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Parents want changes at Mission’s ‘worst’ intersection after child hit

Parents say bus route near two schools forces kids into dangerous situations
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The intersection of Stave Lake Street and Prentis Avenue in Mission. (Google Maps)

A child being hit by a driver has parents from two different Mission schools demanding changes.

Parents lit up Facebook on Thursday night as news spread of a student being hit in the area of Stave Lake Street and Prentis Avenue.

Surrounding the intersection is a strip mall, a daycare, the Clarke Theatre, Windebank Elementary and Heritage Park middle school.

A member of the Heritage Park PAC got the discussion rolling by raising awareness about the crash, which came on the heels of another child being hit on Nov. 2 at Cedar Street and 14th Avenue.

“(The PAC has) been discussing our concerns about traffic safety along Stave Lake since September,” the parent wrote. “In the meantime, a student was hit by a car yesterday (Wednesday).”

One issue the parent identified is that the southbound bus arrives four minutes after the Heritage Park school bell “so students are running out into traffic while frantic to catch a bus. The bus stops are situated on very narrow sidewalks that cannot contain the volume of students before and after school. Students are literally falling off the curb because it is so crowded.”

The sidewalks do not have a boulevard between them and the road, so “students are walking right next to traffic,” the parent wrote.

The parent also wrote with concerns about the proposed Cade Barr business park on Dewdney Trunk Road bringing more truck traffic to along Stave Lake Street. That project has created controversy and is up for a public hearing on Monday (Nov. 21) night.

The post prompted dozens of responses about the Stave Lake/Prentis intersection, including one parent saying it’s Mission’s “worst” intersection.

“I hate this intersection with every ounce of my being,” wrote one parent. “They need to change the turning lanes and add delayed turn lights. The majority of traffic in all directions seems to be turning left or going straight, yet each side has a dedicated right-turn lane but no dedicated left turn, which causes quite a bit of back-up at pick-up and drop-off times. This in turn causes a bunch of driver frustration, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen parents peel off as soon as they get a chance, narrowly avoiding kids actually using the crosswalks, let alone those kids crossing elsewhere.”

“I 100% agree,” wrote another parent. “My kids attend Windebank and it’s terrifying how people speed through there.”

RELATED: Parents upset about proposed Mission business park


 

@shinebox44
chris.campbell@missioncityrecord.com

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Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
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