REQUEST FOR PRIDE COLOURED CROSSWALK (Attachment #1)

REQUEST FOR PRIDE COLOURED CROSSWALK

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report titled “Request for Pride Coloured Crosswalk” be received for information.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Option #2: THAT Council direct staff to draft a project summary to install pride-coloured benches within the boulevard area fronting View Royal Elementary School, for 2025 budget deliberations.

Option #3: THAT Council direct staff to draft a project summary to install a pride-coloured crosswalk across Rudyard Road by the Helmcken Road intersection for 2025 budget deliberations.

Option #4: THAT Council direct staff to draft a project summary to install a pride-coloured sidewalk at View Royal Elementary School for 2025 budget deliberations.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to respond to Council Resolution C-146-24:

THAT staff provide information to Council regarding the feasibility, cost and best location for a Pride coloured crosswalk.

Section 3.3 of the Town’s Streets Bylaw No. 980, 2019 authorizes that the Director of Engineering may place or erect traffic control devices for the regulation, control, or prohibition of traffic, for the purposes of giving effect to the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act and the bylaw (S3.3.1). However, the symbolic application of traffic control devices such as a decorative crosswalk is a political decision, and therefore should be made by Council.

BACKGROUND:

At the October 15, 2024 regular Council meeting, a request was raised by Councillor MacKenzie that Council direct staff to prepare a report on the feasibility and best location for a pride-coloured crosswalk in the Town. The idea was initially raised by members of the View Royal Elementary PAC, and the crosswalk outside of the elementary school was suggested.

A pride-coloured crosswalk is a decorative crosswalk that symbolizes a community’s visible commitment to inclusiveness and diversity. The crosswalk is painted in the pattern of the Pride Flag – a symbol of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Pride coloured crosswalks have been installed within many nearby municipalities, including but not limited to Victoria, Saanich, Central Saanich, Sidney, Colwood (Royal Bay Secondary School, Royal Roads University), and Langford.

Potential Location(s) near View Royal Elementary School:

While the obvious location for a pride-coloured crosswalk is the existing crosswalk on Helmcken Road fronting the school, there are two key considerations in keeping the crosswalk in its current state:

1. this crosswalk was recently reinstated in the Summer 2024. With an expected useful life of 7 years, the crosswalk markings will not be repainted anytime soon. Removal of the existing markings will also damage the pavement;
2. given the close proximity of the crosswalk to the painted mural at the Pheasant Lane roundabout, it is recommended to maintain the crosswalk to transportation standards to mitigate additional distractions on this section of Helmcken Road.

A potential location for a pride-coloured crosswalk could be at the Rudyard Road / Helmcken Road intersection. The location is not directly fronting the school, and the installation of a pride-coloured crosswalk in this location could be precedent setting for other requests in the future. However, should Council wish to proceed with installing a pride-coloured crosswalk, then there are two advantages of this location:

1. Access into Rudyard road is used for school pick up / drop off during school hours. Therefore, there is a community-based flavour to implementing a decorative crosswalk at this location;
2. There are currently no crosswalk markings at this location. This is typical for local, low volume (rural) streets that intersect with collector roadways. However, transportation standards do support crosswalk markings in urbanized environments that could benefit from a more visual queue. Therefore, additional pavement markings could be supported given the amount of traffic at this intersection due to school pick up and drop off.

Alternative Options:

Pride coloured crosswalks do have higher installation and maintenance costs (as described in the Analysis section below). There are two lower cost yet effective alternatives:

1. Pride coloured bench seating: such seating currently exists within the playground area of View Royal Elementary School, and there is an on-street example in Central Saanich by Keating Elementary School. There may be opportunities to install 1 to 2 benches behind the sidewalk and near the existing Helmcken Road crosswalk that has high visibility. Furthermore, the seating could be used by children waiting for pickup by the bus parking area, or by school crossing guards on their breaks.
2. Pride coloured sidewalk: this application is not currently used in Greater Victoria, but local governments within British Columbia have been exploring this opportunity as it is less costly and does not see the same wear and tear as road markings. Vandalism is still a risk.

ANALYSIS:

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

Community Impact: This initiative supports the Town’s policy statements identified in the Town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy #0100-55:

• A commitment to celebrating the rich diversity of people in the community, guided by the principle that embracing diversity enriches the lives of all people;
• Demonstrate that differences should be celebrated, honoured and understood. Work with partners in bringing the diverse community together to champion the practices of inclusion, respect and equality.

Financial Implication: There are higher than typical installation and maintenance costs.

Installation costs will be in the range of $15,000 – $25,000 due to the higher complexity of the work and more expensive pavement markings. This is approximately ten times more expensive than what a traditional crosswalk costs.

Maintenance costs will be significantly higher than traditional crosswalk costs as snow and ice-clearing operations are very hard on the markings. The expected useful life of such markings may be up to 50% shorter than traditional markings, and the markings are less aesthetically pleasing over a few years that will require intermittent touch-ups.

Vandalism of pride-crosswalks have been apparent in all instances within Greater Victoria that can result in higher maintenance costs. Operations staff may have a duty to immediately resolve such issues in keeping with the Town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy.

Inter-Governmental Relatons Impact: While decorative crosswalks are not explicitly identified in any transportation guidelines or standards, many municipalities in British Columbia have successfully adopted similar decorative sidewalks in similar road conditions.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MoTT) does have a technical circular document that permits decorative crosswalks within its road right of way provided that the crosswalk must: (1) Be stop or signal controlled, or a mid-block crossing with flashers; (2) Utilize twin parallel lines (not zebra markings); (3) Be within an existing speed zone of 50km/h or less (or within municipal boundaries and operating as a statutory 50kkm/h limit); (4) Include all regulatory signs and standard pavement markings typical of a stop or signal controlled, or mid-block crossing.

This technical circular does not apply to the Town as Helmcken Road is within the Town’s jurisdiction. No MoTT approval is required as a result, and the crosswalk markings will meet the spirit of the technical circular requirements. Therefore, the data confirms that a decorative crosswalk can be installed safely within the Helmcken Road corridor.

ALIGNMENT:

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

Strategic Plan: Per the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy 0100-55, future strategic planning will make diversity a key strategic priority by demonstrating that differences should be celebrated, honoured, and understood. The Town of View Royal will work with its many partners in bringing the diverse community together to champion the practices of inclusion, respect, and equality.

Other Policy Documents: Directly aligns with the Town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy #0100-55

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

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

[x] Inform
[ ] Consult
[ ] Involve
[ ] Collaborate
[ ] Empower
[ ] N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

Should a decision be made to install a pride-coloured crosswalk or other alternative, then a project summary will need to be established for 2025-2029 Financial Planning deliberations.

CONCURRENCE:

REVIEWED BY: