Welcome to Your Kamloops!

A Pedestrian Bridge Too Far?

I recently had a twitter exchange with TRU Student Union President Dustin McIntyre. Dustin is a smart, observant gentleman and he noted that one of the projects on city hall's radar is a pedestrian bridge over the road pictured above. This is Summit Drive as it approaches McGill Road, on the border of TRU. I have mixed feelings about voting for funding the proposed pedestrian bridge. And Dustin understandably wondered why.

Twitter is awesome, but sometimes the 140 character limit just kills me. Haven't really figured out how to really be thoughtful and thorough on twitter. So, I am thankful I still have this blog to share with Dustin and others about my current thinking here. The issue also raises interesting, more general questions.

In the picture above, at the farthest end of the grey roadtop, is a crosswalk. Also, it's a bit to hard to see, but coming out of the concrete barrier is a sign saying no crossing here. This stretch of road is particularly tricky for pedestrians who want to jaywalk in the vicinity of that sign. As cars turn down the hill, there is little time for people jaywalking to get out of the way. Yet, many people continue to ignore the sign. This is certainly an issue of concern. And human nature is that the vast majority of people won't walk to the crosswalk.

One of the problems for me is a pedestrian bridge would be a very expensive fix for this problem. Especially with a crosswalk so close by. I wonder if a fence (like the one erected around Norkam school) might be a better idea. If people ignore signs that are meant to make their walk safer, is it the community as a whole's responsibility if they get hurt? 

These sound like a rhetorical questions, but I am genuinely asking. I am open to being convinced.

A Wonderful 200 Year Friendship...

When I first heard we were commemorating 200 years of aboriginal / non aboriginal relations in our valley, I was honestly a bit taken aback. The first European settlers marked an end to the autonomy of aboriginal people and the beginning of colonialism in Kamloops and the surrounding areas.

It seems, however, that we have been very fortunate. Although there have been awfully sad, dark times, the relationship between Kamloops and Tk'emlups has also been very positive. We have been blessed, through these many years, with many incredibly strong and generous leaders. Leaders who stood strong and still kept us working together in a good way.

As a Kamloops city council member, I especially want to pay tribute to current and past Chiefs and Councils of the T'Kemlups Indian Band - who, I would think, had many reasons to give up or turn totally against those across the river, and never did. Huge respect and thanks.

Today we celebrated together on the river, at the Tk'emlups heritage park, and at Riverside park. Thousands of people participated, further solidifying our collective desire to work together. I felt incredibly lucky to have witness this amazing event.