THUNDER BAY — The city is installing a signalized pedestrian crossing on Red River Road, where people risk their safety daily by jogging across the busy four-lane street between intersections.
"We wanted to ensure a safer crossing," said Lisa Parent, a project engineer for the city.
After the city received a petition about the Red River Road location, near McDonald's restaurant, it conducted several pedestrian counts at that site.
"We had a count of 113 people crossing illegally per day," Parent revealed in an interview Monday.
She said a crew is in the process of installing a "mid-block" pedestrian signal on Red River between the Clarkston Street and Junot Avenue signalized intersections.
Three other new crossings will also be in service on other city streets before the end of this year's construction season.
About 70 per cent of the cost is covered by a grant.
Mid-block signals are used where the traffic volume is high, Parent said.
"It's essentially a set of traffic lights, with red, yellow and green signals. They will be activated by pedestrians."
The three other locations where the lights are being installed this year are Golf Links Road near the hospital, Golf Links Road south of Oliver Road near the Thunder Bay Country Club, and Leland Avenue at Arthur Street.
