The last thing a group of sixth graders want is to miss their school bus.
On Friday morning, Oct. 18., they waited for their ride to take them to Bayside Middle School in Brentwood Bay. It usually arrives around 7:05 a.m., but the school bus was a no-show.
Fortunately, one of their parents came back to rescue them from the cold, windy morning as they stood waiting at a Canora Road bus stop in Sidney.
The bus stop in North Saanich poses serious safety hazards for waiting passengers. Located across from Mary Bleue Cafe and next to the B.C. Aviation Museum entrance, its safety issues are far more concerning than the unreliable bus service. It's a bench beside a bike and cycle path, a ditch and a dirt road with potholes.
On that particular Friday morning, Myriam Saavedra Lopez, who has lived in Sidney for 10 years, walked her two children, Zia and Keito, to the bus stop.
Zia says they usually stand on the multi-use path because they don't want regular buses stopping for them. As Peninsula News Review witnessed that morning, the students stood in the way of speeding e-scooters, bicycles, mobility scooters and joggers.
Another student, Jade, says she likes to wait on the bike path for fear of being swiped and hit when buses and cars drive into the dirt road to drop off passengers.
The 2.5-metre unpaved area where the bus stop bench is does not leave much room for them to stand and wait safely. Students end up waiting either around the path on the grassy patches that sit dangerously close to a ditch or on the multi-use path while waiting for their bus.
Lopez, who walks around a few blocks between Northbrook Drive and Ocean Avenue delivering newspapers every Thursday, has noticed this for quite some time.
She says the bus stop needs some serious upgrades for the sake of the children and the community.
"I respectfully ask the district to look into fixing the bus stop completely," she said.
By that, she meant adding a shelter for when it rains or snows, paving the dirt road and adding a proper waiting area, designating stops for both regular and school buses as well as private vehicles, adding a bus schedule information board and building a bicycle stand.
"That's helpful for the people, for the tourists and beneficial to the community because more people will be encouraged to take the bus, including the many seniors who live in the neighbourhood," Loped added.
BC Transit says all bus stops and bus stop infrastructure are the responsibility of their local government partners.
Peninsula News Review attempted to get a comment from the District of North Saanich but received no response.
