Pedestrian safety is being kept at arm’s length in Langford – literally.
At the new roundabout at Peatt Road and Hockley Avenue, two crosswalk signal buttons have been installed several steps off the sidewalk, awkwardly placed in the middle of flowerbeds.
To activate the buttons, pedestrians must veer off the path and step into the landscaping – a nuisance for most, but a near-impossible task for those with mobility challenges.
“It's baffling to me,” said Krista Wright, who has been using a wheelchair for 13 years. “I was frustrated and disappointed that somebody didn't notice this when they were putting it together.
"You're making a city supposedly better, but it's more challenging sometimes."
Unable to use the button to alert traffic before making her way across the road, Wright instead waits for drivers to notice her and stop.
"But what if somebody drives through ... and without the warning lights, they don't know somebody's going across the street?" she adds.
According to a city spokesperson, the roundabout's design, including the electrical components, was “created years ago” by professional civil and electrical engineering consultants.
Funded and built by the developer of the adjacent condo building on Peatt Road, construction of the roundabout began in September last year and was monitored by the Professional Engineers of Record and the city.
The “deficiency” of the crosswalk button placement was identified after installation, the city spokesperson explained. And in June, the engineers were asked to provide design options and cost estimates to address the issue.
The city hopes to resolve the issue “as soon as possible.”
“The contractor has not yet achieved ‘construction acceptance’ from the city due to outstanding deficiencies,” the spokesperson added.
While acknowledging the error was most likely unintentional, the Victoria Disability Resource Centre described the crosswalk design as disappointing.
“With so much information available about accessible design, mistakes like this can and should be avoided,” said Wendy Cox, executive director.
“When people with disabilities are included in planning from the start, we create safer, more welcoming communities for everyone.”
Wright agrees that folks with lived experience of having mobility challenges need to be part of the planning process early on.
“I think it's really important that that everybody has a say in what’s happening,” she said.
“If something is going to change how people can get around the city, then they need to bring somebody in who can help them with that.”
A Langford resident for 20 years, this is not the first time Wright has encountered accessibility issues in the city.
Uneven sidewalks are her biggest concern, but sometimes the problems are more subtle.
She points to the recent addition of Evolve e-bike and e-scooter rental stations across the city, and one in particular located next to a bus stop. It's location created a headache for bus drivers who were unable to deploy their ramps for wheelchair users.
It was a situation that was eventually rectified by the city, says Wright.
“It doesn't seem like a big thing, but it is for people who need it and there's no choice,” she said.
Besides these occasional inconveniences, Wright likes to keeps a positive attitude, staying focused on solutions rather than problems.
Asked to rate Langford for its accessibility, she describes her experience as overall “pretty good.” Still, there’s always room for improvement.
“I love my community, so how do we make it better so that everyone can enjoy Langford,” she says. "I just really think that it's important to think about, because there are a lot of people with mobility issues in Langford and as the city grows, there's going to be more."