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By michellekirby, May 24, 2010 6:23 pm

Submitted by Lesley Ewing, Safer Cycling Oak Bay

Earlier this year, the Municipality solicited volunteers to form the Alternative Transportation Sub-Committee of the Community Initiatives Committee. We’re pleased to hear that a selection process was completed in March and the following citizens have been selected to serve on the sub-committee:

Corey Burger
Neil Jackson
Gary Law
Victor Lotto
Steven Toleiki

Councilor John Herbert serves as Chair, and other council members include Hazel Braithwaite, Nils Jenson, and Mayor Chris Causton.

There are no formal terms of reference for the Community Initiatives Committee or the proposed sub-committee. However, the group will be tasked with focusing on alternative transportation priorities and proposed improvements for Oak Bay Village, including issues such as sidewalk widening, parking, potential cycling lanes and beautification, and making recommendations to Oak Bay Municipal Council in this regard.

Sub-committee members Burger, Jackson, Law, Lotto and Toleiki are invited to introduce themselves to the citizens of Oak Bay by contacting the Community Association of Oak Bay by emailing the Oak Bay Connector. We can publish your email here, as a means of sharing your voice with the community.

We look forward to recommendations and a defined implementation schedule that will help keep our community members safe and mobile, as well as generate improvements to link with those made by adjacent municipalities.

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By michellekirby, May 17, 2010 11:59 pm

Hey Neighbours! Summer is just around the corner, and it’s time to relax and have some laid back, good times with your neighbours!

If you would like to have a block party this summer, now’s the time to put in your email requests to Oak Bay Council! If you want the freedom of a street closed to traffic for your party (street hockey, bicycle races, and people in general enjoy a street without cars!) then you’ll need permission from Council to do it.

All you have to do is send an email to Oak Bay Council at

obcouncil@oakbay.ca

indicating the date of the party, times and duration of the street closure that you are requesting.

Once you’ve figured out a date with your neighbours, have asked and been granted the street closure from Council, try checking out our Oak Bay Block Party Checklist (42) and get started on your party plan!

Neighbours Project Block Party 101

The Basic Block Party: How-to throw a party in Chicago

Edmonton’s Block Party Planning Checklist

Our Blocks: 10 Reasons to Have a Block Party

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By michellekirby, April 11, 2010 5:45 pm

Contributed by Jill Croft

The Community Association of Oak Bay, CAOB, celebrated World Health Day in Saanich today with the Shelbourne Corridor Bike Ride.

Sunday, April 11th was perfect for a leisurely cycle from Oak Bay Rec through Uplands and Uvic to Gordon Head Rec. Two dozen bikers were escorted through our municipality by cycling Policeman, Chris Gaudy, giving all riders a sense of safety along the route.

As we rode closer to Gordon Head Rec bikers of all ages joined the throng of hundreds of two wheeled recreational riders assembled in the park. What a colourful sight to see families gathered, chatting and admiring each other’s cycling gear. At 11:15 the more than 300 bikers peddled along Feltham, down Shelbourne Street, crossing McKenzie ending up at Cedar Hill Mall, without having to stop for a red light along the route. What a quiet revolution, cycling, bells ringing and a sense of liberation while traveling one of the most heavily car used routes in Victoria!

This was a significant way to proclaim Victorians love of cycling is here!

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By admin, March 14, 2010 8:28 pm

Submitted by Lesley Ewing

Oak Bay Council is urged to consider the health of our community, particularly our children and grandchildren, and proceed immediately to enact a pesticide bylaw as recommended by parks and recreation staff.

2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) is one of the most common and most toxic herbicides used on US and Canadian lawns and gardens.  2,4-D has a notorious past. It was one of the two chemicals in the defoliant Agent Orange

A 2008 poll conducted for the Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division showed that the majority of British Columbians support the restriction of pesticide use.

The Canadian Cancer Agency points out that children are at a greater risk from pesticide exposure than adults because they are closer to the ground and their bodies are still developing.

Among the findings of the Pesticides Literature Review [i] conducted by the Ontario College of Family Physicians:

The following organizations are among the many that support the banning of 2,4-D and reduction of pesticide use:

Canadian Cancer Society
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Public Health Association
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada
The Lung Association of British Columbia
UBC Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
Delegates to the 2008 Union of BC Municipalities
Ontario College of Family Physicians
Ontario Public Health Association
The Learning Disabilities Association of British Columbia
International Agency for Research on Cancer
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Humane Society of Canada
David Suzuki Foundation
School District #61

http://www.ocfp.on.ca/English/OCFP/Communications/Publications/default.asp?s=1#EnvironmentHealth

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By michellekirby, January 16, 2010 9:59 pm

Shelbourne Street forms an important regional transportation corridor that offers mainly flat topography. However, in its current drag-strip format, it’s a dangerous nightmare for cyclists. The Municipality of Saanich is formulating plans to remediate the corridor from North Dairy to Feltham.

The intent of the Plan is to develop, in consultation with the community and other stakeholders, a comprehensive, long range (20 to 30 year) vision for an area 500 m on either side of Shelbourne Street from North Dairy Road in the south to Feltham Road in the north.

An Open House for the Shelbourne Corridor Action Plan will be held Thursday, January 28th, 5 PM to 8 PM, at St. Aidan’s United Church, 3703 St. Aidan’s Street.

View Larger Map

The Open House will introduce residents and other Corridor stakeholders to the Action Plan’s objectives and the issues it hopes to address.

Public participation and community input is of paramount importance to the Plan’s development. Surveys will be handed out and a Community Mapping exercise will be conducted that will help Saanich Planning understand how respondents view the Corridor. A second Open House is planned for May at which time options and scenarios for a vision of the Corridor 20 to 30 years into the future will be revealed based on the results of the ongoing survey as well as a completed Community Map.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this event please contact District of Saanich Planner Harold Stanley at (250) 475-5494 ext. 3410 or e-mail harold.stanley@saanich.ca. The Action Plan’s Terms of Reference and a map of the Corridor, which extends from North Dairy to Feltham and 500 m on either side of Shelbourne, is available for viewing at the District of Saanich website. Information is also available on the Saanich website.

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By michellekirby, November 15, 2009 10:03 pm

Thanks to Lesley Ewing at Safer Cycling Oak Bay for recording and sharing this list of projects that were identified by the attendees of the Active Transportation Forum last weekend. The list is not prioritized, but simply grouped by geographic area.

Major routes to Monterey and Willows schools require safe bike lanes, i.e. Musgrave to Dalhousie, Dalhousie to St. Anne, St. Anne – Monterey through McNeil to Monterey School

Oak Bay Ave (Village area from Monterey Ave. to Foul Bay Rd.) to be remediated to a Complete Street (i.e. accommodate all users: pedestrians, cyclists, public transit, vehicles)

Oak Bay Village: Car-free days. Close Oak Bay Ave. between Monterey and Elgin to vehicle traffic (commercial delivery trucks and buses excepted)

Elgin Street: Add sidewalk on east side, from church to Public Works Yard (@ walkthrough to Rec. Centre/OB High School.)

Foul Bay Rd @ Lansdowne: Bike box (aka advanced stop line) required on south-east corner of Foul Bay Rd. approach to Lansdowne Rd (northbound). Bike lanes stop at Middowne Rd.

Foul Bay Rd from Middowne to Lansdowne: Add bike lane, along with bike box (above)

Foul Bay Rd between Fort St and Lansdowne. Crosswalks grossly inadequate. Need additional crosswalks to compensate for long distances between traffic lights. Existing crosswalks: Fort St. to Haultain 400 metres; Haltain to Carnarvon 400 metres; Carnarvon to Neil St. 300 metres; Neil St. to Lansdowne 500 metres.

Foul Bay Rd between Oak Bay Ave and Fort St: Narrow road with narrow sidewalks. Restrict parking, add bike lanes, widen sidewalk.

Foul Bay Rd @ Haultain: Restrict vehicle traffic access (as has been done in Victoria’s part of Haultain @ Richmond, and @ Shelbourne, etc.)

Windsor Rd by Windsor Park: Bike lanes and crosswalks needed to support use of park and mitigate vehicle traffic volumes on Windsor Rd.

North end of Esplanade at Willows Beach needs to be better connected to Cattle Point. Stairs difficult or impossible for infant strollers/wheelchairs/cyclists. Muddy side trail steep and narrow – dangerous.

Estevan/Musgrave intersection (5 point intersection): Requires roundabout, or blocking west side of Estevan & Hamiota access to mitigate traffic conflicts.

Cadboro Bay Rd & Dalhousie: requires traffic mitigation, e.g. roundabout

Cadboro Bay Rd from Foul Bay Rd towards OB High School and beyond: add bike lanes to Cedar Hill X Road. Cadboro Bay Rd., between Estevan and north to Cedar Hill X is very wide – causes vehicle speeding; is wide enough for bike lanes, and edestrian access very poor.

Cedar Hill X Rd : Continue bike lanes from Saanich border (@ Gordon Head Rd.) along Cedar Hill X Rd. to Cadboro Bay Rd. (UVic & Henderson Recreation Centre route)

Signage for trails and passages that cut through from one street to another (but frequently signed as No Exit for vehicles). See Passageways in Oak Bay

Covered bike parking at major centres, i.e. Henderson Rec Centre, Monterey Centre/Library, Village centre. Supply does not meet demand.

Beach Drive (seaside touring route): Car-free days periodically (e.g. monthly).

Seaside route: Bike lanes added to seaside touring route from Victoria border (King George Terrace) though to Uplands.

UVic bike trail: sign & prepare bike trail to continue north end of Woodburn Ave., along east border of Uplands School property & Henderson Rec. Centre & north into UVic.

North Henderson Rd: sidewalks too narrow, below TAC standard for arterial Rd. Need to be minimum 2 metres wide.

South Henderson Rd from Foul Bay to Haultain: create Bike Boulevard to facilitate bike traffic.

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By michellekirby, October 28, 2009 8:36 pm

On Saturday, November 7, come join the Community Association of Oak Bay for its Active Transportation Forum, a first in the municipality.

The four-hour forum, titled Walking, Bicycling, Transit and Public Spaces: Creating the Future in Oak Bay, will be open to the public and feature presentations by municipal Councillors, a regional planner, representatives from the local school district, and other citizen groups.

“This event provides an opportunity for residents to offer opinions about the future shape of their community and to hear about significant projects in Oak Bay and the Victoria region,” said Gerald Smeltzer, Director of Community Planning for the Community Association of Oak Bay.

“We are looking for good ideas for creating public spaces to bring people together, keeping everyone mobile and active, spurring economic development, and ensuring our most vulnerable populations, the elderly and the young, can walk and bike safely,” he explained. “Pedestrian and bicycle improvements are also amongst the best projects for ‘bang for the buck’ where small changes can have big impacts.”

Speakers at the Active Transportation Forum will include:
• Oak Bay Councillors Pam Copley and Nils Jensen, discussing the transportation opportunities and challenges facing the municipality, including the $52.4-million Oak Bay High School construction project;
• Sue Hallett, Senior Planner at the CRD, outlining the 2010 Regional Walking and Cycling Master Plan;
• Corey Burger, Project Manager of the Oak Bay Bicycle Master Plan, giving a status update on the plan;
• Michelle Kirby, Director of Special Events for the Community Association of Oak Bay and École Willows School Parent, and Chris Harvey, Deputy Superintendent School District 61, discussing how to create safe routes to Willows and Monterey schools.

This public event will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2009, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the Windsor Park Pavilion, Sports Rooms 1 and 2.

To secure a seat, and share your ideas, please email Malene Foyd at mfoyd@shaw.ca.

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By michellekirby, October 17, 2009 10:22 am

The second edition of the Oak Bay Connector has been released! Please have a look in the centre of your Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Oak Bay News to find it!

Download it here: Oak Bay Connector Newsletter - 2nd Edition (125)

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By michellekirby, October 4, 2009 12:27 pm

The Oak Bay Artist’s Studio Tour is coming around again soon, and entries are needed!

Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 15, 2009, Noon to 4:30 pm

Following the success of The Oak Bay Artist Studio Tours in the past, Recreation Oak Bay is pleased to announce the ninth annual Fall Artist Studio Tour for 2009.

This is a call for entries to all artists who have a studio in Oak Bay to be part of an exciting community event and to showcase your art and fine crafts to a wide audience.

The studio tour will be advertised in various media in the Victoria area, and tour brochures/maps will be distributed via: The Oak Bay News, Oak Bay Recreation Centres and the Oak Bay Library.

If you are one of the artisans selected to participate, you will be featured in the full colour brochures (including a picture of your work) and provided with signage to draw attention to your studio during the event.

All applicant’s work will be evaluated anonymously by a jury that is looking for quality, uniqueness and creativity. In the interests of having a show with lots of variety, the jury will also endeavour to select a group of artisans representing different media.

Applications with photos (photo images can be sent by email) must be in by Wednesday, October 7 if you wish to participate.
Please drop them off to the attention of: Mary Kucera at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre reception desk, 1975 Bee Street.

If you have any questions, call Mary at 250-370-7129 or email at recoakbay@oakbay.ca.