The votes are in, and a Saanich sidewalk featuring an unusual tree placement has been voted the “jankiest” piece of pedestrian infrastructure in Greater Victoria.
Walk On, Victoria’s “Janky June” contest asked voters to cast their ballots for the worst places in the region with or without sidewalks.
“People are experts in their own neighbourhoods and we wanted to do a couple things, one was to draw attention to poor quality pedestrian infrastructure and the second one was to raise awareness that people can report these to their municipality,” says Carolyn Grisborne with Walk On, Victoria.
While dozens of streets were nominated for the dubious distinction, a sidewalk in the 4100-block of Cedar Hill Road has been deemed the shoddiest. The stretch features two trees and a telephone pole right in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing passing pedestrians to squeeze through.
Another area in Saanich was also voted the winner of the category “jankiest lack of sidewalk” — Cedar Hill X Road at Cedar Hill Road.
While a sidewalk is available for pedestrians across the road, this side of Cedar Hill Road features just a thin strip of dirt between the road and foliage.
Walk On, Victoria was formed in 2014 as an advocacy group that calls on various municipalities to create more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
“Our mission is to improve the safety and enjoyability of Greater Victoria’s walking conditions and promote walking as a healthy, sustainable form of transportation and recreation,” the organization says in its mission statement.
This was the first year Walk On held the “Janky June” contest, and voters whose winning photos were selected were each awarded a crash prize of $50.
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