This project will enhance Sumas First Nation’s active transportation network by making safety improvements to a pathway that provides members living in the Lakeview Drive neighbourhood with a convenient, direct, and safe route to access services and amenities located in the community’s central area. This Vision Zero grant funding will enable the addition of solar-powered lighting to improve user safety during non daylight hours and the installation of removeable bollards to restrict pathway access to only service vehicles and emergency responders.
Sumas First Nation has identified a need for safety improvements along a gravel pathway directly linking Kilgard Road near to the community daycare, administration building, and sports fields to homes in the Lakeview Drive neighbourhood. This pathway is the primary link for children and families walking and cycling between this neighbourhood and the services and amenities available in the community centre.
Several safety concerns have been identified for this pathway such as low visibility due to a lack of lighting and unrestricted vehicle entry. Connecting to hardwired electrical service at this location is costly, making the provision of adequate lighting using traditional lighting technology difficult. The current lack of artificial lighting is of particular concern outside of daylight hours and during the winter months as it creates unsafe conditions for pedestrians and cyclists during these times. The installation of solar powered street lighting will provide an effective and low-cost solution to this issue. The pathway is wide enough that it can function as a secondary access road for emergency responders, so an access-control gate will be installed to prevent use by unauthorized vehicles.
With these improvements in place members of Sumas First Nation will be one step closer to having a comprehensive safe and convenient active transportation network that provides easy linkages within the community and ultimately to walking, cycling, and transit routes that connect to more distant destinations.
