Keats Islanders will get a chance this spring to weigh in on the bollard question.
Proposed last fall by the public wharves advisory committee, the parking bollard -a steel post more than a metre high -would prevent vehicles from accessing the Keats Landing dock except for emergencies or unloading supplies.
The move was prompted by concerns about pedestrian safety on the dock, especially when Keats Camp is in session.
"The main issue appears to be vehicles that aren't necessarily road-worthy and smaller vehicles like golf carts being driven by seven- and eight-year-old kids. They just come flying down there," Joyce Clegg, alternate director for West Howe Sound, told the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) infrastructure services committee on March 7.
"Apparently the majority of residents on Keats want this bollard in tomorrow if possible," Clegg said from the gallery.
West Howe Sound director Lee Turnbull, who had noted earlier in the meeting that "there's a difference of opinion about the Keats Landing dock," will be seeking public input on the issue during her annual town hall for the islands, to be held during the last weekend of May.
SCRD staff are proposing a removable parking bollard at the dock entrance with "as many as three people on the island with keys," said Brian Sagman, manager of transportation and facilities.
Under the plan, one of the key holders would remove the bollard for an emergency evacuation by boat or when a contractor or resident made prior arrangements to load or unload supplies. The access would not be granted to someone wanting to park on the wharf when travelling by boat to the mainland, but the public can park in an area provided by Keats Camp just off the dock entrance.
In his report to the committee, Sagman said unlicensed and uninsured vehicles are a problem on the island because RCMP presence is limited.
"Even when the RCMP visit the island, word quickly spreads and the operation of unlicensed or uninsured vehicles ceases, at least temporarily," he said.
The vehicles are often in poor operating condition and create both safety and environmental concerns.
Island residents have also complained that some vehicle operators are reckless and have endangered pedestrians on the dock, he said.
Staff installed the base for the bollard last year, but the board opted to wait until residents had been consulted before proceeding.
"We're trying to go through a bit of a process to make sure we have the support of the majority of people on the island," Sagman said.
Installing the bollard base at the dock entrance, though it has not physically restricted traffic, has led to improved driver behaviour, he said. "It has helped. There's better adherence to the parking regulations."
