North Cowichan mayor raises concerns about pedestrian safety in wake of teen's death

North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas says he's frustrated the province is not following through on its promise to build a pedestrian bridge over the Trans Canada highway through his community.

It comes after a 17-year-old high school student was struck and killed Tuesday night while crossing the same highway — the third pedestrian to be hit on the highway by drivers in the Cowichan Valley in the past month.

The mayor says this tragedy underscores ongoing safety concerns in the community, which has been calling for a pedestrian overpass for over a decade. Without it, he says he's worried about residents, particularly students from schools near the highway, who frequently jaywalk to reach businesses and restaurants on the other side.

"We've got the Trans-Canada Highway running right through the middle of our community," Douglas said

"It is an area that gets a lot of pedestrian traffic, and this does create some pretty major safety concerns."

He says he has been in discussion with the Ministry of Transportation since 2023 about putting a pedestrian bridge over the highway at James St. in North Cowichan, near Quw'utsun Secondary School. Douglas said he expected to see it confirmed in the 2025 provincial budget — but was told recently it wasn't going to happen.

However, B.C. will fund fencing around the stretch of highway between James St. and Beverly St., plant trees and raise the median to discourage pedestrians crossing.

While Douglas is grateful for the barriers, which he says were part of the original plan, it doesn't relieve his concerns.

"It's definitely a let down from our end, because we had been promised that already, plus this pedestrian overpass," he said.

Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth, who didn't rule out a bridge at some later date, says he believes the fencing will be a significant first step for the community and denied the decision was due to funding issues.

Once the barriers are installed, he says the ministry will be conducting additional studies to "discover what additional safety measures are required."

"We take these safety concerns very seriously," he said.

3 pedestrians struck in a month

RCMP say a semi-truck hit a 17-year-old on the Trans-Canada Highway at Trunk Road in Duncan around 8:40 pm on Tuesday. The teen died in the hospital from their injuries. 

The 17-year-old was a student at Quw'utsun Secondary School, according to Jeff Rowan, the assistant superintendent of communications and community relations for the Cowichan School District.

"It's tragic," he said. "We're certainly working with staff and students and the community to do all we can to support."

Last month, two pedestrians were struck and injured, one critically, on the Trans Canada Highway in North Cowichan between York Road and Beverly Street, near Quw'utsun Secondary School and close to the intended location for the pedestrian overpass.

Rowan says it's a busy area, one that students often cross on their lunch breaks to reach fast food restaurants across from the school. 

"People are coming in at highway speeds and then they're told to slow down, [but] it is still a fast area," Rowan said. 

"Our concern, of course, is for the kid's safety; we have schools on either side of the highway."

Rowan says the community is seeking additional answers from the Ministry of Transportation about the new barriers, including whether they could be climbed, what results other communities have seen from them, and what they will look like.

Student's death 'heartbreaking': Cowichan Tribes chief

Cowichan Tribes Chief Cindy Daniels said the community's cultural workers are reaching out to support students and youth in the wake of the tragedy. 

"It is heartbreaking for our community to experience another Cowichan youth being fatally injured as a pedestrian in our community," she said in a statement. "I extend my deepest condolences to the family members, friends, peers, and teachers as they grieve this loss.

For many of our people, walking is their primary way to get to and from their daily activities," she wrote. "With vehicle traffic continuing to increase, we continue to need safer options for pedestrians through the highway corridor."