The Sea to Sky School District has written a letter to the District of Squamish asking for increased traffic and parking safety after safety issues were noted at École Squamish Elementary.
At the Nov. 13 committee of the whole meeting, board members spoke on the safety concerns around commercial vehicles parking incorrectly on the access lane into the school at Jumar.
“Very simply, we’ve noted increased concerns around safety when crossing from the main road through the Jumar shared property to Squamish Elementary School,” SD48 Supt. Chris Nicholson said.
He explained that despite having designated commercial parking, vehicles have been parking along the easement during the beginning and end of school times.
“Many commercial vehicles are choosing instead to park in the easement in the access lane entering into the school, so kids who are walking; families who are driving, staff that are trying to get in and out, are having to go around parked vehicles,” Nicholson said.
“The suggestion [for the District] is to improve signage, improve the painting of the lines and some enforcement, because as we know, if there’s a few tickets or towed vehicles, word will get out, and hopefully it will stop.”
Minutes from the meeting said the shared lane is “intended for vehicle flow” and the unsafe parking “obstructs traffic and creates hazardous conditions.”
Jumar is a seven-storey mixed-use building located at 38310 Buckley Ave.
Ground floor commercial buildings include a vet, food establishments, a childcare centre and a gym. Above are 101 residential condominiums.
SD48 vice chair Cynthia Higgins said the recommendation to write a letter to the muni was the best decision for the local school community.
“I think it's important to enforce that, it's a huge safety concern, especially if there’s big commercial vehicles in the way, that is very scary and very concerning,” Higgins said.
Board member Lisa Turpin was unable to vote due to a conflict of interest with her day job as a District of Squamish employee; however, she revealed the easement in question was not under muni jurisdiction.
“My day job is to work within the bylaw department, and I feel that it should be mentioned that the bylaw department can only enforce on municipal property, and the easement is not municipal,” Turpin said.
“So the concern is that when the people are parking in that easement allowance, the enforcement has to be throughout other means.”
She did note that the District’s bylaw department was engaged in working on the matter but encouraged the board to voice their concerns through official channels.
The board unanimously supported the recommendation to write a letter to the District of Squamish to “take additional measures for traffic and parking safety around Squamish Elementary."
Members Turpin and Celeste Bickford abstained from the vote due to conflicts of interest.
District response
The muni told The Squamish Chief they received the letter from SD48 on Dec. 3 and had responded with copies of the legal agreements that are on the title of the Jumar property.
“The staff response clarifies to SD48 that the property agreement for this laneway is held between SD48 and the owners of the Jumar property, therefore is private property and not under District jurisdiction,” a spokesperson for the District said.
“The lane access between École Squamish Elementary and Buckley Avenue is on private property, so the jurisdiction to enforce No Parking regulation lives with the school, strata and their agreements.”
Jumar response
Property managers for the Jumar building, Avesta Strata and Property Management told The Squamish Chief they are aware of delivery drivers parking incorrectly on the easement.
“We were first contacted by the school in late October regarding vehicles parking in the easement,” strata manager Francis Nguyen said.
“We instructed the school to advise us each time there’s a vehicle improperly parked. Since then, we've consistently reached out to delivery drivers and companies to remind them that parking in the easement is not permitted.
“Additionally, we’ve asked Wave Developments to inform their commercial tenants to advise their delivery drivers of this restriction.”
Nguyen said the vehicles at fault do not solely relate to the Jumar building.
“It's important to note that delivery drivers to both the school and Jumar are contributing to the improper parking in the easement area. As such, Jumar and the school will be working together to install new signage along the easement area.”
