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The Real Danger in Pacific Spirit is Speeding Cyclists
I walk the trails in Pacific Spirit Park most days and have a few observations. It is a jewel of a park, well maintained, with its natural beauty accessible for many to enjoy.
My walks are in the morning hours where the dogs seem to exceed the 30 per cent cited by Metro Vancouver (Re: No Changes to Leashing Rules in Pacific Spirit, The Campus Resident, March 2026).
Almost all are well-behaved and are probably security for some solitary walkers. Almost all the dogs are off-leash with several wandering off trail chasing and barking at other dogs or squirrels. My impression is that most dog owners consider Pacific Spirit Regional Park as an off-leash dog park despite signs to the contrary. Only enforcement and fines will change this behaviour.
While dogs can degrade habitat and a few can be harmful to others, I believe that the biggest potential harm to people comes from cyclists silently whizzing by others from behind without any warning. Education, using warning protocols (such as saying “on your left”), bells and lights will avoid potentially serious injuries and liability.
Overall, park staff are trying to ensure that our parks are welcoming to as many as possible without degrading the environment and harming public safety. For this to succeed, understanding, compromise and cooperation from park users and support from politicians will be required.
FRANCIS O NEILL, RESIDENT
Fed up with Speeding Motorists
I would like to add to the ongoing concern regarding speed and reckless driving in the Wesbrook Community.
As a resident of Georgia Point located on Ross Drive, I witness or am personally affected by dangerous traffic along Ross Drive and the roundabout at 16th and Ross Drive. This includes excessive speeding, swerving around pedestrians in marked crosswalks, drivers yelling out their windows to “hurry up” (the nice version) and not coming to a complete stop at crosswalks.
These behaviours have forced me to take safety into my hands by having my phone out and ready every time I cross a crosswalk. I have had to report reckless driving to the RCMP more than once. It has gotten so bad that cyclists will not cycle on the road but instead on the sidewalk. Ross Drive specifically, is home to both a high school and a community field which creates lots of foot traffic, including children and pets.
Ross Drive is not a thoroughfare, but a bustling community and these traffic issues are unacceptable. Everyone, whether visiting or a resident, deserves to feel safe on the road.
When I googled this issue to see if anything was being said online, I found an article in this very newspaper from 2021 titled “Neighbours Out Walking / Shopping Need Better Protection from Speeding Drivers”.
I think it is outrageous that these issues have been ongoing for five years and nothing has been done. The author of that article eloquently lays out some ideas they think will help, including:
- Installation of more robust crosswalk lights at the roundabouts on West 16th Avenue.
- The current crosswalk lights seem to just whisper that there is pedestrian traffic. These lights need to scream.
- Convert the crosswalk lights on West 16th Avenue, adjacent to University Hill Secondary School to actual traffic lights (red, yellow & green).
- Install speed bumps along Ross Drive, as this is currently a stretch of road that begs cars to pick up speed.
- Install a stop sign on the north and south sides of the Birney Avenue and Ross Drive intersection, and consider adding crossing lights there as well as cars typically do not stop at the existing stop sign on the northeast corner of this intersection.
- Install clear signage that acknowledges and accounts for all aspects of a sustainable community: school zones, children playing, heavy pedestrian zones, and all other methods of non-motorized modes of transportation in the name of safety.
Personally, I am shocked that a serious incident hasn’t occurred in this neighbourhood. I implore my fellow neighbours to speak up about this. If we can install a dog park and EV chargers, we can put safety first in our growing community.
CONCERNED RESIDENT