The Editor:
I’m writing to express my concern about the access and egress from New Westminster Secondary School.
Currently, the only exits from the site are east onto 6th Street via a forced right turn back into the city centre, south onto 8th Avenue, which is nightmarish in both directions, and north onto 10th Avenue via a forced right turn towards 6th Street.
For anyone heading west out of the school lot, the only real option is 8th Avenue.
And that, due to the bus traffic and cross-town traffic, is very delayed most of the time after school. Not to mention the area is busy with students on foot; it seems only a matter of time until some unfortunate accident happens.
I have already had my car bumped by a student’s car in the roundabout from the parking lot by Moody Arena.
Seeing as there will be a large open space west of the school due to the tear-down of the old building, my suggestion is that an exit be placed through to the Eighth Street and Canada Way intersection at the Dublin Street crosswalk.
This will allow drivers heading west (not everyone lives in the area southeast of the school) to leave and avoid the constant bottleneck that is Eighth Street and 8th Avenue.
It will allow local traffic one more option and reduce pressure on city centre after school.
All that said, I do enjoy walking, cycling and occasionally parking off site.
But, I do think this suggestion has merit to relieve the traffic pressures around the site, and perhaps prevent future unfortunate accidents.
- Sherida Charles, teacher-on-call
