SHORELINE SCHOOL REQUEST FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

SHORELINE SCHOOL REQUEST FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Town enroll into the Capital Regional District’s “Ready, Step, Roll” program with Shoreline Community Middle School.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Option #2: THAT the report titled “Shoreline School Request for Traffic Safety Improvements” be received for information.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to respond to Council Action Item C-175-25 from the November 4, 2025 regular Council meeting, “That the issue of traffic safety at Shoreline Community Middle School be referred to staff to provide a report back to Council.”

BACKGROUND:

The action item originated from Shoreline Community Middle School PAC’s correspondence to the Town regarding concerns of potential conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians (students) at the Island Highway / Shoreline Drive intersection. PAC’s letter recapped the issue as including but not limited to:

• Poor driver behaviour due to long vehicle wait times on Shoreline Drive waiting to turn onto the Island Highway, attributed to high numbers of students crossing Shoreline Drive at the beginning and the end of school sessions;
• Concerns of an increase vehicles on Shoreline Drive during peak periods due to westbound vehicles on the curbside lane being required to make a right turn into Shoreline Drive, exacerbating the vehicle delay issue.

PAC’s letter inquires to the Town to what can be done to address the situation to mitigate the risk of conflicts, and asks whether adjustments and improvements can be made to the intersection, with ideas including:

• Pedestrian / traffic signal installations;
• Crossing guard funding;
• A more pronounced and/or wider crosswalk;
• Repainting of the existing pavement markings and repairing the pavement on the Island Highway.

Excerpt from the PAC Letter (Crossing Concern Highlighted in Yellow)

DISCUSSION:

As part of Engineering’s regular operational work, staff are currently and/or in the near future conducting the following:

1. Reviewing the pavement markings of roadways by the school and retouch markings that have show significant wear.
2. Installing new “40km/hr” signage located on the Island Hwy, and a 30km/hr gateway sign on Shoreline Drive. Staff will be reviewing other signage improvements to aid in user awareness of these road corridors.
3. Incorporating PAC’s letter into the Transportation Master Plan process.

In the meantime, Staff recommend to Council enrolling the Town to partner with Shoreline Community Middle School in the Capital Regional District’s (“CRD”) Ready Step Roll Program¹. The program is the region’s school commute planning program to improve safety, accessibility, convenience and comfort so that more students, families and staff can choose to walk, bike, roll, take the bus, or carpool as a desirable option to and from school.

¹ Capital Regional District (2026). School Commute Planning – Ready Step Roll. https://www.crd.ca/programs-services/getting-around/school-commute-planning

There are significant benefits to partnering with Shoreline Community Middle School in the Ready Step Roll program:

1. The program would directly address the concerns identified in PAC’s letter;
2. The program enlists on site engagement with Town staff, school staff, PAC, RCMP and CRD staff to obtain a fulsome and holistic understanding of school accessibility, which is above and beyond PAC’s ask of a simple site visit;
3. The program will suggest a wide range of actions that can include the Town, School District 61, RCMP, BC Transit and other relevant stakeholders. In other words, investments to improve the area is spread across many jurisdictions.

The Town has previously entered into Ready Step Roll programs for View Royal Elementary School, and more recently, Eagle View Elementary School: both of which resulted in short term (immediate) actions taken and potential capital project considerations. The Town has not conducted the Ready Step Roll program with Shoreline Community Middle School yet, thus furthering the recommendation to enroll into this program with Shoreline Community Middle School.

While available ICBC crash data (2020-2024) has indicated no pedestrian incidents at the intersection and no cyclist incidents in the last 5 years, Staff’s operational actions, followed by the recommendation to enter into the Ready Step Roll program, provides a systematic approach in addressing Shoreline PAC’s concerns.

ANALYSIS:

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

☐ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
☐ N/A

The Ready Step Roll program will involve many stakeholders to participate and jointly work on solutions.

TIME CRITICAL:

Time is of the essence as applications to enroll close in February 2026.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY:

ATTACHMENTS:

1. PAC letter (from November 4, 2025 Council Agenda)
2. Letter dated January 20, 2026 from E. Duke