Summerside taking look at crosswalk safety

SUMMERSIDE - City council will be undertaking measures to make Summerside Streets safer for pedestrians and motorists.
The council's police committee will be looking into better ways of marking crosswalks to warn motorists that pedestrians may be crossing in the area and to provide walkers with a safer means of crossing the street.
The issue was raised last month by Coun. Vance Bridges after he experienced firsthand the inherent dangers in crossing some city streets because of poor markings or no markings at all and of motorists' tendencies to ignore crossing areas.
The councillor resurrected the issue after being contacted by residents who are also concerned about safely negotiating city streets. Bridges suggested the city's police committee look into the matter.
"Perhaps it would be a good time for us to get together and review the safety procedures for crosswalks within the city," Bridges said. "Some have said it would be good to have better signage, it would be good to have overhead lighting, it would be good to have ex's on the street prior to crosswalks and white lines."
Coun. Cory Thomas, chair of the city's police committee, agreed safety is a priority for the police department and something needs to be done to improve crosswalks.
He added, "What we can do is get together with the fire chief, the police chief and maybe a couple of officers and talk about ways we can improve that. Then you (Bridges) and I can bring that back to council with recommendations on how we can improve the crosswalks."

George: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:08:48

Same problems here, lights, signs posting speed limits and handicap parking are merely SUGGESTIONS to a vast majority of people. It is not until they hit and injure or even kill someone that the person learns to follow the rules, and even then they sometimes go right back to their old ways. The part that gets me is when these ignorant people do get into trouble, somehow its ALWAYS the other persons fault.

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kd: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:08:10

I understand the importance of slowing down to let pedestrians cross safely,but what about the ones that run across the road at the last second.Especially at night when they cannot be seen very clearly.....I for one have done that on more than one occasion and nearly got hit by a car.....everyone needs to pay attention!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phillip Ontakos: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:07:28

so George when you do something wrong who do you blame? oh i forgot you do no wrong.

RC: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:06:34

Here is something I bet most motorists do not know: EVERY INTERSECTION BY LAW HAS A CROSSWALK, marked or unmarked. The definition of a crosswalk under the Highway Act is that portion of a roadway ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of curb lines and of property lines at intersections or any other portion of a roadway clearly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the surface;

While I think stopping on a highway to let a predestrian cross would be ludicrous and very dangerous, within a city with a speed limit of 40km and generally stop and go traffic, abiding by the law should not be dangerous for predestrian or driver. Attention to your surroundings while driving is the key. Of course, there are always those drivers who will not realize that the stopped vehicle in front of them is allowing a predestrian to cross and will pass the vehicle on the right side where there is a paved shoulder - which by the way is illegal - thereby causing a very frightful situation.

Kit: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:05:54

I try to stop when I see people at crosswalks but sometimes I am almost too close by time I see them. Usually I lean over and mouth sorry to them. The rules of the road seem to be different for every province, for some odd reason. My biggest pet peeve is when people pass you on the right, when you are stopped to turn left. Have you people not learned from hearing all the horror stories about people being killed that way? What's the hurry? I get honks and dirty looks from people when I stop in the middle and do not give them room to go around. After seeing a lady almost get run down by a truck this summer I do not pass on the right anymore. If you are in that much of a hurry to get someplace, leave earlier!

Nugg: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:05:19

That should be the safest crosswalk in Summerside in the picture, the house to the right of the stop sign is the home to one of Summerside's finest.

loloo: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:04:34

As a pedesterian who does a lot of walking, would you believe my most fearful place to cross is at the traffic lights? Drivers don`t seem to see anything but the changing light with their foot on the pedal.

George: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:04:10

Phillip, heres the only response I can think of to answer your ignorant question, and here it is.....

me from summerside: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:02:21

Alot of islanders need to be re-instructed on the rules of the road. For most, crosswalks do not mean a thing to them. They feel that the cars always have the right-of-way over pedestrians. I have noticed that (especially in the tourist season) that the cars with out of province plates are the ones most likely to stop for you. Also, islanders, please note.... signal lights on your car are to be used to let others know that you are turning, it won't wear down your battery. For such a small province, people seem to be in such a hurry to get one car ahead of you to go such a short distance. Slow down...live longer.