Career Growth at ISL: Journeys & Evolving Roles

I originally went to school at UBC in Vancouver for Geological Engineering, something I was vaguely interested in and decided to pursue when I had to pick a specialization at the end of my first year. At some point during my second year, I found a passion for sustainability. At the time, and for many years following, I couldn’t see a path for cultivating this passion that really spoke to me, particularly through geological engineering. I ended up completing the program and working for two years in geotechnical consulting, always hoping I would come across something that I could see myself doing long-term – something that would excite and inspire me.

At one point, I was browsing the ‘current affairs’ section of my favourite bookstore (Munros) and came across Happy City by Charles Montgomery. I bought the book, took it home, started reading, and was immediately hooked. I was raving to anyone who would listen about everything I was learning, realizing I had never thought about the way cities are built and how their design could affect my daily life.

After I finished the book, I started consuming all the city-related content I could get my hands on and specifically found myself drawn to transportation. I read a ton of books and watched a lot of YouTube videos. Most notably, the YouTube channels ‘About Her’ and ‘ Note Just Bikes’ as well as the books “Walkable City” by Jeff Speck and “Curbing Traffic” by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett.

During this time of working in geotechnical consulting and getting more and more excited about urban transportation, I started wondering if it would be feasible to make a career shift. I knew this was how I could cultivate my passion for sustainability, but I didn’t know how to get there. I started talking to people I knew who were working in the planning field, looking for advice on the best path forward.

Ultimately, I was led to ISL and started working for the municipal team as a Project Engineer in July 2022. I had a great time working on the municipal team and learned a lot. I had the opportunity to work on projects in my community, to see them get built, and to use the infrastructure in my daily life, which has proven to be incredibly fulfilling work.

Gorge Road

The Gorge Road project has been exciting to me from the start. For those that don’t know Victoria, Gorge Road is a corridor that leads from the intersection of Government, Hillside, and Douglas, through the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood and connects to Saanich at Harriet Road. It’s an up-and-coming area with a mix of industrial, commercial, and residential uses and several active or pending future developments.

Before the project, Gorge Road had a 4-lane cross-section with very limited bike infrastructure, with some sections of narrow painted bike lanes, but mostly no bike lane at all. Gorge was signed at 40 km/h but, anecdotally, speeds were much higher, and it did not feel safe to bike along the corridor. As I write this post, the project is mid-way through the construction of protected bike lanes, retrofitted by converting it from a 4-lane to a 2-lane road with a centre turn lane. I know this will be a game-changer for the area, providing a connection from the recently built Government Street bike lanes (ISL project) to Saanich, Esquimalt, and the Galloping Goose.

The most interesting design element to me was a custom curb for a raised bike lane. The idea is that rather than changing the grade of the bike lane at driveways to facilitate vehicle access, the curb is slightly shorter and just changes in shape from square to angled. This allows vehicles to access driveways while avoiding the rollercoaster effect on the bike lane.

Tillicum

The Tillicum and Lampson project was one of the first projects at ISL that I had the opportunity to help take from concept level, through public engagement, detailed design, and then construction. It was awesome seeing the project go from just an idea, to a full design, to infrastructure on the ground that I could actually use.

The project was also the first opportunity I had to use a quick-build approach to get the infrastructure in place while keeping costs lower than if the whole road was reconstructed. The design included several RRFB crossings (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons) and leveraged precast concrete curbs, similar to those used for parking curbs, to provide physical protection for the bike lane.

My experience on the municipal team has been incredibly valuable. I learned a lot about how infrastructure is built and what the constraints are in different contexts. I know that this will translate well into my new role, which is more focused on the planning and conceptual design phases.

While my previous role allowed me to influence the fine details of how infrastructure is built on a project-by-project basis, I’m most looking forward to zooming out to the wider network level and helping shape how communities grow long-term. Our industry is experiencing a period of significant change in the way we build our cities, focusing more on people-centric design than ever. It’s the idea that I can be at the forefront of this effort and help shape my community’s future that drives me.

A big shout-out to everyone who has supported me along the way! I’m especially grateful for Ian McKinnon, our Vancouver Island Office Manager, who has been a constant source of inspiration and example of a great leader, as well as Roy Symons, our Sustainable Transportation Specialist, for his ongoing mentorship and for helping make the shift into the new role a reality.