NEWS - Not on MY Street!

It's back to school time for students at Frank J. Ney Elementary School in Nanaimo and Nanaimo News Now is reporting conflicts between residents on Entwhisle Drive and Carriage Drive and the parents driving their children to the school. The residents do not want the parents to use "their" street to deliver children to school.

Residents are tired of parents stopping in front of driveways to drop children off for the short walk to school on pedestrian paths. They are correct in this complaint as the Motor Vehicle Act forbids stopping in front of a public or private driveway.

These residents also do not like seeing "increased traffic on their quiet streets." Well, yes, it would be nice to keep all residential streets quiet, but these are public streets and drivers are entitled to use them.

They are also unhappy that drivers make U-turns before or after dropping off children. Save for the portion of Entwhistle Drive marked with a single solid yellow line, there is nothing to prohibit making U-turns, including the Nanaimo Traffic and Highways Regulation Bylaw.

Entwhistle Drive

Carriage Drive

Residents want all students dropped off at the school entrance on Williamson Road and got together with home made signs and traffic cones in an attempt to enforce their wishes. This tied up a number of police and bylaw enforcement officers.

There is something to everyone's viewpoint. I can understand wanting a quiet street and a clear driveway. I can also understand choosing a safe route for children to walk to school while avoiding a major traffic situation on Williamson Road.

What I would like to comment on is an oversight by the City of Nanaimo when Carriage Drive was (partially) constructed. They should have built a bulb where the footpath begins to facilitate the ability of drivers to turn around. This would promote the more orderly movement of traffic on the street.

A part of the solution could also be students that walk to school instead of having their parents drive them there. Safe Routes to School is an Active Transportation program that promotes student health and safety while relieving the congestion during school pickup and dropoff times.