2 days ago
Swift News
It’s a sight that wouldn’t be out of place in most neighbourhoods — a dozen or so reflective delineators, cordoning off a pedestrian path next to a busy road.
But on B.C.'s Gabriola Island, it’s a sign of vigilante traffic justice.
Steven Earle is a long-time resident of Gabriola and a representative for the Gabriola Transportation Society. He has been outspoken about what he describes as "traffic chaos" at the Descanso Bay ferry terminal on Gabriola.
He says that after months of working with the Regional District of Nanaimo, the Island Trust and the Ministry of Transportation to improve the chaos around the ferry, he was surprised to see the delineators one morning, and more surprised to find out it wasn’t the government who took action.
“It was done in the middle of the night by somebody here on the island,” said Earle.
Delineators are reflective posts typically installed to slow road traffic and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, typically by separating the road from the shoulder when there's no curb or visible line.
And while Earle says he’s happy to see the delineators, he’s still pushing for a better solution.
Every 40 minutes or so a ferry arrives on Gabriola Island, and with it, comes a quick injection of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. It’s why Earle, along with many Gabriola residents, are lobbying for a new 650-metre trail to help users share the road.