Bus routes will be revamped this spring to avoid what BC Transit and Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff deemed a hazardous intersection in Roberts Creek.
Starting in May, buses heading to Sechelt from Gibsons will travel from Beach Avenue up Marlene Road to get on to Highway 101, rather than travelling up Flume Road. Southbound buses will continue to use the current route, using Flume Road and Beach Avenue.
SCRD and BC Transit staff conducted a safety study in September to assess concerns about the left turn buses normally take at Flume Road onto the highway, and found there is “a significant risk” of a bus being involved in an accident, which could lead to injuries and equipment damage.
“This risk is due to the steep slope of Flume Road as buses are not able to pull onto the highway in an appropriate amount of time, resulting in the risk of an accident with highway traffic,” according to a staff report presented at a Jan. 30 infrastructure service committee meeting.
The study also identified the need for a long-term solution, as the bus rerouting is considered a temporary measure.
Directors voted unanimously in favour of the change, and also for SCRD staff to work with BC Transit and the Ministry of Transportation (MOTI) to implement “long-term safety improvements” at that crossing, and on short-term safety improvements to Marlene Road.
The staff report identified a “transit priority measure such as a pedestrian cross with flashing lights” as one potential long-term solution, and suggested MOTI could provide further solutions based on findings expected from an ongoing review of a section of Highway 101.
Setting up a crosswalk would require the participation of MOTI, a comprehensive study and funding.
SCRD chair Lori Pratt said a pedestrian crosswalk and light across the highway is needed.
Elphinstone director Donna McMahon said the Flume intersection is the second most dangerous in Roberts Creek, with 13 crashes resulting in injuries from 2013 to 2017, according to ICBC. “I strongly feel we need a pedestrian light there because we have a problem on the highway,” she said.
Before the vote, Alton Toth, director for Sechelt, said he was “a little disappointed” at the loss of bus access to the Ikelon trailer park, located on Flume Road, but was ultimately supportive of the change.
Additional bus stops will be created as part of the change and bus riders will be notified online, via bulletins posted at affected bus stops, and through print advertising on all buses. Notices will be delivered to residents in the area, too.
The recommendations to adjust the bus routes and seek long-term solutions were unanimously approved by directors at a board meeting that afternoon.
