The goal of this project is to increase the lighting along the darkest portion of the Stella Road Pedestrian Walkway to encourage pedestrians to choose to walk on the pedestrian walkway rather than on the narrow shoulder of Stella Road after dark. This safety measure will result in a significantly safer situation along Stella Road for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
In 2024, Stellat'en FN Chief and Council embarked on an initiative to provide a safe pedestrian walking/cycling/wheelchair route adjacent to Stella Road. The initiative came about when a member of the community was brushed by a vehicle when he was walking on the shoulder of Stella Road. It is important to note that this section of Stella Road is basically a bypass for traffic, including heavy trucks and emergency vehicles that go through the reserve to access non-reserve lands on the North Shore of Fraser Lake. The road is an unusual bypass as it is within the community and therefore this section of Stella Road is also used by the children, Elders, accessibility-challenged persons, and community Members of Stellat'en First Nation.
To address this obvious safety problem, the Nation met with MOTT and the regional highways contractor to see about a potential solution and the idea of a pedestrian walkway that would separate pedestrians from vehicular traffic was determined to be the best-fit solution. Since that time, a considerable effort has been made on the initiative and the 1 km long walkway has been installed and is being used regularly by the community.
However, in 2025 the community identified the need to have the walkway lighted for use after dark. It was determined that this safety enhancement would further encourage pedestrians to use the walkway at night rather than walking along Stella Road. Stella Road itself is poorly lit in the area this application targets and is therefore most dangerous for pedestrians and drivers after dark. As such, this proposal seeks to install 5 care taker lights along the darkest portion of the walkway to further encourage pedestrians to choose the walkway and stay off of Stella Road after dark.
Stellat’en First Nation Councilor Norman Charlie standing on the walkway during construction. Norman was brushed by traffic while walking along Stella Road one dark evening. His experience stimulated the pedestrian walkway community safety initiative. Stella Road, with its 6 inch shoulder, can be seen on Norman’s left. This photo shows a portion of Stella Road that gets very dark at night. It is also a section of the walkway that this approved project is targeting for enhanced lighting.
Photo source: Unsplash. Title photo is shown for illustration purposes only and may not be an accurate representation of the project.
