British ColumbiaThe Sunshine Coast School District wants proactive changes made now, before a tragedy happens at the intersection of Highway 101 and School Road in Gibsons.A logging truck was captured on video crashing into a sidewalk near Highway 101 and School Road in GibsonsAlanna Kelly · CBC News · Posted: Nov 01, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutes ‘Urgent issue’: Dangerous corner causing concern for Gibsons, B.C., schoolchildrenParents, the school board and the mayor of Gibsons, B.C., are all sounding the alarm on a dangerous intersection at Highway 101 and School Road, and calling for immediate changes. As Alanna Kelly reports, the province is aware of their concerns, but residents want more to be done faster. Community members in a small B.C. town are calling for changes to be made to an intersection after multiple close calls and collisions occurred metres away from three schools.Each day, roughly 1,100 students converge on the intersection of Highway 101 and School Road in Gibsons — going to Gibsons Elementary, Elphinstone Secondary School and the Sunshine Coast Alternative School.On Oct. 14, a logging truck was captured on video making a left-hand turn at the intersection and crashing into the sidewalk. Three years ago, a similar crash happened in the same location, and parents are now calling for the province to make changes to the highway.“It’s just a matter of time before something more serious happens,” said Amanda Amaral, the Sunshine Coast Board of Education chair.A logging truck crashed into the sidewalk after trying to turn a corner on Highway 101 in Gibsons, B.C., on Oct. 14, leading to calls for urgent changes there. (Sunshine Coast School District 46)Highway 101 features a steep incline into the intersection, which makes the sightline for oncoming traffic difficult.Logging trucks and transport trucks are constantly using the route, and it is a high-traffic area for pedestrians and vehicles, located close to the B.C. Ferries Langdale Terminal. Adding to the complexity, the highway also serves as the main industrial and commercial access route for the Sunshine Coast, delivering goods and services to surrounding communities. Brett Marchant walks his son to Gibsons Elementary, and says he’s distraught over what he’s witnessed at the intersection. “It’s a recipe for a disaster, and time and time again, we are starting to see these incidents,” Marchant said. “It’s a spaghetti bowl of chaos, and we need something changed there.” Marchant has reached out to the Town of Gibsons and the province to raise his concerns, and he feels that enough isn’t being done to address the issue.“This is a high-risk situation,” the father said. “That elementary school is the heartbeat of our community.”’Havoc of cars’Gibsons Mayor Silas White said the intersection has been an issue in the community for as long as he can remember. Highway 101 falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial Ministry of Transportation. Work was done at the intersection more than a decade ago to improve sightlines and technology at the pedestrian crossing, but White said more needs to be done. “There is a lot of havoc of cars, it’s a very steep hill,” White said. “It’s a completely urgent issue. We really need to see some action on this.” A crossing guard was hired by the Sunshine Coast School District for the Highway 101 intersection, but the school board chair wants change to happen fast. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)In an emailed statement, the ministry said it is aware of the concerns around the intersection and is currently reviewing the stretch of Highway 101 to see how it can be made safer and better, and accommodate active transportation. “Part of the ministry’s review will include a review of crosswalks, as well as signage indicating speed limits in this area,” the statement reads. The speed limit on Highway 101 at the intersection is 50 kilometres per hour. Dashcam footage captured a logging-truck narrowly missing a group of children walking beside Highway 101 to get to school in March 2022. (Sunshine Coast School District 46)“The ministry will continue to engage with the town and interested parties to ensure the roadway is safe and meets the needs of everyone who relies on this access point,” reads the statement. The school board has been advocating for changes for more than a decade.A crossing guard has now been hired for the intersection, and the school board has published safe routes to school on their website, but the school board chair wants change faster.“I haven’t heard back about what those improvements are and when they’re going to be implemented,” Amaral said.White said the ministry has looked into the intersection and has some solutions. “They do have some solutions that they were working on internally with their engineering department, and we just need to see those implemented in the coming months,” White said. ABOUT THE AUTHORAlanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
‘Recipe for disaster’: Dangerous corner causing concern for Gibsons, B.C., schoolchildren
