Narrow strip of concrete voted Greater Victoria’s ‘jankiest sidewalk’ – BC | 24CA News
It’s slender. It’s received phone poles protruding of it. It’s a hair’s breadth away from site visitors. And it’s been awarded the title of the “jankiest” sidewalk in Greater Victoria.
The doubtful honour is bestowed yearly by a Victoria group, Walk On, Victoria, that takes photograph submissions of janky — that’s, poor high quality — sidewalks each June, then holds a vote to find out the worst.
This 12 months’s “Janky June” winner, positioned on Landowne Road reverse Camosun College in Saanich, was snapped by Chad Gaucher.
“I’ve always just noticed how terrible this sidewalk is. I see a lot of people coming by here and struggling with it,” Gaucher mentioned.
“My whole foot is probably longer than the sidewalk is (wide).”
The presence of a phone pole embedded in the course of the roughly 40-centimetre-wide pathway typically forces individuals to step into the street to stroll round it, he added.
“And when there’s two lanes of traffic coming, there’s not a lot of room for the cars to move over, so it’s a very awkward situation,” he mentioned.
“When I was actually submitting my photo I got lucky enough for a bus to be coming by right as I was taking my photos, and it was quite scary actually, with the wind blowing me over almost.”
Walk On, Victoria advocates for pedestrian security and infrastructure.
Group member Ariel Guetta mentioned the competition is a approach to poke enjoyable on the state of affairs, whereas bringing actual consideration to areas that want upgrades.
“We’re hoping just to bring attention for the need to improvements in infrastructure and safety for pedestrian,” Guetta mentioned.
“One of our biggest aims is to ensure that pedestrians are getting the same level of consideration that cars do when improvements are being made to the road.”
Guetta mentioned the cheeky competitors does seem to get outcomes: A neighborhood metropolis councillor has already been in contact with the group to get extra details about this 12 months’s “winning” sidewalk.
Ironically, in response to Guetta final 12 months’s profitable entry was submitted by Saanich’s new mayor, Dean Murdoch.
“What I appreciate about the Janky June contest is it raises the profile of these kinds of concerns for people who are walking, riding, maybe using a mobility device or pushing a stroller,” Murdock mentioned.
“There are some issues in Saanich where it is very challenging to get around safely, and we appreciate that this is a way to keep that at the forefront of people’s minds and making it a priority to make infrastructure safer for everyone.”
Murdock, who was elected in final October’s mayoral election, mentioned town is at present within the session and planning section of its first-ever Road Safety Action Plan, which is taking public enter on “points of concern” within the metropolis’s infrastructure that want upgrades.
This 12 months’s jankiest sidewalk, nonetheless, won’t make the lower for precedence fixes — Murdock famous that it was straight throughout the road from a two-way pathway, which means there could possibly be different blocks within the metropolis of a better precedence, security smart.
Meanwhile, Gaucher — together with bragging rights for having documented town’s worst sidewalk — will stroll away with a $50 prize.
But to listen to him inform it, bringing consideration to the issue is prize sufficient.
“I really just wanted to raise awareness about how dangerous this sidewalk can be,” he mentioned.
“I’m really happy walk on Victoria is doing this contest every year, because I think it will keep raising awareness about dangerous sidewalks and infrastructure … before an accident happens.”
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