![]() Last Sunday (July 17), Peneff said she was afraid of someone getting hit when a couple pushing a stroller and a child on a small bike were passing through the underpass while two "yahoos on their racing bikes" rode through without stopping. It was easy to see the potential for a major accident. One young boy, named Luka, was towing a cart with a skateboard and a bike inside and was stopping to pick up litter along the route while his caregiver watched with another baby in her arms. Some slowed when they saw a crowd of seniors and one woman stopped and got off her bike. On the day then the Tri-City News visited, there was so much "traffic" beneath the overpass that a reporter had to crowd onto a narrow rocky shoulder to stay out of the way of several cyclists. She describes the route as very narrow next to the Coquitlam River. Helen Zarelli said the railway underpass beneath Kingsway Avenue, along the Traboulay PoCo trail, is a dangerous spot because there isn't any separation between pedestrians and cyclists. "We encourage cyclists to be mindful of other pedestrians walking through and to dismount." Traboulay PoCo Trail underpass 'unsafe' Bylaw Officers are out patrolling and do address it at the time," PoCo bylaw manager Paula Jones says in a statement to the Tri-City News. "We have not had any complaints about this for quite a number of years. Peneff demonstrated how she jumps onto the iron railing when she sees a cyclist coming. They would also welcome barriers that would make it difficult for cyclists to ride through the narrow underpass: they would have to stop and dismount before entering the covered walkway. The seniors would like to see more signage to discourage cycling through both underpasses, including signs on the ground. "I just step aside and let them go," said the 96-year-old who goes out for walks on a daily basis. John Hurtubise says cyclists on road bikes aren't the only problem, explaining people on electric bikes and skateboarders cruise through without stopping. There are no signs requiring cyclists to dismount at the Kingsway underpass on the Traboulay PoCo Trail, where it is also very busy. The seniors claim, although there is a sign indicating riders must dismount at the Shaughnessy Street underpass, it's rarely enforced, and there have been several near misses between cyclists and pedestrians. Many seniors are hard of hearing," said Peneff. "Even though they honk, seniors don't hear it. They worry they'll get hit by a cyclist when walking through these two areas. ![]() The underpass on Shaughnessy Street is their main concern, as well as the Kingsway Avenue underpass along the Traboulay PoCo Trail. The seniors, who live at the RJ Kent Residences ( 2675 Shaughnessy St.) say the Shaughnessy Street underpass that connects the downtown core with Lougheed Highway is too narrow for cyclists to ride through.Īnd they say hundreds of seniors who live nearby, many at other retirement homes in the area, face danger when they walk or ride their scooters. That's the worry of Gail Peneff and several other seniors who use a Port Coquitlam walkway to access the Shaughnessy Station mall for shopping. "It's only a matter of time before someone gets hit."
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