The death of a pedestrian on Mount Newton Cross Road last month has spurred two women to take action to make the area safer.
Neither Samantha Hunt nor Megan Ereiser knew the 47-year-old woman who died, and they didn’t know each other until their reactions to the tragedy linked them when they posted on Facebook. Hunt had come up with an idea to have reflective vests for people to borrow from bins placed on the side of the Mount Newton Cross Road, while Ereiser decided to circulate a petition calling for streetlights and a sidewalk.
They said they will be at Monday’s Central Saanich council meeting with the petition. It had grown to 1,200 names by Sunday.
The three bins, paid for by the Central Saanich police, have been put near the Mount Newton/Pat Bay intersection, at the crosswalk by Saanich Peninsula Hospital and at Mount Newton/East Saanich Road. Signs explaining the program have been taped on adjacent power poles, and include the pair’s phone numbers should there be any issues with the bins.
“People can always call us if they see that if they’re empty or there’s vandalism or [the vests] need to be washed,” Ereiser said.
The idea is that anyone walking along the road can borrow a vest then deposit it in the bin closest to their destination, Hunt said.
She noted that the recent fatal incident happened on a dark, rainy night.
“I don’t want to speculate on the cause of the accident; however there are always lots of people walking that aren’t wearing anything reflective and it’s very difficult as you drive down the road to see people,” she said. “You don’t see them until you’re right there.”
Making vests readily available is simple and costs virtually nothing, she said. Some of the vests were donated by the Central Saanich Fire Department.
“I’ve been working with Megan to get this all off the ground,” Hunt said. “Even if we save one life, that will be a difference.”
She said she lives on a stretch of road in the community with very few streetlights and started wearing a reflective vest about a year ago when she walks her dogs. She said she feels “vulnerable” without it.
Ereiser said the vests are a good idea but are a “temporary fix” to the problem on Mount Newton.
“This is a Band-Aid for something that needs a stitch.”
She said she drives the route four times a week to get to work and sees all sorts of road users, including people pushing strollers.
“It’s a main connecting road between communities with a hospital that serves all Saanich Peninsula,” she said. “It’s a busy road for pedestrians and vehicles.”
Hunt said she hopes the project can grow.
“As the project goes on we hope to expand it to other areas where there’s a lot of pedestrian traffic, and hopefully more people will start wearing reflective clothing.”
