SURREY — A formal review of a Clayton crosswalk is underway after a pedestrian was hit there last week.
The City of Surrey confirmed it has launched an investigation after being contacted by concerned resident Christina Holland, who witnessed the crash at 190th Street and 72nd Avenue on Jan. 11.
A Jeep hit an 18-year-old woman, right before her eyes.
Holland, who runs a daycare in the area, said she later learned the victim was released from hospital and was at home resting the morning after the crash, on Jan. 11.
While that woman got lucky, Holland worries others may not.
She described the crosswalk as “brutal.”
“Many elementary students (including my own) cross this busy intersection to go to school,” she added.
See also: Three serious pedestrian crashes — one fatal — in Surrey so far in 2018
See also: Surrey creating road safety plan after ‘concerning’ stats from ICBC
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(The location of the crosswalk. Photo: change.org)
In a Facebook video dated Jan. 12, Holland stands at the road’s edge with an umbrella on a dark night, waiting for cars to slow down to allow her to cross 72nd Avenue.
“I am not going to chance it there are still cars coming,” she says in the video. “I am going to wait and see if they stop. I am making eye contact. I am watching.”
After 12 vehicles passed without slowing down, she crossed during a gap in traffic.
Scroll to end of story to watch video.
Holland has asked the city to install a pedestrian-controlled stop light there, and has started a petition asking for as much, which has so far garnered 98 signatures.
Surrey’s Transportation Planning Manager Philip Bellefontaine said the city is “undertaking a fairly comprehensive review of the crossing,” in light of the crash and Holland’s concerns.
The review is expected to be complete in a week or two, and the city will be in touch will Holland as soon as it’s complete, he added.
This particular crosswalk is relatively new, installed about six months ago, said Bellefontaine.
He explained when assessing crosswalk safety, Surrey uses a “warrant system.”
“It’s quite a thorough, comprehensive analysis,” he said. “It takes into account all sorts of different criteria which we investigate, assess and measure.”
See also: B.C. to hike distracted driving penalties by $740
Those criteria include volume of traffic, gaps that occur, speed of traffic sight lines, and more, he noted.
“So it’s a very comprehensive review and it’s a very objective review to ensure, again, that the right treatment is installed at the right location,” said Bellefontaine. “Just about six months ago, we did that (for this crosswalk). It was deemed appropriate to see if any conditions have changed. It’s a part of an area that is seeing development happening, so things are changing. This is by no means a waste of anybody’s time.”
Bellefontaine noted that engineering is just one part of the road safety package.
“Any road is only as safe as the people who use it – that applies to drivers as well,” he said. “Because of that, that’s why ourselves, the RCMP, ICBC, are regularly reminding drivers of what their responsibilities are with respect to keeping pedestrians safe.”
One of the biggest contributor to these kinds of collisions is distracted driving, he noted.
“It keeps cropping up. That’s why Surrey and its partners are going to, over coming weeks and months, putting a focus into reminding drivers of their responsibilities.”
See also: Car accidents on the rise in Surrey
The City of Surrey is partnering with RCMP and ICBC for a “See Be Scene” awareness campaign.
“We’ve already kind of started some of that and RCMP members have already been out distributing reflective bracelets, and reinforcing that message that you really see pedestrians when you really look for them,” said Bellefontaine.
Last year, eight pedestrians were killed and 10 were seriously injured on Surrey’s streets. All told, there were 20 traffic fatalities and 23 serious injuries in Surrey in 2017.
With files from Tom Zytaruk
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