the school.

There are pylons on both sides of the road in front of the school to prevent

parents from parking in front of the school. The street is narrow and oncoming

traffic cannot pass with parked cars on both sides. This is worsened when traffic

cuts through along Russell Drive, creating additional traffic on the road. Direct

access to the front of the school is congested with no designated pedestrian

route, so motor vehicles and buses cross pedestrian paths.

Interview

The school representatives identified that they were not consulted in the

development of the Road Safety Plan and that the current Map is not used.

However, the school does have organized walking days where students meet at

several points and walk to school together. They do not have a formalized

“walking bus” program.’ Representatives also indicated that the Corporation

welcomed the opportunity to discuss safety issues concerning the school.



48

The school representatives indicated suggestions for improvements to the plan:

� Provide sidewalks on the streets indicated on the Safe Routes map.

� With respect to the parking area used for pick up and drop off across the

street from the school, the PAC members suggest there is some wasted

space, and a re-design of the space could probably accommodate more

vehicles.

� There is concern about the speed of vehicles on Nordel Way and also

about the length of time people have to wait for the pedestrian light at

Shepherd.

Although the school does not have a formal Road Safety Plan, it participates in a

school patrol program. A paid adult crossing guard operates at the mid-block

crossing on 112 Street and students operate a safety patrol at the marked

crosswalk located in front of the school on Russell Drive. Students are trained by

Delta Police and the Principal monitors them every morning and afternoon. The

school also participates in the “Way to Go!” Program.

Additional Observations

Drivers were observed driving over the Russell Drive crosswalk on the wrong side

of the street. This could be particularly dangerous for the school patroller if they

stepped out into the road without looking (in the wrong direction).


� Improve the visibility of the crosswalk at the school’s entrance as it is on a

curve;

� Establish a new route along 86A Avenue to the pathway that leads to 112

Street;

� Review school zone boundaries so that students are not crossing Nordel

Way;

� Construct a sidewalk on Russell Drive in front of the school, as well as on

the other locations noted on FIGURE 11.2;

� Redesign the parking area;



49

� Provide adult crossing guard at Nordel Way and Shepherd Way; and

� Provide speed humps on Russell Drive to reduce cut-through traffic.

Improve the visibility of the crosswalk at the school’s

entrance as it is on a curve.

Construct a sidewalk on Russell Drive in front of the school.



50

FIGURE 11.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – DEVON GARDENS

ELEMENTARY



51

FIGURE 11.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – DEVON GARDENS ELEMENTARY



52

12.0 ENGLISH BLUFF ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 402 English Bluff Road.,

Tsawwassen

PRINCIPAL: Margaret Horvath


The school is situated on English Bluff Road in Tsawwassen. The entrance to the

school is through a narrow driveway. The “School” signs on both sides of the

school seem quite close to the school driveway and are not very visible due to

overgrown trees. There is a marked crosswalk outside the school. Once inside

the school property, there is a good traffic flow plan for pick-ups, drop-offs, or

through traffic. The staff parking is beyond the front of the school. The entrance /

exit onto English Bluff Road as well as the road itself is very narrow. There are no

sidewalks on the west side of English Bluff Road. Much of the potential conflict

arises from vehicles entering and exiting the school driveway. A pedestrian

walkway is provided on the south side of the school driveway and is separated

from the vehicles by a chain-link fence. Some drivers choose not to enter the

school driveway and wait along both sides of English Bluff Road. This not only

further narrows the road but also impedes the sight distance for vehicles exiting

the school driveway. Parking along both sides of English Bluff Road also

interferes with the bicycle lanes that are identified on the road. Due to the high

volume of traffic for dropping off and picking up students, traffic generally moves

quite slowly.

During the site visit, it was noted that the crosswalk on English Bluff Road was

relatively inconspicuous, due to overhanging foliage. The following crosswalks

were also less conspicuous, as the width of road places the crosswalk sign

outside the drivers primary cone of vision:

o 6 Avenue and Milsom Wynd,

o 2 Avenue and Murphy Drive West, and,



53

o 5 Avenue and Milsom Wynd.

Interview

The school representatives do not recall being consulted on the development of

the Safe Routes to School Plan. The Principal does not think it is very useful and

does not believe it is used.

The school population is stable, with about 240 students. The school rents some

of the school space to two daycares.

It is estimated that half of the students walk to school. The school does not

participate in a “walking bus” program or the “Way to Go!” Program, but

occasionally participates in organized walking days as long as there is PAC

support to coordinate them.

The Principal welcomes the opportunity to work with the Corporation but has

recently moved to Delta and has not yet had the need to consult with the School

District.

There were several suggestions made for improvements to the surrounding

pedestrian facilities:

� Install sidewalks along English Bluff Road; � Trim foliage for increased visibility of “School” signs;

� Relocate “School” signs a further distance from the school;

� Install a more visible crosswalk outside the school entrance on English

Bluff Road and perhaps add lighting to the crosswalk; and,

� Provide raised pavement at crosswalk to further slow traffic.

The school does not have an adult crossing guard but operates two teams of two

school safety patrols at the crosswalks outside the school.



54


Based on the site visits and the interview, the following improvements are

recommended:

� To reduce congestion and parking in the bike lane on English Bluff

Road, encourage parents to park on Milsom Wynd and use the

pathways to access the rear entrance of the school for pick-up and

drop-off.

� Provide overhead crosswalk signs for the crosswalk at the school

entrance on English Bluff Road.

� Provide curb extensions where feasible for the crosswalks at:

o 6 Avenue and Milsom Wynd,

o 2 Avenue and Murphy Drive West, and,

o 5 Avenue and Milsom Wynd.

� Relocate school zone signs and trim foliage on English Bluff Road

� Trim foliage at crosswalk signage.



55

FIGURE 12.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – ENGLISH BLUFF ELEMENTARY



56

FIGURE 12.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – ENGLISH BLUFF ELEMENTARY



57

13.0 GIBSON ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 11451 90 Avenue., North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Vikki Chapman


The school is located on 90 Avenue., which is generally not a “through street”.

Therefore, the only vehicles along this street are either residents or those driving

their children to school. At the rear of the school, in the northwest corner is

Delview Park Secondary School. There are several accesses to the school in

addition to the main entrance: on the west side of the school, on the north side of

the school, and on the northeast side of the school. The entrances on the west

and northeast sides lead to paths from 114 Street and 116 Street, respectively. At

the entrance on the north side, there are a series of school fields that lead to 92

Avenue. There is a pedestrian signal and an adult crossing guard at the

intersection of 90 Avenue and 116 Street. The guard has complained to the

Principal on many occasions about drivers ignoring the red light. There is a

crosswalk at the very eastern corner of the school; however, many children come

from the west side. Children and parents were observed to jaywalk at many

locations in this area. The only access to the school grounds for pick-up and

drop-off are for buses and after school care.



58

During the site visit, it was noted that

vehicles were able to park directly in

front of the marked crosswalk, where

they could interfere with the visibility of

waiting pedestrians. Additionally, the

crosswalk signs are placed behind the

curb, making them less apparent to

drivers.

Mid-block crosswalk at entrance to Gibson’s

Elementary School

Interview

In 2006 the school was sent a copy of the Safe Routes to School Map and a

request was made for feedback. The PAC and the Principal made some

comments, specifically related to the lack of sidewalks and the presence of too

many bushes that could pose a safety risk for children, but they never heard

anything further from the Corporation. The Map is not considered very useful and

is rarely used.

The school has a declining enrollment (currently about 460 students).

It is estimated that 25 percent of students walk to school. The school does not

participate in a “walking bus” program; however school representatives are

concerned with the amount of vehicular traffic coming to the school and would

like to try vehicle trip reduction strategies.

School representatives suggested an improvement to the plan by installing an

additional crosswalk on the west side of the school. This is intended to channel

pedestrians to one location, instead of jaywalking over a greater distance.

The school feels that they have an open invitation to work with the Corporation

and would like their concerns about the current Safe Routes to School Map

addressed.



59

School representatives are also concerned with parents’ driving behaviour such

as double parking and U-turns, as well as drivers letting children out of motor

vehicles on the street side of the vehicle.

The school does not have a formal Road Safety Plan. Although there is an adult

crossing guard, the school does it operate school safety patrols. The school has

not participated in the “Way to Go!” Program in the past, but plans to do so in the

future.


Based on the site visit and the interviews, the following improvements are

identified:

• Provide curb extensions and a raised crosswalk at the existing mid-block

crosswalk at 115 Street and the pathway in front of the school to improve

crosswalk visibility.

• Provide a second marked crosswalk on 90 Avenue in front of the west

entrance to the school to channel existing pedestrian traffic. This

crosswalk should also have curb extensions and be raised.

• Designate additional safe routes along pathways, as shown in FIGURE

13.2, to help divert students from higher volume roads.



60

FIGURE 13.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – GIBSON ELEMENTARY



61

FIGURE 13.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – GIBSON ELEMENTARY



62

14.0 GRAY ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 10855 – 80 Avenue, North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Judy Marshall

Chair of PAC: Francis Muckle


The school is located in a residential area adjacent to Mackie Park. 80 Avenue is

a designated collector route. There is a crosswalk in front of the school on 80

Avenue connecting to a path that is relatively inconspicuous. There is also a mid-

block crosswalk outside the school. Cycling is encouraged at the school, and is

apparent by a recently built an expanded bike rack that is generally full.

Interview

School representatives indicate that there may have been involvement from the

previous PAC members on the Safe Routes to School Plan. The map is sent out

at the beginning of each school year and parents are encouraged to walk or send

their children along these routes. However, the PAC and the Principal observed

that most students and parents ignore the recommendations and travel on the

most direct route, generally on the trails in Mackie Park.

The school is in a fairly stable community. There is some discussion currently

underway regarding a development on the Delsom Lands, between 108 Street

and Nordel Way, which may increase attendance at Brooke and Gray Elementary

schools.

School representatives are unsure how many students walk to school, but the

school has committed to undertake a school survey through a math class at the

next Walk to School Day. The school predicts that more students are driven as

opposed to walk to school.



63

A brochure has been produced by the school about the benefits of walking to

school. It is felt that the brochure would be more effective if it could be translated

into other languages as there is an older Indo-Canadian community that generally

assists their grandchildren in getting to school. There is no “walking bus”

program, but school representatives agree that it is a good idea and that they

would like to try it. The school has their own Walk to School Days.

Although there were no suggestions for improvements to the Plan, school

representatives believe that there is better compliance with parking, pick-up, and

drop-off rules when the police are present. The school would like to see more

unmarked police vehicles because marked police vehicles almost always ensures

compliance with speed limits, parking regulations, and safer driving behaviour.

The school has good support from the Delta Auxiliary Police. Those interviewed

also believe that there has been good dialogue with the Corporation particularly

with regards to the mid-block crossing.

There is a concern that some of the routes identified on the current Map do not

have sidewalks. Additionally, there are concerns with parental driving behaviour

with drop-offs and pick-ups where parents drive onto school property, which is

prohibited. The Principal reports that congestion outside the school is also a

concern for both the school and nearby residents.

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan but participates in the School

Safety Patrol Program and has student crossing guards operating at the crossing

outside the school. These students are trained by the Delta Auxiliary Police and

are supervised by the Principal.


� Include 109A Street as a route from 78 Avenue to 79A Avenue;

� Work with the school to designate and improve the most heavily used route

(likely the eastern path) through Mackie Park;

� Improve the visibility of the crosswalk on 80 Avenue.



64

FIGURE 14.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – GRAY ELEMENTARY



65



66

FIGURE 14.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – GRAY ELEMENTARY



67

15.0 HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 5160 Central Avenue., Ladner

PRINCIPAL: Kelley Crawford

PAC Traffic Safety Coordinator: Cindy Smith


Hawthorne Elementary School is located in an older residential sub-division off

Central Avenue in Ladner. At the rear of the school, paths providing walking and

cycling facilities have been paved from 56 Street and Grove Avenue, two busy

roads taking traffic from Hwy 99 just south of the George Massey Tunnel into

other areas of Ladner, through Hawthorne Park. Although the address for the

school is Central Avenue, there is a short access road off of Central Avenue to the

school. This access road acts as a driveway to the school, but the driveway is

shared with two private residences. There are two marked crosswalks at the

intersection of the access road and Central Avenue. School patrols are provided

at Central Avenue as well as at the marked crossings.

Traffic leaving the school and turning from the access road to Central Avenue has

restricted vision in both directions along Central Avenue, due to

parents/guardians waiting to pick up children at the end of the school day. Delta

has introduced some traffic calming measures on Grove Avenue to slow drivers

down and have suggested that there may be more measures to come. There is a

pick-up and drop-off area just outside the school entrance on the school grounds

where parents must stay in their vehicles, and another area where parents may

park and leave their cars while they pick up their children. On-site parking supply

generally appeared to be adequate.

Hawthorne School was one of the original pilot schools for the “Way to Go”

Program and continues to have a high proportion of children who walk and cycle

to school.



68

With a relatively wide cross-section

combined with parked vehicles on

Central Avenue, drivers may not notice

the crosswalks on Central Avenue in front

of the school and at 52 Avenue.

Crosswalk signs are placed on the inside

edge of the sidewalk, adjacent to the

residential properties, which is outside of

the driver’s primary cone of vision.

Additionally, at the time of the site visit,

some of the crosswalk and speed zone

signs were obscured by foliage.

Crosswalk on Central Avenue in front of

Hawthorne School. Left side sign is obscured

by foliage.

Interview

School representatives were not consulted on the Safe Routes to School Plan but,

due to the fact that Hawthorne School was a pilot for the “Way to Go!” Program, a

comprehensive mapping exercise was undertaken, which has been maintained

by the coordinator for the program. The Safe Routes to School Map (or the

catchment area map) is usually attached to the first newsletter from the PAC at

the beginning of each school year. The PAC is also considering distributing it

with the Kindergarten welcome packs. However, few people use the Map and

most have found their own routes to the school.

The current population at Hawthorne has dropped from 600 to 390 students since

the nearby Neilson Grove Elementary School was opened in 2000.

A good portion of the school population (around 75 percent) either walks or bikes

to school. Even on the wintry day of the site visit, there were many walkers (no

cyclists). Through the “Way to Go!” Program, there are frequent organized

walking days. The school has many bicycle racks, which are full on most days.

There is no “walking bus” program, but on walking days, there are four organized

meeting points where children assemble and walk together with a volunteer

parent.

The Principal indicated several concerns with pedestrian facilities in the area:



69

� Sidewalks are lacking along some of the local streets; and,

� Lack of maintenance of tree foliage in the spring results in reduced visibility

of pedestrian crossing signs.

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan but participates in the School Patrol

Program. Patrollers are trained by the Delta Police School Liaison Officer and

operate on the zebra crosswalk across Central Avenue; they do not operate on

the crosswalk across the school access road.

School representatives suggested several improvements to the map:

� Safer cycling facilities, such as bike routes and paths, especially along

Central Avenue, where parked cars force cyclists onto the sidewalk; � Introduction of the curb extensions to reduce crossing distance for

pedestrians on Central Avenue in front of the school;

� Consideration of curb extensions at the corner of the school access road

as well as at Central Avenue and 57 Street, which are long streets with few

intersections, to encourage drivers to slow down

School representatives feel that they have had input with the Corporation and that

Delta is receptive to requests for meetings concerning safety issues, including the

speed of traffic. There has been discussion about installing additional speed

humps on the access road to the school.


Based on the site visit and interviews, the following improvements are

recommended:

� Designate bicycle routes on low-volume local streets.

� Reduce the radius of the southeast corner at the intersection of

Central Avenue and the access road to reduce approach speeds.

� Provide curb extensions and/or overhead signs to improve

crosswalk visibility for the two crosswalks on Central Avenue.



70

FIGURE 15.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY



71

FIGURE 15.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY



72

16.0 HEATH ELEMENTARY


PRINCIPAL: Nancy Gordon


The school is located in an older residential neighbourhood on 72 Avenue, which

is a heavy traffic corridor. There is a mid-block signalized crossing at the school

entrance to the east of 113th Street, across 72nd Avenue, which leads students

directly to the school entrance so that they do not have to cross through a parking

lot. There are three parking lots in front of the school, one each for staff, visitors

and parents. There is no separate school bus drop-off area and buses drive into

the staff parking lot to pick-up and drop-off students. Parents were observed to

drive into the staff parking lot to pick-up children and then drove around the

school buses to exit. When school buses are present, this parking lot is very

congested.

Some of the designated safe routes are relatively busy where they connect with

72 Avenue. The sidewalk on 72 Avenue is relatively narrow, and is further limited

by overgrown bushes.



73

Interview

The Principal does not recall being consulted on the Safe Routes to School Plan

and suggests that the Map is not particularly useful due to the lack of

consultation. The Principal feels that it is great that the Plan exists; however, it

stands alone and is not used by the school. Instead, the school uses and refers

to its own catchment area map. It is felt that the Plan could be more useful if the

school was properly consulted.

There is no “walking bus” program but it is estimated that 30 percent of the

school’s students walk to school. The school has a very small PAC that lacks the

time to address traffic issues.

The Principal indicates that there are general concerns for pedestrians in the area:

� Low visibility of children using the current mid-block crossing on 72

Avenue; and,

� Drivers not watching for children as pedestrians (it was mentioned that two

students were hit by motor vehicles last year and a third was almost hit by

a motorist turning onto 72 Avenue).

Suggested improvements to the Plan include:

� Construct curb extensions on both sides of the mid-block crossing at the

school entrance to increase visibility along 72 Avenue;

� Improve signage to indicate to motor vehicles that this is a school zone;

� More encouragement for parents to park on 72nd Avenue or 113th Street to

drop-off and pick-up children, instead of queuing on 72nd Avenue to park in

the parking lot;

� Decrease wait time for mid-block crossing signal to change for pedestrians;

and,

� Provide a more formalized bus drop-off zone.

The school Principal did not feel that there is an open invitation to work with the

Corporation, although she would like to have a closer relationship.



74

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan, but signage was improved four

years ago after a lot of lobbying. There is an adult crossing guard at the mid-

block crossing at 72 Avenue, as the Principal feels it is too dangerous for the

school to support a School Safety Patrol Program.

The school has previously tried to participate in the “Way to go!” Program but

there lacked a parent to spearhead it.

Additional concerns:

� The parent parking lot next to the visitor parking lot gets backed up to 72

Avenue;

� It is difficult to get the Corporation to look at the and signage;

� The Principal would prefer that there be no access to the parking lot from

72 Avenue;

� The mid-block crossing in front of the school would be better located at the

113 Street intersection, where students could then walk down the sidewalk

to the school entrance;

� The Principal believes that 72 Avenue makes this the busiest school

entrance in the municipality; and,

� The Corporation is considering an interchange at 72 Avenue and Highway

91 to the west of the school with no consultation with the School District.

This may mean increased traffic in front of the school. (Meetings with the

Corporation after this interview indicate that the interchange will not be

going ahead).

Since the interviews, the 72 Avenue bus priority lane has been implemented.

Opus Hamilton was also involved with this design. As a result of this project, the

curb extension for the mid-block signal was relocated from the north side of the

street to the south side of the street. Parking is restricted on the north side of the

street until 8:30 a.m. Since school does not begin until 9:00, this parking lane can

still be used for pick-up and drop-off.


Based on the site visits and a review of the bus-priority lane plan, the following

improvements are proposed:



75

• Relocate the mid-block signal to 113 Street where it will be at an

intersection where students are traveling to school;

• Encourage parents to park on side streets to reduce congestion on 72nd

Avenue;

• Provide countdown pedestrian signals at any signals on safe routes

crossing 72 Avenue; and

• Reconfigure the parking areas and construct a more formalized bus drop-

off zone.

Increase visibility of school zone signage.

Improve sidewalk on east side

of 115 Street 115A Street (looking south)



76

FIGURE 16.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HEATH ELEMENTARY



77

FIGURE 16.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HEATH ELEMENTARY



78

17.0 HELLINGS ELEMENTARY


PRINCIPAL: Peter Krois


Hellings Elementary School is located off 86 Avenue, close to the intersection of

116 Street. A short residential street off 86 Avenue provides the only access to

the school. A drop-off/pick-up area is located on the school grounds. There is

also a staff parking area, which has been expanded. Vehicles waiting to pick-up

children often block access to the staff parking stalls.

The crosswalk across from the school is difficult to see when there are parked

vehicles in the area. The sidewalk is incomplete on 86 Avenue across from the

school.

Interview

The school’s representative indicated that there has been no consultation with the

school about the Safe Routes to School Map. The Map has not been used by the

school, teachers or parents, nor does the school usually provide any information

or advice about transportation routes to new school attendees. Parents tend to

find their own route.

Enrollment in the school is decreasing. Approximately 400 children attend the

school and the Principal estimates that about 50 percent of them walk to school.

The school does not participate in a “walking bus” program but does participate

in the “Walk to School” program once a month, organized by the “Way to Go!”

Program. The Principal and vice-Principal organize these events in the school.



79

Although there are no suggestions for improvements to the Map, school

representatives are interested in reducing the amount of traffic associated with

dropping off and picking up children. The Principal indicated that he has been in

touch frequently with the Corporation, the police and ICBC about traffic safety in

the area. The Principal also directs traffic every day at pick-up and drop-off time.

It was indicated that some parents have become frustrated with parking around

the school and have chosen to walk their children to school.

The Principal advises that there is frequently a back up of vehicles waiting to enter

the school grounds. This queue can stretch through the intersection of 86

Avenue and 116 Street and, on occasions, has impacted the busy intersection of

116 Street and Nordel Way. Delays are also created where vehicles turn off 86

Avenue into the school access road from both directions.

Concerns with pedestrian facilities include:

� The need for a more visible pedestrian crossing on 86 Avenue close to the

school access;

� Reducing speed along 86 Avenue and also 116 Street;

� Increased resources for the police who continue with local enforcement of

U-turns and parking violations.

The school does not have a formal Road Safety Plan but employs an adult

crossing guard at 86 Avenue and 116 Street. The school would like an additional

guard at 86 Avenue and the school access road. The school does not participate

in the School Safety Patrol Program.


� Install curb extensions to increase the visibility of the pedestrian crossing

on 86 Avenue close to the school access road;

� Review the catchment area of school to avoid having students cross Nordel

Way;

� Install speed humps along 86th Avenue and 116th Street;

� Review parking restrictions at the raised crosswalk on 86 Avenue and 118A

Street; and

� Complete and improve the sidewalk on 86 Avenue opposite the school.



80

Complete the sidewalk on 86

Avenue opposite the school.



81

FIGURE 17.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HELLINGS ELEMENTARY



82

FIGURE 17.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HELLINGS ELEMENTARY



83

18.0 HOLLY ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 4625 62 Street, Ladner

PRINCIPAL: Warren Zerbe


This school is situated on 62 Street in Ladner. It has an abundance of land with

ample pick-up and drop-off areas, not only on the school property, but also in the

adjacent sports facility’s parking lot. There are speed humps along 62 Street to

reduce the speed of vehicles. 62 Street does not extend through south of Dawn

Drive, so there is little passing traffic. There is a part-time adult crossing guard at

the signalized intersection of 62 Street and Ladner Trunk Road, and there is

(reported) frequent red light running at this location. Traffic was observed to flow

very well around the pick-up and drop-off area during the site visit.

During the site visit, no issues were noted with respect to the visibility of the signal

at 62 Street and Ladner Trunk Road. Most of the safe routes to school have low

traffic volumes. The safe routes are wide, and the majority have sidewalks on at

least one side.

Interview

The Principal was not aware of the school or PAC being consulted about the Safe

Routes to School Plan. The Principal gives a presentation at the beginning of

each school year that covers traffic issues around the school. He feels that some

parents (and children) follow the routes in the Plan but in most cases, families

tend to find their own way by following others. It is estimated that 60 percent of

students walk to school daily. There is no formal participation in the “walking

bus” program but the school organizes “walking days” when groups of students



84

organize themselves and walk together from designated locations. The school

also participates in the “Way to Go!” Program several times a year.

The population of the school is relatively static (student population of about 400).

The school is a primary language resource for the School District and this

requires students to be bused from outside the catchment area. These students

come in three school buses. There are two pre-school and post-school daycare

buses.

The Principal is happy with the plan and feels he has an open invitation to work

with the Corporation. An example of past collaboration was the re-design of the

school’s parking lot to accommodate the pick-up and drop-off area.

In terms of pedestrian facilities, the school would like to request a permanent

adult crossing guard at 62 Street and Ladner Trunk Road due to the problem of

red-light running. The school has a part-time guard who is not present everyday.

There is also a School Safety Patrol that operates in a team of three. An optimum

solution suggestion would be to have a pedestrian overpass constructed at this

location.

Recommended Improvements/Additional Work:

� Conduct an Engineering Review of the intersection of 62 Street and

Ladner Trunk Road to confirm if site-specific issues are contributing

to red light running; and,

� Provide countdown signal timers at the intersections of 62 Street and

Ladner Trunk Road, and at 64 Street and Ladner Trunk Road.



85

FIGURE 18.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – HOLLY ELEMENTARY



86

FIGURE 18.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – HOLLY ELEMENTARY



87

19.0 JARVIS ELEMENTARY

Photo from Delta School District website

ADDRESS: 7670 – 118 Street. North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Michael Hicks


The school is located on 118 Street, which is a traffic calmed road. The nearest

collectors are 120 Street and 116 Street. There is high traffic during morning

drop-off, but it is only for approximately 10 minutes. However, after infrastructure

improvement, the traffic problem has been mitigated. Gunderson Park is across

the street and students use it as a route to get to school.

Interview

The Principal does not believe the school was consulted on the Safe Routes to

School Plan. The school does not use the Map, but admit that it could be used.

The Map is passed on to the PAC, but the Principal would like clearer direction for

how to use it. A lot of information goes out to parents in general so a plan for

making this Map stand out and become relevant would help.

The school is a multicultural school and the demographics have stayed the same

over the past few years. There are minor issues with communicating to parents

due to some language barriers.



88

It is unknown what percentage of students walk to school. There is no “walking

bus” program and although information about the “Way to Go!” Program is

received and passed onto the PAC, it is not proactively pursued.

The Principal did not have suggestions for improving the Plan, although he did

feel that he had a welcome invitation to work with the Corporation. The Principal

sited a recent example where good links were created with the Corporation

through the police department, who were contacted due to traffic safety concerns.

Jarvis’ parking lot was recently expanded by 35 stalls for staff, parents and

visitors. There was an open discussion between the police, the Corporation and

the School District. This was a proactive approach to alleviating congestion in

front of the school that appears to have worked. It works especially well when a

staff member or PAC member monitors the lot and directs traffic one-way through

the lot.

There are two minor concerns with pedestrian facilities:

� The Principal feels that it is difficult to assure students can safely

cross the street; and,

� The Principal believes that the mid-block crossing would be better

located at Gunderson Park instead of at its current location in front

of the school because many students walk through the park.

The school does not have an adult crossing guard but participates in the School

Safety Patrol Program.



89


� Move the crossing at the school’s entrance to align with pathway from

Gunderson Park;

� Establish a new route on the pathway between the school’s east entrance

and 119A Street;

� Review parking restrictions for the crosswalk in front of the school to

ensure increased visibility of students;

� Widen the sidewalk on 118 Street between 75A Avenue and 79 Avenue.


between’s the school’s east entrance and

119AStreet

Construct sidewalk on 119A Street between

Gilmour Crescent and 78B Avenue



90

FIGURE 19.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – JARVIS ELEMENTARY



91

FIGURE 19.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – JARVIS ELEMENTARY



92

20.0 LADNER ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 5016 44 Avenue., Ladner

PRINCIPAL: Mr Ric Hall

Chair of PAC: Linda Barrett (attended)


The school and its primary entrance are

located on 44 Avenue. Children and

parents are discouraged from using the

front entrance due to the movement of

vehicles and the staff parking lot. There

are three separate entrances on the

other three sides of the school. There

is a marked crosswalk with curb

extensions outside the main entrance

on the east side of 50 Street. During a

site visit, it was noted that parking is

permitted near the curb extensions,

reducing the visibility of pedestrians

waiting to cross.

Crosswalk on 44 Avenue at 50 Street. Parked

vehicles on left of photo may reduce visibility of

waiting pedestrians.

Several residents of the houses opposite the school had complained about

parking along the front of their houses, which led to the installation of “No

Parking” signs on the north side along the entire length of 44 Avenue from 48B

Street to 50B Street. There is still limited parking on the school side of the street,

which has encouraged some parents to drive onto 44A Avenue, one block north

of the school. 44A Avenue is a narrower street with no sidewalks. There is a lot of

parking and pedestrian presence along here. Many children walk along Arthur

Drive with good sidewalks and cross onto 44 Avenue at a traffic signal.



93

Interview

The PAC representative, who has been at the school for many years, recalls that

the PAC was having some input into a plan. However, she is not sure whether or

not it was specifically for the Safe Routes to School Plan. The Safe Routes to

School Map is not used by the school but the PAC representative remembers it

being dropped off at the school with no instructions or recommendations for its

use.

Ladner Elementary is the primary French Immersion school in the District with

approximately 47 percent of the school’s population attend for this program. The

neighbourhood is mature so the enrollment has stayed constant. Most students

are driven to school and very few walk. Although there is no “walking bus”

program, the school participates in formal walking days during the spring and the

fall.

A turf farm is located over 200 metres from the rear

of the school. The staff and PAC are very

concerned about the speed of commercial vehicles

going to and from this facility and passing the front

of the school. Identified on the Safe Routes to

School Map is a short path between 44B Avenue

and 45 Avenue (into the High School area). The

staff and parents are very concerned for the

narrowness, darkness and teenagers loitering on

this passageway.

While many of the streets identified as safe routes

are lacking sidewalks, traffic volumes are generally

low.

Pathway between 44B Avenue

and 45 Avenue. High bush on

the left reduces opportunities for

natural surveillance.

A suggestion for improving the plan concerns improving pedestrian facilities on

Massey Drive, a street just east of the school entrance. Many parents park for

pick-up and drop-off on Massey Drive, which is narrow with no sidewalks, and has

ditches on both sides of the road. Cromie Park is located at the rear of the

school. The parking lot for Cromie Park could be used for parking, but parents



94

and children would have to cross the muddy field as there is no formal path. The

PAC chair and Principal recommended making a formal path from the park to the

rear entrance of the school.

The school feels that they have an open invitation to work with the Corporation

and were very happy with the resolution of the parking issue on 44th Avenue. The

school does not have a Road Safety Plan nor does it have an adult crossing

guard; however the school participates in the School Safety Patrol Program.

Although the school does not participate in the “Way to Go!” Program, it sends

reminder messages about traffic safety in newsletters and organizes its own

formal walking days.



recommended:

� Work with the PAC of Delta Secondary School to identify and reduce

any anti-social behaviours occurring on the path between 44B

Avenue and 45 Avenue. The provision of lighting may be

considered.

� Provide a formal path between Cromie Park and the school to relieve

pick-up and drop-off activities on 44 Avenue and Massey Drive.

� Provide a sidewalk on Massey Drive to assist in pick-up and drop-off

in this area.

� Extend parking restrictions in advance of the crosswalk on 44

Avenue east of 50 Street.



95

FIGURE 20.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – LADNER ELEMENTARY



96

FIGURE 20.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – LADNER ELEMENTARY



97

21.0 MCCLOSKEY ELEMENTARY

Source: Delta School District website

ADDRESS: 11531 – 80 Avenue., North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Lorraine Harrison

PAC Chair: Deb Hutton


The school is located on 80 Avenue close to the intersection of 116 Street. There

are several other ways to access the school: from 80A Avenue (short cul-de-sac),

from 81 Avenue, and from116 Street. While the multiple accesses has reduced

the amount of traffic directly outside the school on 80 Avenue, it has cause other

issues in the residential cul-de-sac (80A Avenue). On 116 Street, a pull-out has

been provided for parents to pick-up and drop-off students. During the site visits,

there was little congestion outside the school. Although it was raining, many

students were observed to walk to school. At the entrance to the school, “No

Access during School Hours” signs are posted to prevent parents from dropping

their children off in front of the school. However, these signs are sometimes

ignored. This entrance provides access for staff cars. Adult crossing guards are

posted at the traffic lights at 116 Street and 80 Avenue and outside the school on

80 Avenue at 115 Street. At the latter location, the guard was observed to

experience difficulty stopping some of the traffic as some drivers ignored the

guard’s STOP paddle.

Interview

The PAC Chair was familiar with the Safe Routes to School Plan but to her

knowledge, there was no input provided from the school. The Map is used

infrequently and is not attached to any school newsletters. New students, usually

accompanied by adults, tend to follow their neighbours and make their own



98

routes to school. The school does not participate in a School Safety Patrol

Program but has an adult crossing guard.

The school enrollment is relatively stable as there have been no new sub-divisions

created. There are no special school programs but the school has a before and

after school daycare. Children are brought to these programs in vans.

It was estimated that about 60 percent of students walk to school and that in

warmer, drier weather, the percentage is higher. There is no ‘walking bus’

program. However, the school participates in one organized walking day each

year as part of the “Way to Go!” Program. They have cited the lack of volunteers

as a reason not to have more walking programs. One specific suggestion was made to improve the Plan in terms of the routes

themselves. The school feels that more attention should be given to families who

live in the area to the west of the school, and would therefore like to see routes

identified on the streets between 116 Street and 112 Street, and between 80

Avenue and 82 Avenue.

The school representatives feel that they have had open discussions on various

topics with the Corporation.

There were no specific suggestions for improvements to pedestrian facilities.

Good sidewalks and crossings were noted. However, concerns were expressed

regarding driver behaviour around the school, specifically about drivers entering

the school property and ignoring the adult guard or completing other unsafe

maneuvers, such as U-turns on 80 Avenue. The police are sometimes present to

enforce traffic laws. In fact the PAC is quite opposed to providing anything that

encourages more driving to school, such as formal pick up and drop off facilities.



99


� Provide new routes west of the school; and,

� Widen the sidewalk between 118 Street between 80 Avenue and 82

Avenue.

Widen sidewalk between 118 Street

between 80 Avenue and 82 Avenue.



100

FIGURE 21.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – MCCLOSKEY ELEMENTARY



101

FIGURE 21.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – MCCLOSKEY ELEMENTARY



102

22.0 NEILSON GROVE ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 5500 Admiral Boulevard, Ladner

PRINCIPAL: Wendy Shields

PAC Traffic & Safety: Rebecca Keen


Neilson Grove is a relatively new school (7 years old) in a new sub-division north

of River Road. It is also relatively small, with a population of 170 students. The

majority of students who attend the school come from the older sub-divisions

south and east of River Road. Many of the students moved to Neilson Grove

Elementary from Hawthorne Elementary, which presents some challenges with

students crossing River Road at the traffic signal located at the intersection of

Westminster Avenue and Admiral Boulevard. Traffic traveling off Hwy 99 south

onto River Road to go into Ladner is often still moving at “highway speeds”.

There is a raised crosswalk, marked

with zebra stripes outside the school

at the Commodore Drive and

Admiral Boulevard intersection.

During the site visit it was noted that

the sight distance for vehicles

approaching from the north to the

crosswalk is limited by the horizontal

curve and trees on the median.There

is no formal pick-up and drop-off

location at the school. Parents park

on the street, sometimes double-

parking.

Crosswalk at Commodore Drive and Admiral Blvd.

is obscured by horizontal curve and median trees.



103

During the site visit, it was also observed that some parents and students did not

use the available crosswalk and crossed mid-block just a few metres away from it.

Just north of the school, there is a “No U-Turn” sign at the intersection of Admiral

Boulevard and Admiral Lane, the lane that goes to the rear of Admiral Boulevard.

This “No U-Turn” sign is often ignored.

A small roundabout is located on Westminster Avenue where it intersects with

Crescent Drive; however, most drivers seem to be unclear of the right of way

rules. This problem was communicated by the Principal and the PAC

representative and was observed first-hand during the site visits. During a

secondary site visit, it was noted that the roundabout is offset and blends into the

background because of its landscaping, which may contribute to driver

confusion.

Interview

The school representatives were not consulted in the development of the Safe

Routes to School Plan. The Map is not used and parents and children seem to

find their own way to the school.

The new sub-divisions bring additional vehicular traffic into the neighbourhood.

This is a “healthy school” and they estimate that about 75 percent of students

walk or bike to school.

The school has no “walking bus” program but actively participates in organized

walking days, as part of the “Way to Go!” Program. The organized walking days

often have 100 percent participation.

There were suggestions made to improve the Plan:

� The PAC would like to see Paton Drive, which needs sidewalks on both

sides, as part of the safe route;

� The PAC would also like to see a safer route that avoids pedestrians

crossing at the roundabout at Westminster Avenue and Crescent Drive;

and,



104

� The PAC are concerned about the speed of vehicles coming off Highway

99 south onto River Road and would like to see some speed reduction

measures; and,

� There are concerns that not all surrounding streets have sidewalks.

The school does not feel that it has had an open invitation to work with the

Corporation until this study.

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan. There is an adult crossing guard

at the traffic signal at River Road and Westminster Avenue and there are School

Safety Patrols outside the school at the raised crosswalk.


Based on the interviews and the site visits, the following improvements are

recommended:

� Improve the visibility of the crosswalk at Commodore Drive and

Admiral Boulevard. This could involve relocating the crosswalk to

the north leg. In the long term, the municipality may wish to review

the types of trees planted on the centre median. At a minimum,

“Crosswalk Ahead” signs should be implemented;

� Provide additional pavement markings and “Keep Right” signage for

the traffic circle at the intersection of Westminster Avenue and

Crescent Drive; and

� Designate Paton Drive as a safe route and implement sidewalks so

that students can avoid the traffic circle at the intersection of

Westminster Avenue and Crescent Drive.



105

FIGURE 22.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – NEILSON GROVE ELEMENTARY



106

FIGURE 22.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – NEILSON GROVE ELEMENTARY



107

23.0 PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 246-52A Street., Tsawwassen

PRINCIPAL: Matt Jamieson


The school is situated on 2 Avenue between 52A Street and 54 Street. 2 Avenue

is a bus route. There are two marked crosswalks on 2 Avenue, one at 52A Street

and one at 53 Street. There are School Safety Patrols at both these crosswalks

but were absent the morning of the interview. The staff parking is at the front of

the school. There is vehicle access to the school through a designated Fire Lane,

but cones prohibit vehicles from entering during school hours.

54 Street between 2 Ave. and 4 Ave.

During the site visit, it was noted that although

sidewalks were absent on several safe routes,

most streets had low traffic. 54 Street, shown in

the photo to the right, is relatively straight and

wide, which may contribute to higher speeds.

It was also noted that the width of the road and

the presence of overhanging trees and parked

vehicles made the crosswalk in front of the

school inconspicuous.

Crosswalk on 2 Ave. near the school



108

Interview

The school did not have input into the Safe Routes to School Plan and although

the Map is sent out at the beginning of the school year, the Principal feels that it

has not been used at all.

School enrollment is declining significantly. The majority of students walk to

school, and because of this, the school does not feel the need to participate in a

formal “walking bus” program.

School representatives do not have suggestions for improving the Plan but would

like to see a more complete sidewalk network as some surrounding streets have

sidewalks on one side only. Also, it was suggested that a raised crosswalk on 2

Avenue might slow traffic down as speeding has been observed. The school

representatives also commented that they found the Corporation quite responsive

when requests were made regarding school signing.

There is no Road Safety Plan for the school and no adult crossing guard, but the

school has School Safety Patrols who are trained by the Delta Police.


Based on the site visit and the interviews, the following improvements are

proposed:

• Provide curb extensions and review parking restrictions to improve visibility

for the crosswalks in front of the school. A raised crosswalk has not been

proposed due to the presence of a bus route on 2 Avenue, but could be

considered if Translink is consulted.

• Provide additional safe routes for students who live to the south.



109

FIGURE 23.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY



110

FIGURE 23.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY



111

24.0 PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 11777 Pinewood Drive, North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Linda Beatty


Pinewood Elementary is located at the west end of Pinewood Drive, a relatively

quiet cul-de-sac. The surrounding streets are wider than most, allowing traffic to

move freely in each direction, even when there are vehicles parked on both sides

of the street. A leisure centre is attached to the school. There is a large parking

lot on the east side of the school, which includes the staff parking facility. The

area directly in front of the school, on the school property, is signed for “No

Parking” and is reserved for the yellow buses that collect elementary school

children and local high school students. Although there seemed to be a lot of

congestion outside the school, where Pinewood intersects with Briarwood

Crescent, traffic was moving very slowly and drivers were aware of the traffic and

were courteous to each other. The Principal is present every morning and

afternoon to ensure that traffic operates smoothly.

Some of the streets identified on the Safe Routes Map either have only one

sidewalk or, in some cases, none. Most of these streets have relatively low

volumes. The exception is 120 Street, south of Highway 10, which is an extremely

busy arterial road with no sidewalks.

Interview

School representatives were not consulted on the Plan and the Principal does not

think the Map is very useful. Parents seem to make their own way, and often take



112

the shortest route. The Principal feels very strongly that this is a parental

responsibility.

School demographics have remained pretty constant over time (the school has a

total of 254 students). The school has a good reputation, which encourages

parents to bring their children from outside the catchment area. This leads to

additional vehicular traffic.

Most children within the catchment area tend to walk to school, although many

are driven from further away. There is no ‘walking bus’ program and the school

does not hold formal walking days since there have not been any parent

volunteers to organize them.

There were no suggestions to improve the Plan. The Principal feels that the

current traffic system (vehicle and pedestrians) works well. Although the

occasional driver may make an unsafe action, the Principal acts promptly and

advises them of their error. Safety is very important to the Principal.

The Principal feels that she has a good working relationship with the Corporation

and acts immediately to inform them if issues arise.

There were no improvements suggested for pedestrian facilities. However it was

observed that there are no marked crosswalks close to the school. The school

does not operate a student patrol and does not have an adult crossing guard.


� Check for sight distance to crossing at Cottonwood Drive and

Sunwood Drive, and possibly extend parking restrictions; and,

� Relocate the safe route from 120 Street to Abbey Drive, a much

lower volume street.



113

FIGURE 24.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY



114

FIGURE 24.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – PINEWOOD ELEMENTARY



115

25.0 PORT GUICHON ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 4381-46A Street, Ladner

PRINCIPAL: Grace Sproul


This school is on 46A Street behind Kelly

Drive. The access off 46A Street is almost at

the end of the road and the road continues

into a very rural farming area. Immediately

south of the school on 46A Street is a one-

way chicane to slow vehicles down. The

entrance to the school property is not very

visible. From the rear of the school, a path

leads to Kelly Drive where most of the

children are picked up and dropped off. At

one time there was a crosswalk where the

path ended on Kelly Drive but it has been

closed by Delta because of the limited sight

distance for the crossing.

Signs and bollards redirecting

pedestrians from crossing at the path on

Kelly Drive.

There are “No Parking” signs along both sides of Kelly Drive. Most of the children

attending the school come from houses on streets north of 44B Street. There is

limited space for vehicles on the school property but some parents drive their

children right to the school and often park on the entrance driveway adjacent to

the staff parking. There is also a concern that there is a lack of lighting along this

driveway. There are limited or no sidewalks all around the school. Crosswalks

are located across 46A Street at Kelly Drive and at the intersection of 45 Street

and 44B Avenue.



116

During the site visit, it was noted that parked cars could reduce the visibility of

pedestrians at the Kelly Drive crosswalk. The sidewalk on Kelly drive is narrow.

Speeding along 46A Street was also observed and is of concern to the staff and

the PAC.

Interview

There was no consultation with the school or the PAC in preparing the Plan. The

school was involved in the discussion to close the crosswalk on Kelly Drive. Most

parents and children do not use the plan due to the lack of sidewalks on 46A

Street and 44B Avenue.

This is a mature and stable neighbourhood. The demographics of the school

have remained the same for years. The Principal indicated that only about 20 to

25 percent of the school population actually walks to school, while only a few

cycle. However, the PAC’s notes suggested that almost all students could walk

given their close distance to the school.

The school does not participate in a “walking bus” program but there are irregular

formal walking days as part of the “Way to Go!” Program.

Two suggestions for improving the Plan were made:

� There seemed to be a sense that more would walk and follow the plan if

there were adequate sidewalks; and

� Students should also be encouraged to use the existing marked crossing

on 46A Street rather than crossing “anywhere”.

Although the school representatives felt that there had been little interest from the

Corporation to improve the situation, they were very happy to be consulted at the

time of this study.

There is a great need for sidewalks in this area. The Principal lives in Burnaby

and would like to see the installation of oversized school signs that she has

observed in Burnaby and New Westminster.



117

Although the school does not have a Road Safety Plan, the school actively

promotes safety with guidelines for pick-up and drop-off in their parent handbook.

The school does not operate School Safety Patrols but has an parent volunteer

who helps with school crossings and traffic safety issues.



recommended:

� Review the parking restrictions on the approaches to the crosswalk

on 46A Street at Kelly Drive to ensure that parking is restricted within

30 metres of the crosswalk;

� Provide a sidewalk on the driveway to the school;

� Provide pedestrian warning signs on Kelly Drive on the approaches

to the walkway;

� Work with the school to develop a pick-up and drop-off plan that

would reduce the need to cross Kelly Drive at the laneway;

� Provide a wider sidewalk on Kelly Drive; and

� Provide sidewalks on safe routes as shown in FIGURE 25.2.



118

FIGURE 25.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – PORT GUICHON ELEMENTARY



119

FIGURE 25.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – PORT GUICHON ELEMENTARY



120

26.0 RICHARDSON ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 11339 83 Avenue., North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Gerald Soon


The school is situated on 83 Avenue. There is staff parking at the front of the

school. Some pick-up and drop-off is available in an area to the west side of the

school, in addition to a church parking lot adjacent to this area. Parents dropping

children off on both sides of 83 Avenue reduce the width of the street so that it is

only wide enough for one vehicle to drive through. There are soft shoulders with

parking restrictions on both sides of 114 Street on the east side of the school.

Adult guards are provided at 83 Avenue and 116 Street, and on 84 Avenue at the

rear of the school on the north side. The Principal shared concerns about the

adult crossing guard often being ignored on 84 Avenue.

Interview

The Principal is unsure if the school provided input into the Safe Routes to School

Plan, but the Map is circulated to students. However, the Principal did not think

that the Map was very useful, suggesting that most parents (and children) tend to

follow others to school.

The school population remains relatively stable. A French Immersion program

brings children from outside the catchment area. There are also buses for

daycare and special needs students. The Principal estimated that only a few

students walk to school, but felt that those students who walked came to school

along the routes identified in the Map. The school participates in walking days as



121

part of the “Way to Go!” Program, and it was noted that vehicle traffic was

noticeably reduced on walking days.

There were no suggestions for improvements to the Plan; the Plan is thought to

be adequate. The school representatives felt that they had a particularly good

liaison with the Delta Police Department who is prompt to address traffic safety

concerns.

Suggestions for improvements to pedestrian facilities include:

� Replacing the adult crossing guard at the rear of the school on 84 Avenue

with a pedestrian traffic signal since it is a very busy through street; and

� Installation of more traffic calming measures on major streets. (The Police

are frequent visitors around the school to monitor speeds.)

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan. The school does not operate a

school safety patrol, but there is an adult crossing guard, as previously

mentioned, on 84 Avenue and at 83 Avenue and 116 Street.


� Review parking restrictions at the crosswalk located at 83 Avenue and 112

Street;

� Construct a sidewalk on 110 Street between 80 Avenue and 80A Avenue.

Review parking restrictions at the crosswalk located at 83 Avenue and 112 Street.



122

FIGURE 26.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – RICHARDSON ELEMENTARY



123

FIGURE 26.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – RICHARDSON ELEMENTARY



124

27.0 SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 735 Gilchrist Drive, Tsawwassen

PRINCIPAL: Doug Thomson

Chair of PAC: Lori Shaw


This school is situated in an older residential community. It is a French Immersion

school so many children attend from outside the catchment area and are

therefore driven to school. Narrow streets in the surrounding community lead to

added congestion at pick-up and drop-off. The Principal is also the Principal for

Boundary Beach School where children attend Kindergarten to Grade Three. The

school is a meeting place for International students who travel from this school,

by bus, to a nearby private Korean school.

During the site visit traffic volumes on

most of the safe routes were relatively

low.

At the intersection of 55A Street and 6

Avenue, the crosswalk signs are

relatively inconspicuous due to the

width of the road and the placement of

the signs behind the crosswalk. This

means the signs are outside of the

drivers primary cone of vision.

Crosswalk signing at the intersection of 55A

Street and 6 Ave is less conspicuous because

of width of street.



125

Interview

The school representatives indicated that the school was not consulted in the

development of the Safe Routes to School Plan. The Safe Routes to School Map

and an aerial photo are on display on the bulletin board immediately inside the

front door to the school. The maps are not sent home with students.

A new subdivision has been built at the intersection of 6 Avenue and 53 Street.

Currently, not many students walk to school and those who walk make their own

“direct” way. As a result, some trails have developed around the school. The

Principal and the “Way to Go!” Program coordinator estimate that only about 30

to 40 percent walk to school on a regular basis but those numbers have

increased to 60 to 70 percent on Walk to School Days. There is no formal

“walking bus” program but school representatives encourage parents to drop-off

their children in the adjacent church parking lot so groups of children can then

walk together from there.

There were no suggestions for improvements to the Plan, but suggestions were

made for improvements to traffic safety based on a concern regarding

congestion. The surrounding streets are narrow and when vehicles are parked

(waiting) on both sides of the street, there is insufficient travel space for

emergency vehicles.

School representatives feel that they have an open invitation to work with the

Corporation. They also feel that there has been good dialogue with Delta’s

Engineering Department.

Some concerns regarding pedestrian safety were raised. Many of the

surrounding streets do not have sidewalks. Also, at the corner of 55A Street and

8A Avenue, there is a historical monument surrounded by a planter, which causes

drivers to be unclear about which side to pass on.

The school does not have a Road Safety Plan. However, the school employs an

adult crossing guard at 56 Avenue and 8A Avenue, and there are also School

Safety Patrols at the crossing located at Gilchrist Drive and 7 Avenue. The school

is also active in the “Way to Go!” Program and also has the support of the Delta

Auxiliary police in warning and ticketing drivers who cause congestion outside the



126

school. It was noted that the presence of police vehicles resulted in much greater

compliance with the parking and waiting problem.


Based on the interviews and the site visits, the following improvements are

recommended:

� Enforce parking restrictions on the east side of Gilchrist Drive during

drop-off and pick-up times to reduce congestion.

� Formalize the paths between 7 Avenue, 7B Avenue and the west

side of the school property to potential provide alternate pick-up and

drop off locations

� Provide curb extensions for the crosswalk at the intersection of 55A

Street and 6 Avenue.



127

FIGURE 27.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY



128

FIGURE 27.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – SOUTH PARK ELEMENTARY



129

28.0 SUNSHINE HILLS ELEMENTARY

ADDRESS: 11285 Bond Boulevard, North Delta

PRINCIPAL: Garry Gordon

(Met with Vice-Principal, Tom McGrory)

Chair of PAC: Steve Smith


This is an older, residential community with a lot of traffic calming interventions in

place on the surrounding streets, particularly speed humps. It backs onto a park

and is a French Immersion school with a relatively larger catchment area. The

Principal and vice-Principal have only been at the school since September.

There is a turn-around outside the front of the school for buses and daycare drop-

off. In the morning and afternoon it is off-limits for pick-up and drop-off, but this

restriction is frequently ignored by parents. There are several entrances into the

school.

Interview

The PAC was invited to review the Plan and forwarded their comments to Delta.

The staff at the school was not involved in providing any feedback. The Map is

not used by the school and is not considered very useful.

Demographics for the school have not changed in recent years and the

community is considered to be very stable. Although no formal surveys have

been conducted, it is estimated that 30 percent of the students walk to school.

There is no “walking bus” program but the school participates in “Walk to School

Days”, and walking is encouraged on a regular basis. There are some students

who cycle to school but this has not been raised as an important priority at the

school. The school does not participate in the “Way to Go!” Program.



130

Suggestions and comments on the Map include:

� Lack of sidewalks in the area;

� Some of the identified “safe routes” do not have adequate sidewalks; and

� Some of the routes are incomplete and do not take the walker all the way

to school.

The school representatives feel that they have an open invitation to work with the

Corporation but they feel that their concern about the lack of sidewalks is not

being adequately addressed.

There is no formal Road Safety Plan at the school. The school does not have an

adult crossing guard but operates school safety patrols that are trained by Delta

Police School liaison and supervised by the vice-Principal. The patrol works in

teams of two directly outside the school. If one member of the team does not

show up then the patrol is cancelled. Some parents do not allow their children to

patrol during the snowy weather.


� Establish a new route on Lyon Road between Faber Crescent and Stoney

Drive;

� Construct a sidewalk on 64A Avenue between McKenzie Drive and Lyon

Road; and

� Review parking restrictions at the crossing at the east end of the school’s

entrance.



131

Review parking restrictions at crosswalk at

east end of school’s entrance to increase

visibility of students crossing.

Provide pavement markings for the crosswalk

at the hydro line crossing on Huff Road.



132

FIGURE 28.1 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SUNSHINE HILLS ELEMENTARY



133

FIGURE 28.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – SUNSHINE HILLS ELEMENTARY



134

29.0 BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI HOUSE

ADDRESS: 3800 72 Street, Ladner

CONTACT: Pam Ferguson, Principal

General Information

Boundary Bay Montessori House is located near the Boundary Bay Airport. There

are 68 students from about 58 families that attend the school. Access to the

school is from a driveway off of 72 Street and the site is shared with Delta Child

Development and Delta Community Living Society. Other uses on this site

include the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) and a commercial

greenhouse.

3800

72 S

T

Delta Community

Living

Delta Child

Development

Boundary Bay

Montessori

Greenhouse

Interview

One-way traffic



135

Students are driven to school and come from a number of different areas

including: White Rock, Tsawwassen, Surrey, Ladner, and Richmond.

There is a specific route at the school for drop-off and pick-up. Traffic is directed

one-way. There is also a parking lot at the back of the school where parents can

park and walk along a path to the front to pick up their children. A map detailing

the circulation has been sent home with parents. Additionally, there is a separate

staff parking lot.

The speed limit on the driveway is posted at 10 kilometres per hour, but

representatives say that there is a lot of speeding even though speed bumps were

recently installed.

There are no sidewalks on 72 Street. There are a number of developmentally and

physically challenged adults who walk on the site due to the presence of the Delta

Community Living Society building on site. The nearest bus stop is at the

Boundary Bay Airport, approximately 15 minutes from the site. The shoulders

along 72 Street are narrow with steep drop offs. School representatives indicated

a desire to have bus service out to the site to accommodate families who would

like to take transit to the school and also for the safety of the dvelopmentally

challenged adults that frequent the site. They would also like to see a sidewalk

on 72 Street leading to the school site.

Observations

Parents either park in the parking lot and walk to the front of the school to pick up

their child or they use the one-way system and park in the staff parking lot. The

driveway for the one-way system is five metres wide and there are concerns with

sight distance (see FIGURE 29.1) as parents come from the back of the school to

the corner of the front of the school. Nevertheless, pick-up seemed to proceed in

an orderly manner. There is a one-way sign for the school driveway on the west

side of the driveway, which is not visible to eastbound traffic.



136

FIGURE 29.1 SIGHT DISTANCE SEQUENCE AT BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI

Recommendations

Due to the remoteness of the site, and the relatively low school population,

significant modifications are not recommended to the road network. The District

and the school may wish to consider the following:

• Restrict parking in front of the speed sign on the south side of the

school or relocate the signs to be more visible.

• Replace the speed bumps on the south driveway to the site with

speed humps.

• Provide an additional one-way sign on the east side of the driveway

to the school.

School entrance School entrance

not visible

Blind corner caused by

parked cars and narrow

drive way

Speed limit and “children

playing” signs blocked by

regularly parked vehicles

1 2

3 4



137

FIGURE 29.2 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI



138

FIGURE 29.3 PROPOSED CHANGES – BOUNDARY BAY MONTESSORI

Provide additional one-way

sign for eastbound traffic.

Relocate speed sign or

restrict parking in front of

speed sign

Replace speed bumps with

speed humps.



139

30.0 DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

ADDRESS: 4789 53 Street

CONTACT: Gerri de Vos

General Information

Delta Christian School is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of

Ladner Trunk Road and 53 Street. It is a fairly urban campus. This intersection is

signal controlled. There is commercial development across the street from the

school on Ladner Trunk Road and a multi-family development on the east side of

53 Street. There is only one vehicle entrance to the school, which fronts onto 53rd

Street.

Interview

There are 164 students from Kindergarten to Grade Eight at the school. Most

students who travel to the school are from Tsawwassen, Ladner, North Delta and

Richmond. Approximately 20 percent of the students walk to school. There are

two school buses that serve about 20 percent of the school’s students. (During

the site visit, one school bus was in for repair.)

There is a paid adult crossing guard at the intersection of Ladner Trunk Road and

53 Street before and after school. This intersection is signal controlled with a

pedestrian push button.



140

The school has instituted a “kiss-and-go” area at the school that does not allow

parking. There is a parking lot at the front of the school for staff. Parents either

drive through the kiss-and-go area or park to the south on 53 Street and walk to

the school to pick up their children.

The school only fronts one street on which parking is permitted, 53rd Street.

Parking on this street is heavily utilized for properties other than the school, so

parents have to park a fair distance south of the school when picking up students.

Therefore, very few children walk to the intersection to cross the road safely. The

Principal thinks hat a crosswalk south of Ladner Trunk Road on 53 Street might

help improve this issue.

Observations

A school staff member, who wears a safety vest, is present at the pick-up time in

the kiss-and-go area. The paid adult crossing guard operates at the signalized

intersection on the west leg and north leg for approximately 20 minutes before

and after school.

The kiss-and-go area has a capacity of about 5 cars, which quickly fills up.

During the site visit, one parent exited his vehicle and could not be located for

several minutes while other parents were stuck in line behind him. Traffic from

this area backs up onto 53 Street and as the entrance is approximately 10 metres

south of Ladner Trunk Road, this may interfere with vehicles travelling through the

intersection.

The kiss-and-go area is wide enough for cars to pass each other, but parents

drive south along the west side of it leaving a car’s-width spacing between where

the children are and where the parents pick them up.

Children were observed to run into the kiss-and-go area to their parent’s car.

Some children were hanging out at the entrance to the pick-up area and not

paying attention to vehicles entering the property.

The school bus is parked immediately outside the kiss-and-go area and students

have to walk through vehicles in the kiss-and-go area to access the school bus.



141

Recommendations

Recommendations are shown in FIGURES 30.1 and 30.2.

� A school staff member should be more actively engaged in directing traffic

at the kiss-and-go area.

� Parents should be directed through the parking lot and then to the kiss-

and-go area to avoid on-street congestion.

� Parents should be directed to park closest to the school in the kiss-and-go

area to avoid students walking between cars, and then pull out to the east

side of the driveway to exit.

FIGURE 30.1 RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS FOR DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

� The school bus should be parked to the south of the kiss-and-go area so

students can walk south of the school and exit the school grounds to get

on the school bus thereby avoiding the traffic in the kiss-and-go area.

� Provide countdown pedestrian signals for the intersection of Ladner Trunk

Road and 53 Street.

Other route recommendations are detailed in FIGURE 30.3.

Parents park this

side (close to

school)

Parents drive

this side

Move school bus to south of south

entrance so students do not have to walk

through pick up zone.



142

FIGURE 30.2 PROPOSED CHANGES – DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL.

4789

5262

LADNER TRUNK RD

53 S

T53

ST

LADNER TRUNK R

LADNER TRUNK RD

53 ST

New route to

reduce on-street

congestion

Relocate Bus

stops here.

Students walk

on south side of

driveway to

reduce conflicts



143

FIGURE 30.3 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – DELTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL



144

31.0 ÉCOLE DU BOIS-JOLI


CONTACT: Michel Boulianne, Principal

General Information

École du Bois-Joli is located in Tsawwassen, very close to English Bluff

Elementary. It is part of School District 93, Conseil Scolaire Francophone, for

students whose mother tongue is French. There are 63 students. Access to the

school is from a driveway at the corner of 49 Street and Weaver Drive. There is

only one entrance to the school.

Interview

The catchment area is Tsawwassen and Ladner. Because of the large school

boundary, all of the students travel by bus. The Principal estimated that no more

than two families live within walking distance of the school. Since there is room

on the buses, even the students within 2 kilometres generally take the bus. The

school has a School Bus Safety Plan on their website, and has a formal Road

Safety Plan written in French. The population of the school is expected to grow to

80 or 90 students in the next few years.

There is an unused right-of-way to the north of the property and the Principal had

some concerns about people unrelated to the school walking in this area.

The Principal felt that they had a good relationship with the Corporation of Delta,

although he felt that they were sometimes excluded because they were not part of

the Delta School District.



145

Observations

The drop-off and pick-up zone for the buses is marked with yellow lines. The

loading of the buses occurred in an orderly manner, and was supervised by the

Principal.

Because of the lack of sidewalks on 49 Street, the exact entry area was not

distinct from the roadway, but due to the low volume of vehicles, this did not

contribute to any conflicts.

There is a walkway to the east of the school connecting to 7A Avenue. There is a

crosswalk connecting to this walkway, but this crosswalk has a sign on one side

only, and the sign is partly obscured by foliage.

Orderly loading of buses in front of school. Limited visibility of crosswalk signage

on 7A Ave.

FIGURE 31.1 OBSERVATIONS AT ECOLE DU BOIS-JOLI

Recommendations

The Safe Route Map is shown in FIGURE 31.2. Due to the low number of

students walking, significant modifications are not recommended to the road

network. The District may wish to consider providing an additional crosswalk sign

on 7A Avenue.



146

FIGURE 31.2 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – ÉCOLE DU BOIS-JOLI



147

FIGURE 31.3 PROPOSED CHANGES – ÉCOLE DU BOIS-JOLI



148

32.0 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL


CONTACT: Wendall McCormack

General Information

Immaculate Conception School is located on the north end of 119 Street. The

main access to the school is the four-leg intersection of 88 Avenue and 119

Street. Two legs lead to commercial developments. This is a four-way stop

controlled intersection. Immaculate Conception School is close to Gibson

Elementary School and Hellings Elementary School.

Interview

The school population is 470. Less than 5 percent of the students walk to school.

The school does not have a formal Road Safety Plan, but school representatives

feel that there is an open invitation to work with the municipality to address any

concerns.

For drop-off and pick-up, there are several people on duty in the parking lot. The

procedure operates as a one-way loop.

The Principal indicated concerns that vehicles accessing the commercial

properties from the alley intersecting the north end of 119 Avenue tended to travel

too fast and not look out for school children. He also expressed concerns about

a low level of compliance at the four-way stop at the intersection of 119 Street and

88 Avenue. The school posts an adult crossing guard at the intersection who was

seen operating on the east and north legs.



149

During pick-up and drop-off times, parents are only permitted to park in the gravel

parking lot in the northwest quadrant. Parents who do not wish to exit their

vehicle may travel down the central access road, and circle the southeast school

building in a counter-clockwise direction.

Observations

The site layout comprises four quadrants: there is a parking lot in the northwest,

a church, rectory and playground in the northeast, and two separate school

buildings, one in each of the southwest and southeast quadrants. The southwest

building is used for Grade One, Grade Two and Grade Three, and also contains

the gym. There are two points of access to the site, one to the south in the

middle of the site, the other at the southwest corner, connecting to 88A Avenue.

The southwest access is only open for 15 minutes during school pick-up and

drop-off times. There is a large parking lot separating the two school buildings.

This is cordoned off with pylons for the afternoon pick up. The site layout is

shown in FIGURE 32.1.

During drop-off times, two crossing guards who are parent volunteers, staff the

two crosswalks in the parking lot. A third person, a school staff member, directs

traffic out of the southwest corner exit. Usually, a parent volunteer also monitors

the crossing between the north side of the west school building, and the

northwest parking area, but none was present on the observation day.

Parents enter the property and either drive around the loop to pick up their

children, or they park at the gravel lot on the north side of the property. Some

parents park off site to avoid the queues. Students pass back and forth across

the access road on the patrolled crosswalks, travelling to the playground north of

the east school building, or between school buildings for after-school activities.



150

11864

8821

8781

11881

11906

11910

8813829

11861

11838 11884

8838

8843

11831

8851

8861

8871

8881

8891

8901

8911

8858

8870

8880

8890

8900

8910

88 AVE

120

ST

119 ST

88 AVE88 AVE88 AVE

89A AVE 89A AVE

118A

ST

1 18 A S

T

120 ST

120 ST

1 20

ST

88A AVE

FIGURE 32.1 SITE LAYOUT – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL

FIGURE 32.2 CROSSWALKS DURING PICKUP AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL

Second crossing

guard without safety

vest

Parent volunteer with

back to traffic not

holding stop sign

l

Parking Lot

Church

Church

School

School



151

At the intersection of 88 Avenue

and 119 Street, one car traveling

west from the commercial

development was observed to

completely ignore the stop sign.

The STOP signs are less

conspicuous at this site due to the

width of the roadway, as illustrated

in the attached photo.

Additionally, drivers may not be

anticipating the presence of STOP

signs at the exit to a commercial

property.

Southbound approach to the intersection of 88 Avenue

and 119 Street. STOP sign might be out of driver’s

primary cone of vision.

Issues

Circulation in the parking lot is good, but on the north side of the school there

was no supervision and vehicles were driving through the area where children

were playing ball. Volunteer crossing guards in the parking lot had their backs to

traffic and were not holding stop signs well enough for parents to see as shown in

FIGURE 32.2.

Recommendations

Several engineering improvements to the intersection of 88 Avenue and 119

Street may improve compliance of the stop signs and increase visibility for

pedestrians:

� A re-alignment of the north and south sides would improve visibility across

88 Avenue.

� Larger stop signs at the westbound approach and the northbound

approach may improve compliance at the commercial driveways.

� It is recommended that curb bulb-outs be installed on the east, west and

north legs to improve pedestrian visibility. 88 Avenue is fairly wide at this

location, approximately 12 metres, which is sufficiently wide for two parking

lanes and two through lanes (total) given the expected volumes here. Curb



152

bulb-outs can limit parking from the intersection and shorten crossing

distances for pedestrians.

FIGURE 32.3 INTERSECTION OF 88TH AVENUE AND 119TH STREET LOOKING EAST

Additionally, if the school is having difficulty finding volunteer crossing guards, the

school may wish to work with the Corporation to develop a pick-up and drop-off

plan that is not as reliant on volunteers. For example, if it were possible to

provide a north access to the school, it might be beneficial to request that parents

enter the building from the north entrance, and travel directly to the gravel parking

lot, and then to the southwest corner via the west side of the west school. Only

one volunteer would be required to ensure that students did not cross the path of

the vehicles unless accompanied by a parent. Additionally, any future

redevelopment of the site should avoid having two main school buildings

separated by an access road.

Recommend engineering improvements to

intersection to increase compliance with stop signs

and improve pedestrian visibility.



153

FIGURE 32.4 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL



154

FIGURE 32.5 PROPOSED CHANGES – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL



155

33.0 SACRED HEART SCHOOL

ADDRESS: 3900 Arthur Drive, Ladner

CONTACT: David Schollen

General Information

Sacred Heart School is located in an agricultural area in Ladner. Except for the

monastery and seniors’ home directly to the south of the school, the school is

generally surrounded by agricultural land. There is a crosswalk on the south side

of the school across Arthur Drive that leads to a bus stop. There is also a seniors’

home just south of the school. The nearest public school is Ladner Elementary

School.

Interview

The student population is 415 and as it’s a private school, students come from

everywhere. A handful of students walk to school and a few students cycle. An

additional 10 students take transit. There is some carpooling, but 90 percent of

students are driven to school.

There is a one-way system for pick-up time. The recommended travel pattern is

provided on the school’s website. Cars enter the school at the south entrance

and pull in front of the church, behind a crosswalk at the entrance of the school.

When this line starts to get too long for the front of the buildings, parents have to

drive around the Monastery to the south of the school to line up (FIGURE 33.1).

There are two parking lots, one is paved and on the school site, the other is gravel

and still on the school site, but on the other side of the creek that intersects the

site. The parking lots are shared between the church and the school and there



156

are designated spaces for staff at the inside lot. Some parents park in the gravel

lot and walk to the school to pick up their children.

FIGURE 33.1 PICK UP OPTIONS AT SACRED HEART SCHOOL

(Line up for pick-up shown on left and gravel lot shown on right.)

The Principal was concerned about the lack of sidewalks at the school’s location.

There are sidewalks further north on Arthur Drive, but they end before the school.

The school would like to see flashing signals on the crosswalk signs at their

location.

Observations

There are school zone signs and school crossing signs at either side of the

school property. The crosswalk to the south of the school is also well signed and

generally has good visibility.

FIGURE 33.2 SCHOOL CROSSING AND CROSSWALK SIGNS AT SACRED HEART SCHOOL



157

There are two crosswalks along the driveway at the school where parents line up

in their vehicles. Each is staffed by a teacher. The northern-most crosswalk is

also staffed by a student school patrol of two students. The southern crosswalk is

staffed by a teacher and one student. For the most part, teachers and students

wear safety vests. Student school patrols use stop signs to control traffic and are

assisted by teachers who also communicate with motorists. .

Students walk to their parent’s car (as long as it is between the two crosswalks)

and vehicles are directed to move forward by teachers. Compliance is very good

and the system seems to work well. If students have been picked up by their

parents, the vehicle is allowed to leave the line and drive past other waiting

vehicles.

The pick-up for kindergarteners is in a separate parking lot and parents park and

walk into the school to get their children.

Recommendations

• Construct a sidewalk on the west side of Arthur Drive from the

seniors’ residence to the bus stop south of the school.

• Delta may also wish to consider whether visibility improvements are

appropriate for the crosswalk south of the south entrance, given the

relatively high traffic volumes on Arthur Drive.

FIGURE 33.3 LOCATION FOR SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION

Recommended

sidewalk location,

west side of Arthur

along the school.



158

FIGURE 33.4 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SACRED HEART SCHOOL



159

34.0 SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY

ADDRESS: 1715 56 Street, Tsawwassen

CONTACT: Julia Common

General Information

Southpointe Academy is located on 56 Street in Tsawwassen. There are four

different buildings associated with the school. The school has several different

facilities along 56 Street. The main facility and a pre-school are located at the

southwest corner of 56 Street and 18 Avenue. An arts facility is located at a

commercial building at the northwest corner of 19 Avenue and 56 Street. The

school uses playing fields adjacent to the church at the northeast corner of 19

Avenue and 56 Street. A fourth location, a lounge for senior students, is located

on the west side of 56 Street, south of the main facility. The nearest public school

is Beach Grove Elementary.

Interview

There are 453 students at Southpointe Academy in Kindergarten through Grade

Twelve. Approximately two percent of the student population walks to school,

while approximately 20 percent are bussed. The rest are driven to school.

Students come from North Tsawwassen, Ladner, Surrey, Point Roberts,

Richmond, and White Rock. There are two school buses. One goes to Richmond

and the other goes to Surrey.



160

57 S

T57

ST

17A AVE

16A AVE

55A

STWILDWOOD CRES

CA

ND

LEW

YC

K W

YND

55 ST

19 AVE

16A AVE

55A

ST

18 AVE18 AVE

57A

ST

16A AV16A AVE

17A A

18 AVE18 AVE

FIGURE 34.1 SCHOOL SITES FOR SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY

(Sites with Southpointe facilities are indicated with a red star)

In the morning Southepointe Academy operates a one-way system on the school

grounds, in which parents enter the school from the north entrance (just south of

the intersection of 56 Street and 18 Avenue. The school grounds operate as

drop-off area and as a parking lot in the morning, and in the afternoon, it is closed

to traffic to act as a playground and as a bus pick-up area only. Parents park in

the neighbourhood behind the school in the afternoon (FIGURE 34.2) and walk

onto the school grounds to pick-up students or meet their child at another

location.

The school building located to the south of the main school site is a lounge and

classroom for the most senior students. They usually use the driveway entrance

of the hotel next door to walk to the building as opposed to using the sidewalk.



161

FIGURE 34.2 SCHOOL PICK UP ON 55A STREET AT SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY

Issues Raised by the School

The speed of cars on 56 Street is a concern. There is a school zone sign in the

southbound direction, but it is located north of 19 Avenue and not at the main

school (two blocks away), so motorists do not know exactly where the school

zone ends.

Sometimes students have to walk to the church site across 56 Street. The

students cross at the signalized intersection, but the signal is not long enough for

them to cross safely. There is a walking plan associated with travel between

school buildings and it is strictly adhered to. Travel to the north site occurs within

the parking lot of the commercial property west of 56 Street, as the Principal does

not feel safe walking the younger children on 56 Avenue due to the narrowness of

the sidewalk and the lack of boulevard.

Observations

Parking for pick-up is along 55A Street where parking is limited to 5 minutes at

3:00 PM. Parents are generally parked up to 20 minutes to pick-up students in

the afternoon.

A school bus for physically challenged students picks up a teaching aide at the

school every day to bring that person to another location. The school bus was



162

observed to be parked illegally, which blocked sight lines for motor vehicles

making eastbound right turns from 55A Street to 18 Avenue, as shown in FIGURE

34.3. Children were also observed crossing 18 Avenue from the retail

development next door to the school grounds. A staff member informed the

driver of the bus he was no longer able to park there.

FIGURE 34.3 SCHOOL BUS PARKED ILLEGALLY BLOCKING VIEW OF CROSSING STUDENTS

The driveway into the school at the north end of the main buildings is a hidden

driveway as shown in FIGURE 34.4. There are no signs warning drivers of the

driveway and it is located close to the signalized intersection at 18 Avenue and 56

Street.

FIGURE 34.4 HIDDEN DRIVEWAY TO SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY

Driveway location is shown with a red arrow.

The sidewalks in front of the school are quite narrow for groups of children

walking along 56 Street several times daily.



163

Neighbours offered anecdotal information about parents parking too close to

intersections and parking on residential lawns to pick up children.

Parents were also observed parking at the mini-storage facility to the north of the

school on 18 Avenue and waiting for their children to either cross to meet them or

they would walk to the school to collect students.

Two school buses pick up students on the west side of the school (at the back of

the school). These are the only motor vehicles on the property in the sectioned

off playground area in the afternoon.

Recommendations

� Install a hidden driveway sign at the north entrance of the school to alert

motorists to the volume of traffic potentially turning into the school. Trim

the foliage obscuring the north entrance. The school may also wish to

install directional signage at this entrance to further improve awareness of

this driveway.

� Install a second school zone sign just north of the intersection of 56 Street

and 18 Avenue on 56 Street to alert motorists to the main school site.

� Establish a walking route to school as per the map shown in FIGURE 34.5.

� Station a staff member at the north entrance to the school to ensure that no

students are crossing mid-block unaccompanied.

Any redevelopment plans should explore options to consolidate these sites.



164

FIGURE 34.5 RECOMMENDED ROUTES TO SCHOOL – SOUTHPOINTE ACADEMY



165

35.0 STATE OF THE PRACTICE

This section provides a brief overview of the latest standards and recommended

practices regarding school zones and safe routes to schools. Documents

reviewed in this section include:

1. Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada

2. Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Manuals

3. Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings (NCHRP Report 562)

4. Pedestrian and Streetscape Guide (Georgia Department of Transportation,

2003)

5. Pedestrian Crossing Control Manual for British Columbia

6. School and Playground Areas and Zones: Guidelines for Application and

Implementation (Transportation Association of Canada, 2006)

Research indicated that there is a high degree of variation among U.S.

jurisdictions on Reduced Speed School Zone (RSSZ) designation and treatment

of school crossings. It proved difficult to find examples of different levels of

treatment for the three different types of schools: high schools, middle schools

and elementary schools. While the vast majority of jurisdictions researched

implement RSSZs at elementary schools, there was much greater variation on the

treatment of middle and high schools. The ITE publication, Neighborhood Street

Design Guidelines (2003), notes that, for local and some collector streets, marked

crosswalks are common on elementary and middle school routes (the publication

does not discuss arterial roads).

The recommended practices regarding school zones and major pedestrian

crossings from the above-listed documents are summarized in TABLE 35.1; items

in bold are those that are recommended for consideration by the Corporation.



166

TABLE 35.1 REVIEW OF RECOMMENDED PRACTICE

DOCUMENT/MANUAL RECOMMENDED PRACTICE

Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCDC)

Re: School Zones

School Crosswalks School crosswalks should be installed only at locations where school or municipal authorities have agreed that a proposed school crosswalk will be supervised by either a police officer, school guard or school child safety patrol during locally established time periods.

School Areas Where a school abuts a road, it is advisable to provide advance warning to the driver approaching an area where children walk along or may cross the road.

School Area Reduced Speed Zones Where a school abuts a road, it may be necessary to designate a speed limit, particularly where the school grounds are not fenced. In this case, the Maximum Speed sign (RB-1) should be used. The sign must be mounted with and immediately below the School Area sign (WC-1) so that it may be clearly understood that the maximum speed limit is in effect only for the hours covered by general regulations for speed zoned in the vicinity of schools.

Institute of Transportation Engineers Publications

Re: School Zones Immediate and Low-cost Engineering Solutions: � Provide high-visibility crosswalks � Improve school area signing � Expand the size of the school zone � Install pavement legends � Modify traffic signal phasing or timing to improve pedestrian

crossings � Develop school walking and bicycle route maps � Modify drop-off/pick-up operations � Hold regular traffic safety days � Especially around schools, ensure stop lines and pedestrian

crossing markings are freshly painted � Establish drop-off zones as far as possible from the front

door of the school Higher-Cost Engineering Solutions: � Separate pedestrian and bicycle facilities from motor vehicle

traffic � Bicycle lanes � Traffic calming � Establish pedestrian crossings at all four corners of school

grounds and any mid-block entrance



167

Design and Safety of Pedestrian Facilities (ITE, 1998)

Re: School Zones Potential Traffic Control and Crossing Treatments Near Schools include:

� Reduced speed zones � Traffic calming techniques � Marked crosswalks at intersections and mid-block � Stop controlled crosswalks � Signalized crossings (with pedestrian actuators) � Grade separated crossings � Crossing guard or school patrolled crossings � Signing and marking

Re: Major Pedestrian Crossings Marked Mid-block Crosswalks should be installed: � Where significant pedestrian crossings and substantial

pedestrian/vehicle conflicts exist (should not be used indiscriminately)

� Where the crossing can serve to concentrate or channelize multiple pedestrian crossings to a single location;

� At approved school crossings or crossings on recommended safe school walk routes;

� Where land uses create high concentrations of pedestrians needing to cross (such as residential areas across from retail or recreation, and transit stops across from residential or employment);

� Where pedestrians could not otherwise recognize the proper place to cross or there is a need to delineate the optimal location to cross;

� Where there is adequate sight distance for the motorist and pedestrian (any obstacles that would interfere with visibility at the crossing location should be removed or relocated and on-street parking set back from the crossing point for improved visibility)

� On the basis of an engineering study if located at other than an existing STOP sign or traffic signal.

Mid-block crosswalks should generally be avoided under the following circumstances (unless they are stop controlled): o Immediately downstream (less than 300 feet) from a traffic

signal or bus stop where motorists are not expecting pedestrians to cross;

o Within 600 feet of another crossing point, except in central business districts or other locations where there is a well defined need. The recommended minimum separation in most cases is 300 feet; and

o On high speed streets with speed limits above 45 mph.



168

Alternative Treatments for At-Grade Pedestrian Crossings (ITE, 2001)

Re: School Zones Alternative treatments for school zones identified in the report include:

� Portable signs placed and removed during school hours by crossing guard or attendant (e.g. “NO PASSING, SCHOOL IN SESSION”)

� Portable orange barrels placed in crosswalk during school hours � Double-fine zones � Part-time street closures � Overhead fluorescent yellow-green signs � Flashing beacons with signs

Improving Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings (Transportation Research Board NCHRP Report 562)

Re: School Zones The school signal warrant has a unique feature that may lend itself to the handling of all pedestrian crossing treatments. In the school warrant, the main consideration is the ratio of the number of adequate gaps to the number of minutes the crossing is being used. This ratio could be used to set thresholds for various crossing treatments.



169

School and Playground Areas and Zones: Guidelines for Application and Implementation (Transportation Association of Canada, 2006)

Re: School Areas and School Zones

School Areas (warning signs) can be considered for roadways near Elementary and Middle schools, where there is a possibility of children entering the roadway.

School Areas are generally discouraged for High Schools, Post Secondary Institutions and Pre-Schools, due to the recognition of their limited effectiveness for these age groups.

School Zones (reduced speed limits near schools) are generally discouraged along “walk-to-school routes” away from the school vicinity, and on roadways where any of the following conditions exist: o School is located on an arterial road or freeway; o School grounds are fully fenced; o School is located an appreciable distance (e.g. greater than 50

metres) from an intersecting roadway; o The candidate roadway does not have a school entrance; and, o The length of the school frontage is minimal (e.g. less than 50

metres). All School Areas should be marked with the fluorescent yellow-

green School Area sign (WC-1 of MUTCDC). Signs should be posted at a distance that allows for adequate

perception and reaction time for motorists. No specific signing is required at the end of a school area. In addition to the appropriate Area warning sign, all School Zones

are to be marked with a: o Sign denoting reduced speed limit should be installed directly

below the Area warning sign in advance of the property line. o Sign denoting the end of the zone should be provided several

metres downstream of the desired end of zone location. Pavement markings are used to supplement traffic signs and may be

used for added emphasis if weather conditions permit their installation and maintenance.

In general, a speed limit reduction of greater than 30 km/h is discouraged without a transition zone.

The length of a School Zone should generally be no less than 100 metres in an urban environment and no less than 200 metres in a rural environment.

On roads with speed limit of 70 km/h or greater, the separate tab should be provided for enhanced visibility.

Illumination of the RB-1 sign, or attachments of flashing amber beacons and a “when flashing” tab to the RB-1 sign, may be used in place of a tab that displays the effective times.

Flashing amber beacons should be implemented in accordance with Section B5.7 of the MUTCDC.

“SCHOOL” pavement markings in rural areas may be considered. Where schools are located near intersections, the need for a School

Zone should be evaluated for each adjacent roadway.



170

Motorists leaving the zone by turning at the intersection will need to be informed that they are departing the zone. The signing and marking requirements for each of these three scenarios is briefly described as follows.

On the intersecting and opposing streets, install the standard start of zone signage as follows: o On STOP controlled approaches: 30-50 metres in advance of

the intersection. o On uncontrolled approaches: at least 50 metres in advance of

the intersection. On STOP-Controlled Approaches: o The zone may have to start or end more than 50 metres from

the intersection if the school property extends further. o Engineering judgment should be used, particularly on local

roads in residential areas, to avoid over-signing. On Signalized Approaches: o It is strongly discouraged to continue a school zone through a

signalized intersection. o If a zone is provided through any intersection, signs should be

installed with particular caution o Avoid surprising drivers by introducing a Zone immediately

after an intersection.



171

36.0 OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

36.1 Good Practices Currently in Place

Several schools have very good practices currently in place in terms of pedestrian

access, separation of pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic and school location.

Pedestrian Access

Boundary Beach Elementary, shown in FIGURE 36.1, is a good example of

pedestrian access. The entrance to the school is from a pathway that links

students directly from the crosswalk to the school entrance without having to

negotiate their way through motor vehicle traffic.

FIGURE 36.1 BOUNDARY BEACH ELEMENTARY ENTRANCE



172

Separation of Pedestrian and Motor Vehicle Traffic

Good site design is demonstrated at Delta Manor Elementary. The students enter

the school directly from the sidewalk, which is not interrupted with motor vehicle

traffic. Motor vehicles enter the school grounds away from the school entrance

and the parking lot is separated from the school entrance by a significant

walkway. These are both illustrated in FIGURE 36.2.

School entrance at Delta Manor Elementary.

Students enter school directly from the sidewalk

without interruption by motor vehicles.

Motor vehicle separation from student entrance.

FIGURE 36.2 DELTA MANOR PEDESTRIAN AND MOTOR VEHICLE SEPERATION

Pebble Hill Elementary is a good example of good school site layout and location.

The school is located on 2 Avenue between 52A Street and 54 Street. Although

the staff parking is at the front of the school, students can access the school

directly from the sidewalk without having to walk through the parking lot. There is

vehicle access to the school through a Fire Lane outside the school but cones

prohibit vehicles from entering during school hours. Photos of the school are

shown in FIGURE 36.3.



173

Pebble Hill Elementary entrance Aerial of Pebble Hill Elementary


FIGURE 36.3 PEBBLE HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION

Another school with good site location is Hawthorne Elementary. The school is

located on a quiet residential street. Vehicle access to the school is separated

from pedestrian access. Students have direct access to the front door via a

sidewalk. Bicycle parking is also located on the sidewalk side of the school

entrance just to the left of the school entrance as shown in the photo in FIGURE

36.4.

Hawthorne Elementary entrance (bicycle parking

circled)

Aerial of Hawthorne Elementary


FIGURE 36.4 HAWTHORNE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOCATION



174

Raised Crosswalk at Main Entrance

Several of the schools had crosswalks located at the main entrance. This is

typically at a mid-block location. In some cases, this crosswalk was raised, i.e.,

located on a wide speed hump. Raised crosswalks provide several advantages:

they force vehicles to slow down, they improve visibility of the crosswalk

markings, and they improve visibility of shorter pedestrians, such as students.

36.2 General Issues

Sidewalks

Most routes on higher volume roads have sidewalks on both sides of the street.

Many of the existing and proposed Safe Routes to School Maps show routes on

streets with no sidewalks. The lack of sidewalks may be hazardous for children

walking to school who are just developing a sense of road safety. Children may

not be aware that they should travel on the road against on-coming traffic when

sidewalks are not available. Also, a lack of sidewalks in some locations means

that there is a ditch in the way of walkers that can fill with water in the spring or, as

was seen during our winter site visits, can become very icy when water freezes.

Delta schools are for the most part, located in quieter residential areas with low

traffic volumes. Sidewalks on safe routes have been prioritized for improvement

based on volumes, the site visit, and input from stakeholders.

School Site Design Guidelines

Most of the schools included in this study had site designs that were developed

with motor vehicle access as a priority. Very few schools in the study area had a

sidewalk connection to the front door of the school that was not crossed by

vehicular traffic. Some bus zones were located where students were expected to

access the school. Other schools had improvised bus zones in parking lots

where students are exposed to buses and motor vehicles. Parking restrictions for

most schools limited parking in front of the school during regular drop-off and

pick-up hours, however, some of these were observed to be ignored. Schools

should be designed with the main user in mind – students.



175

School Zone Limits

For many of the schools, a school zone is defined. Site visit observations

indicated that most of the school zone signing is located immediately at the

school property. This gives motorists very little time to prepare and adjust driving

behaviour to that appropriate to a school zone. Please refer to TAC guidelines in

TABLE 29.1 for more information.

Pedestrian Countdown Signals

Pedestrian countdown signals allow a person to judge the amount of time they

have available to complete the pedestrian phase of a traffic signal. Most of the

traffic signalized crossings in the study area were not equipped with countdown

timers. Some of the crossings that students are expected to make in their walking

journey to school involve very busy arterials. Countdown timers can help those

with cognitive impairments (including children) to make safe judgments in their

journey.

School Safety Patrol Program

Site visits and interviews indicated that some schools do not participate in the

School Safety Patrol Program or that when there are not enough student

volunteers, the program does not operate. It is important for schools to have

consistency in their programs to support safer street crossings for students, and

that these programs are monitored regularly.

Knowledge of the Safe Routes to School Program

Most of the school representatives who were interviewed were not aware of the

Safe Routes to School Program and most of the schools were not using the Maps

previously sent out by the Corporation.



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Visibility of School Zone Signage and Crosswalk Locations

In many locations, the school zone and crosswalk signage was obscured by

overhanging shrubs, trees and other foliage, as shown in FIGURE 36.5 below.

Drivers may not notice signage, and therefore not anticipate the need to slow

down or stop for school children.

Hidden School Zone sign at Jarvis Elementary

Obscured crosswalk sign at Cougar Canyon

Elementary

Obscured Speed hump sign at Pinewood

Elementary

Obscured Speed Zone sign at Sunshine Hills

Elementary

FIGURE 36.5 OBSCURED SIGNS ON STREET NEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS



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37.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

37.1 Guidelines for Crossing Controls

The following information details examples of measures that can be implemented

to increase pedestrian safety at both school zone crossings and major pedestrian

crossings. Information has been taken from studies conducted by the Institute of

Transportation Engineers and the National Cooperative Highway Research

Program. The information summarized in TABLE 37.1 entails possible crossing

facilities based on road classification – local, collector or arterial.

37.2 Overall School Recommendations

Sidewalks

It is suggested that the Corporation make it a priority to complete sidewalks on

one side of the street for identified routes with a longer term goal of completing

sidewalks on both sides of the street for routes identified in this plan. Providing

sidewalks is a basic pedestrian facility that helps to encourage walking as a mode

of transportation. It also separates pedestrians from motor vehicle traffic, which

makes the route safer.

School Site Design Guidelines

The Corporation should consider developing school site design guidelines for

future schools or school additions and renovations. These guidelines should

address separation of modes (pedestrians, bikes, cars and buses), pedestrian

access and the location of bus loops, parent pick up and drop off areas and

parking lots. School site design guidelines are further discussed in APPENDIX A.



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TABLE 37.1 CROSSING FEATURES BY ROAD CLASSIFICATION

ROAD TYPE SCHOOL ZONE MAJOR PEDESTRIAN

CROSSING

Identify Safe Routes to School Marked Crosswalk

Signage In-Street Signage

Marked Crosswalk Local

In-Street Signage

Sidewalk Sidewalk

Identify Safe Routes to School Marked Crosswalk

Signage Pedestrian Refuge

Marked Crosswalk Curb Extensions

Implement a School Patrol Program

(Student Safety Patrollers) Lighting

Pedestrian Refuge In-Street Signage

Crossing Guard

Speed Humps

Lighting

Curb Extensions

Raised Mid-Block Crossing

Collector

In-Street Signage

Sidewalk Sidewalk

Identify Safe Routes to School Signage

Signage Marked Crosswalk

Marked Crosswalk Lighting

Implement a School Patrol Program

(Adult Crossing Guard) Pedestrian Refuge

Lighting Overhead Flashing Beacons

Pedestrian Refuge Pedestrian Signal

Overhead Flashing Beacons

Arterial

Pedestrian Signal



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School Zone Limits

It is suggested that the Corporation consider widening the limits of the existing

school zones per TAC recommendations. TAC guidelines recommend the length

of a school zone should generally be no less than 100 metres in an urban

environment. According to TAC, signs should be posted at a distance that allows

for adequate perception and reaction time for motorists.

Trimming of Roadside Shrubbery

It is proposed that the municipality undertake to trim roadside shrubbery that

obscures school zone and crosswalk signage near schools. A systematic review

should be undertaken every fall, to ensure that all signage is visible.

Pedestrian Countdown Signals

It is suggested that the Corporation consider retrofitting its existing pedestrian

signals along identified routes to school with Pedestrian Countdown Signals

(PCS) at major pedestrian crossings and at school crossings across arterials or

collectors. The use of PCS has been found to enhance pedestrian understanding

regarding when the flashing “Do Not Walk” signal is about to end and opposing

traffic will be released. In addition, it has also been found that fewer pedestrians

are left in the crosswalks at this point in the cycle when PCS is used.

A 2005 Informational Report by the Transportation Association of Canada found

that 78 to 94 percent of pedestrians found PCS easier to understand than

conventional pedestrian signals. It also revealed that 80 to 92 percent of

pedestrians felt the PCS was an improvement over conventional pedestrian

signals. (Source: An Informational Report on Pedestrian Countdown Signals

(PCS)).

School Safety Patrol Program

It is recommended that the Corporation, in conjunction with the School Board,

Delta Police and ICBC, review the training, practice and operation of School

Safety Patrols. Site visits and interviews indicated that some schools do not

participate in the School Safety Patrol Program or that when there are not enough

student volunteers, the program does not operate. It is important for schools to



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have consistency in their programs in order to support safer street crossings for

students, and that these programs are monitored regularly. Further

recommendations regarding safety patrols are detailed in APPENDIX C.

Safe routes to School Implementation Program

It is recommended that the Corporation adopt an implementation strategy for the

Safe Routes to School program. The interviews from this study indicate that not

all schools were aware of the program and that most schools are not using the

maps issued by the Corporation.

Those interviewed expressed interest in the program and after the interviews were

complete, several school representatives contacted the consultant to seek

additional information, to reiterate important concerns they raised, and to inquire

about next steps.

School Principals meet regularly and the Corporation is advised to contact the

School District to make a presentation at one of these meetings early in the

school year. The Corporation should introduce the program, explain the intention

of the maps, encourage schools to use the maps, discuss the future of the

program, solicit feedback, and allow time to address additional concerns.

It is also recommended that students and parents be engaged in the Safe Routes

Program beyond receiving the maps and being encouraged to use the routes.

� Students can be encouraged as part of school curriculum to create a map

of their own identifying a route from their home to the school. These maps

may demonstrate actual routes to school and may provide valuable

information for updates to the Safe Routes to School maps.

� A review of traffic signs can be conducted to ensure all students

understand the signs they will see along their routes to school.

� An event may be organized that reviews safe walking and street crossing

practices for students (i.e. walking against traffic where sidewalks do not

exist), and promotes “walking school buses” to take those routes to

school. Students can also use stencils to paint footprints on their routes to

school for wider appreciation of the routes.



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� The Corporation can work with the School District to establish a Safe

Routes to School Committee where feedback on the program can be

delivered. This committee can then work to ensure the program is

monitored and kept up-to-date.

The “Way to Go!” Program (administered through ICBC in British Columbia) offers

a program implementation strategy for encouraging families and students to walk

to school, shown in FIGURE 37.1. Previously, staff was available to assist with

developing school-specific programs, however, now it is only an on-line resource.

Interviews with school representatives indicated that most schools consider

themselves participants in the “Way to Go!” Program. This encourages students

to walk to school one day a week or one day a year, which is a step in the right

direction to adopting the “Way to Go!” Program; however, the Program has many

other aspects, as shown in FIGURE 37.1. Many schools lack a dedicated group

of parental volunteers to maintain the program throughout the school year and

over the course of a number of years.

Program Monitoring

The Safe Routes to School Map, crossing locations, pedestrian signal phase

timing and program implementation should be monitored and reviewed regularly.

A schedule for monitoring should be established to review the Program every five

years.



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FIGURE 37.1 WAY TO GO! PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

(Source: Way to Go! Website: http://www.waytogo.icbc.bc.ca/framesets/program/index_prg.htm,)



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A-1

APPENDIX A LIST OF MISSING SIDEWALK LINKS



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APPENDIX B SCHOOL SITE DESIGN GUIDELINE RECOMMENDATIONS



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APPENDIX B SCHOOL SITE DESIGN GUIDELINE RECOMMENDATIONS

Site design is an important consideration for encouraging walking. Site designs

that place large parking lots between the public sidewalk and the main entrance

to the building or have several driveways crossing the sidewalk not only

discourage pedestrian access, but can also create safety issues for pedestrians,

especially children who may lack judgment skills regarding traffic.

The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) discusses pedestrian site design in

their manual, Promoting Sustainable Transportation through Site Design. ITE

recommends that pedestrian routes:

� Serve desired lines (i.e. the most direct route from adjacent neighborhoods

to the school);

� Meet at intersections; and

� Avoid being directed through conflict areas (e.g. parking lots, drop-off

zones, bus drop-off zones, and driveways).

Relationship of Building to the Public Right Of Way

School sites should be centred in the community and accessible to pedestrians

from all sides. Design solutions should exceed established standards where

desired or necessary.

School entrances should face traffic-calmed streets and entrances should be

connected to the existing street and sidewalk network. It should be possible to

walk from the surrounding neighbourhood to the front door of the school on

continuous sidewalks or pathways. Examples of good and poor school entrance

designs are shown in FIGURE B-1.



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Example of preferred pedestrian-oriented site design: entrance of school directly connects to sidewalk and is uninterrupted by parking lots and drop-off zones

(Fairmont High School, Ohio).

Example of automobile-oriented site design: students must walk through parking lot to get to the main entrance of the building (Annieville Elementary).

FIGURE B-1 EXAMPLES OF PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED VS. AUTOMOBILE-

ORIENTED SITE DESIGN

The example of a preferred pedestrian-oriented site design is taken from a

previous Opus Hamilton study in Kettering, Ohio. Although there are examples of

schools in Delta that have sidewalks leading up to the schools (the best example

is Boundary Beach Elementary, another example is Richardson Elementary),

shown in FIGURE B-2, the schools are still separated from the road by parking

lots requiring students to walk along a sidewalk next to a parking lot to enter the

school. The design from Kettering is a preferred design.

Boundary Beach Elementary Richardson Elementary

FIGURE B-2 EXAMPLES OF PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED SITE DESIGN IN DELTA

Entrance blocked by

vegetation



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Location of Parking and Bus Area

Pedestrian-friendly sites have parking lots located to the side or rear of the main

building – not directly in front of the main entrance. This allows pedestrians to

avoid traversing large parking lots, which may cause safety issues. By locating

parking to the side, school entrances can front directly onto the street, with a

dedicated pedestrian path directly from the sidewalk to the main entrance, which

is uninterrupted by vehicle movement.

Vertical separation (with curbs) and horizontal separation (e.g. landscaped

medians) from motor vehicle traffic are strongly encouraged to improve the safety

of pedestrians.

An example of good overall site design is presented in FIGURE B-3. This figure

shows:

1. A direct connection from adjacent sidewalks and crosswalks to the main

entrances, with minimal vehicle lane interruptions

2. Parking placed on the side of the building

3. A direct pedestrian path from the student drop-off area to the main entrance

4. A bus zone which does not cross the pedestrian realm

5. Pedestrian access from all sides

6. A mid-block crossing to create awareness of the presence of pedestrians and

slow traffic



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FIGURE B-3 EXAMPLE OF PEDESTRIAN-ORIENTED SCHOOL SITE DESIGN Source: Children and School Zones, State of Georgia

2

3

4

1

5

6



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Passenger Drop-Off and Pick-Up Areas

Guidelines provided by ITE indicate that pedestrian drop-off and pick-up areas

should be:

� Located at the side or rear of the building;

� Clearly identify and illuminate pedestrian routes; and

� Provide sheltered waiting areas benefiting from “natural” surveillance.

Other Potential Site Issues

Crossings should provide an unobstructed visual field between motorists and

pedestrians. Street furniture (utility poles, mail boxes, etc.) should not hide

pedestrians from view. A maximum shrub height of two feet is recommended for

school zones.

Organizing Pick-up and Drop-off

Schools where a significant portion of the students arrive by vehicle may wish to

implement a three-zone system, if space permits to reduce delays at pick-up

times.

Zone 1 consists of a "Hug and Go" area where parents pull up and wait for their

children to board in an orderly fashion. The children know where to go and there

is a teacher there to make sure that the children board only when their parents are

the first few in line. This works great for those parents that have the time and do

not want to get out of their cars, or for those parents who want adult supervision

with their children until they are in the car. The line-up can be sped up if parents

are given a piece of cardboard with the student’s name and grade on it to keep in

their car. The parent holds it up as they approach the pick-up area and a teacher

yells out the student’s name.

Zone 2 consists of a separate area where parents can pull up, and drop-off or stay

by their cars for their children to come out and meet them. This is for those

parents who do not want to deal with the line-up. It is better for those parents

who need to save some time but who have older children who can be counted on

to meet them at a specific place for pick-up. These areas should be signed, as



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"unattended vehicles will be ticketed" to make sure that this area does not default

into Zone 3.

Zone 3 is an area for those parents who need to get out of their car and go into

the school area to pick-up their children because the child is too young to meet

them at a specific place, or that they feel more comfortable meeting their child at

the door. Having some space where the parents can park, leave their car, and

walk their child into or away from the school is a necessity at most schools.



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APPENDIX C

SCHOOL SAFETY PATROL PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS



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APPENDIX C - GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL SAFETY PATROLS The School Safety Patrol program provides benefits to the school, the community

and the student safety patrollers.

The Community – The school safety patrol helps foster closer ties with the

community. Local police officers usually provide the training for patrollers.

Student patrollers are visible ambassadors for their school and assist both

parents and younger children at school crossings.

The school – While the obvious benefit to the school is reduced congestion and

traffic safety in the immediate area of the school, there are additional benefits.

The school, by participating in the program, is providing students with an

opportunity to learn leadership and teamwork skills and develop maturity.

Student patrollers become role models for younger students.

The student patrollers – Being a patroller provides students with great

opportunities. They receive training through the program in addition to

developing leadership and teamwork skills. They also develop a sense of

responsibility.

Guidelines for School Crossing Programs Guidelines for school crossing programs in British Columbia, including the School

Patrol program, are covered in the document “Safe Crossings” developed by the

Ministry of Transportation in 1993. The following extracts are of particular

relevance:

Recruiting school patrol members – Consider a patrol structure with 26

members per crossing. Divide the 26 members into two teams. Each team has a

patrol captain and 12 members – two standby and 10 duty members. Standby

members are for cases of sickness, etc. 10 members form five, two-person duty

groups – one group on duty for each day of the week, The second team of 13

members will be on duty the following week so each duty member will be on duty

only once every two weeks.



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Corporation of Delta: It is understood that the two-person teams are only

required for duty once every two months, which suggests there are many

volunteers from the 6th & 7th grade. There were occasions when the

patroller was busy on another school activity, such as soccer, band, etc.

and there was no replacement. Some Principals made the decision that if

the whole team was not available, then no team members would go out.

Recommendation: Schools should ensure they have sufficient volunteers and that in case a patroller is not available, a standby patroller should be available. Schedule of duties – The recommended minimum times of operation are:

x 30 minutes before school begins to five minutes after; and

x Five minutes before and 20 minutes after final dismissal.

Corporation of Delta: It was observed that most school patrol teams

were operating for much less time. In some instances there were none

present. During the very bad winter weather, some Principals were

reluctant to let their patrollers perform their duties in case vehicles had

difficulty stopping on the slippery road surface.

Recommendation: Schools should ensure that the teams are operating at the appropriate times and that their presence is consistent. Uniform – A patrol uniform should be established. An orange fluorescent vest for

good weather, a fluorescent raincoat for inclement weather and white hard hat are

recommended.

Corporation of Delta: Most school patrollers were wearing orange vests

but not correctly. None were wearing a white hard hat.

Recommendation: Schools should ensure that the teams are correctly wearing fluorescent vests and recommend the wearing of white hard hats.



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Equipment – A hand-held, double-sided “STOP” paddle is recommended.

Whistles or any device that may cause confusion for motorists or a patrol partner

are not recommended.

Corporation of Delta: All patrollers had “STOP” paddles but some were in

very poor condition, i.e. discoloured and out of shape.

Recommendation: Schools should ensure the “STOP” paddles are in good condition and very visible to approaching traffic. Training of school patrollers – The trainer (preferably a police officer) should

instruct patrollers on proper procedures with emphasis on the responsibilities the

job entails. Important points to cover are expected conduct, how to recognize

and avoid dangerous situations, what type of behaviour among students should

be corrected and/or reported and what to do in case of an emergency.

Corporation of Delta: The Delta Police school liaison officer provides

training for school patrol teams in each elementary school at the beginning

of each school year. In some schools the Principal has developed a

manual for the patroller covering the important points. The Principal

develops the schedule and should the patroller only be scheduled later in

the year, the Principal conducts a brief refresher session. In most schools

the Principal or another teacher is present to observe the school patrol.

Recommendation: Delta Police should continue with the training but could perhaps provide a brief mid-year review and update, when necessary. Procedures – The procedures are quite specific:

x School patroller stands on curb/sidewalk and holds back students until

there is a break in the traffic.

x When this occurs, the school patroller shouts “Okay” to the partner; the

partner in turn shouts “Okay”.

x Then, and only then, do both members hold their traffic paddles out at full

arm’s length to show “STOP.”



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x School patrollers then motion students to walk in a group across the

pedestrian crosswalk.

x Once the group has reached the centre of the roadway, no more students

are to be allowed to leave the curb.

x When the students have reached the opposite curb, both school patrollers

will check the crosswalk and call “Okay” if clear of students.

x They will return their paddles to the rest position.

x If, for any reason, a school patroller feels it is unsafe when the partner has

shouted “Okay”, “No” will be shouted.

x REMEMBER, SCHOOL PATROL MEMBERS NEVER STEP INTO THE

ROADWAY.

Corporation of Delta: There were no words shouted between patrollers. In

fact in some cases there wasn’t even “eye-contact” between the patrollers.

Patrollers walked with their “STOP” paddles into the centre of the road and

performed their duties from there.

Recommendation: Corporation of Delta and the Delta Police Department should review their policy on this issue and adapt their training appropriately. Monitor the program – Provide recognition – Evaluate the program –

x The local police could be an important partner to monitor the patrols.

Surprise visits are recommended to enforce the need for good behaviour.

x A system of rewards instills pride and commitment.

x At the end of the year, the School Patrol Program must be evaluated as

well as the condition of the uniforms and equipment.

Corporation of Delta: The Delta Police school liaison officers do make

random visits to the schools, primarily to observe driving behaviour at the

drop-off and pick-up. An annual recognition event is held at the Waterpark for

all school patrollers.



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Recommendation: Corporation of Delta and the Delta Police Department should continue to monitor the performance of the school patrols and organize annual recognition events. They should also conduct annual evaluations, particularly with respect to the condition of the equipment.



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• Traffic Operations • Transportation Planning • Road Safety Engineering • Transit and Sustainability • School and Community Safety • Asset Management