Do I Crosswalk or Jaywalk

There are numerous busy streets in Dartmouth. One of them is Baker Drive in the Russell Lake area. It connects Portland Street to Mount Hope Drive and the Woodside Ferry.

There are seniors homes on Baker Drive. It has a bank, a Sobeys, a drugstore and walk in clinic, a bus route, a Subway, even a Tim Horton's. In fact, the only thing it doesn't have is a crosswalk. Well, there is a crosswalk at the bottom of the hill - oh did I mention there was a hill? There is a hill and it's quite a long climb from the bottom to the top. The top of the hill is where the other crosswalk is located. Basswood is that street's name.

It's odd, when you come out of the first senior's complex (there's more than one) and look across the street, you see a bus stop. That stop will connect you to buses heading to downtown Dartmouth, Dartmouth Crossing, Cole Harbor, all the main arteries. The only trouble is, there's no way to get to the bus stop, unless you walk to the bottom of the hill, decide to be dangerously energetic and hike to the top of the hill, or take your life into your hands and cross the street without using a crosswalk. That's called jaywalking isn't it.

I walked up Baker Drive, took a few pictures, made a short video. I'm getting up there in years myself but I'm not a senior yet. I'm still ambulatory. I had a difficult time crossing the street at my age in my physical condition. I presume the task would be considerably more difficult if I was in a walker or a wheelchair. By the way, it's a 10-minute walk to the bottom of the hill and a 30-minute walk to the top. I suppose a person could take the bus to the top of the hill, cross the road, and catch a bus from up there.

We tried to bring this to the mayor's attention. One of his assistants sent us a nice email advising us that a study will be conducted in the fall to determine if there is a need for a crosswalk on that street. I'm not clear on why a study needs to be conducted. Seniors. Bus stop. No access to the bus stop. Crosswalk needed. It's not rocket science.

I wonder how much a can of crosswalk paint costs. And an overhead crosswalk light too, of course. 

While Council is figuring it out, the seniors, who might be your mother, your uncle, or your grandmother, will just have to take their chances in the traffic.