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Four days, two deaths: pedestrians question safety after crashes
By Laurene Jardin
- A memorial for a pedestrian killed at the intersection of Baseline Road and Rockway Crescent, in early November. Pedestrians and cyclists are concerned after a chain of collisions killed two people and left others in serious condition, last week. (Photo © Laurène Jardin)
Pedestrians and cyclists questioned their safety on Ottawa roads after two people were killed and two are in critical condition in a series of motor collisions across the city last week.
Many felt their lives were in jeopardy when walking along Ottawa’s streets.
“Honestly, I don’t feel very safe at all,” said Michael Prince, who walks to the bus stop on Baseline Road and Rockway Crescent every day with his young daughter Abigail.
Michael Prince speaks on the dangers of traffic in his area
- A male pedestrian, 24, was left in critical condition and a female pedestrian, 21, was left in serious condition after both were struck by a vehicle on Navaho Drive and Baseline Road on Wednesday.
- A male cyclist was struck and killed by a garbage truck on Merivale Road early Thursday morning.
- An 80-year-old man, with a walker was hit by a school bus, at a crosswalk. Friday evening. He remains in critical condition.
- A 20-year-old male pedestrian was killed after being struck by a car at the intersection of Innes Road and Cyrville Road, Saturday.
On Tuesday, Ottawa Police Const. Marc Soucy said police were not ready to issue a statement because the causes of the collisions were still under investigation.
“This is a tragedy,” said former city council candidate Martin Canning, in response to the deadly accidents last week.
“But I hear it every year,” he said. Canning is an active pedestrian and cyclist advocate. He does not own a car and travels almost everywhere by foot.
Canning, a runner up in the 2014 municipal election for Somerset Ward, blamed “poor design and poor policy” for last week’s incidents.
In the wake of the accidents, people took to Twitter to express their frustration. Before the onslaught of accidents, Canning posted tweets showing chained stair access of Dundonald Park and Corktown Footbridge. In his tweet, he said that pedestrians had been ‘closed out’ of their city. And then, last week Canning tweeted at Mathieu Fleury, councillor for Rideau-Vanier Ward, asking him not to “lock up” the Corktown Footbridge.
While the pedestrian bridge stair access had been chained, the ramp path was still accessible.
Fleury responded with a tweet saying that he’d look into it.
In a phone interview Monday, Fleury said there were places in Ottawa that were “Missing safety links, signage or missing lanes.”
“When the infrastructure was done they did not look at it from a pedestrian’s or a cyclist’s point of view,” said Fleury. He explained that when the city was originally planned, its transportation routes were done from a motorist point of view.
“It’s not excusable,” Fleury said. “But now it’s about recognizing when these infrastructures were implemented and looking at how we can improve them.”
While important, poor infrastructure alone cannot be held responsible for pedestrian deaths.
According to a 2011 report by the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, 28 per cent of pedestrians who died, had consumed alcohol, drugs or both.
Mike Tyshenko, a new resident to Vanier he said there were specific times that he felt unsafe on the road.
“In the winter, when it gets dark really early, there are still a lot of people walking. It can pretty be dangerous,” said Tyshenko, who was picking up groceries on Beechwood Avenue and Springfield Road.
Tyshenko’s concerns are legitimate.
The Coroner’s report explained that winter was the most dangerous time for pedestrians and cyclists. According to the report, that 55 per cent of deaths examined in 2010 occurred throughout the darker months of January to March.
Ottawa’s 2009-2013 Road Safety Report also indicated that the most dangerous time of the day for pedestrians was during rush-hour, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
“It’s not just a number or figures,” said Canning. “It’s a matter of health and security.”
