THUNDER BAY – An urban designer and landscaper believes one major change could make city roadways safer.
Add more designated crosswalks.
Paul Young visited Thunder Bay at the request of the city’s walkability and found the city can do more to be pedestrian friendly.
“There are not enough crossing points over the road,” Young said. “We were trekking along Memorial Avenue. There’s huge distances between signalized crossings and (pedestrians) are not likely to cross at the next signal if it’s a kilometre away.”
Young cited a report from Ontario’s chief coroner who reviewed pedestrian deaths in 2010 and found in 31 per cent of cases pedestrians were struck crossing streets mid-block and not at a designated crosswalk.
That made it one of the most common factors in those incidents.
Thunder Bay Police Traffic Sgt. Glenn Porter said there were 42 collisions involving pedestrians in 2014, with about 20 per cent of those pedestrians crossing without having right of the way or going into the middle of the roadway.
Porter added jaywalking is a problem everywhere and is not limited to the city.
(TBT News)
