An early-afternoon crash between a tandem dump truck and an SUV in South Surrey sent one driver to hospital with minor injuries Thursday (Oct. 18).
But residents near the intersection where the crash occurred – at 164 Street and 28 Avenue – say it is sheer luck that no one was killed in the latest of what they say has been an increasing number of crashes at the crossroads.
“Week after week there is nasty T-bone collisions,” Kris Kristensen wrote in an email to Peace Arch News that he crafted about an hour after Thursday’s crash.
“Our frustration level is through the roof with the lack of action being taken to fix the intersection before someone is killed.”
Surrey transportation manager Jaime Boan said the city is moving forward with a plan “with respect to reducing serious collisions,” with a focus on “where we can achieve the greatest results.”
The intersection in question, however, with six collisions on record this year, “falls well below the higher collision locations for this type of intersection,” Boan said.
Police say Thursday’s crash occurred around 12:30 p.m., when a black Nissan Pathfinder travelling eastbound on 28 Avenue collided with a northbound dump truck at the intersection of 164 Street.
The 67-year-old Pathfinder driver suffered minor injuries, and the dump-truck driver, 59, was uninjured, Sgt. Chad Greig told PAN.
Police issued a violation ticket for failing to stop at the stop sign to the Pathfinder driver, Greig added.
Kristensen said it was the fifth crash that he’s attended at the intersection, which he described as having become “unbelievably unsafe” in recent years.
A key problem, he said, is that it is twice as wide on the south side of 28 Avenue as it is on the north side, making drivers who are attempting to cross “very vulnerable.”
“It is right where new development meets existing homes,” he added.
“I fear for the safety of my family as a driver and a pedestrian when I’m with my wife and two young children. Almost every time the impacted vehicle ends up landing right where families stand before having to cross this terrible intersection.”
Boan acknowledged there is rapid growth in the area, and said improvements are underway along 164 Street, including the addition of a traffic signal at 24 Avenue.
A speed-reader board is to be installed on the corridor next year, and a roundabout is being considered in “two or three years” for the intersection of 26 Avenue, he added, noting that site has “considerably higher volumes” than the 28 Avenue junction.
“This would not only control traffic through this intersection, but also reduce collisions and travel speeds,” he said.
Boan said the city “will continue to monitor the 28 Avenue intersection to enable us to take action once the level of activity increases.”
