The Editor:
Re: Pedestrian tragedy prompts review of New Westminster's Princess Street (Dec. 12, 2023)
Like many New West residents, I was devastated to hear about the pedestrian fatality on Dec. 10, 2023, on Princess Street — and it hit especially close to home for me as I grew up on Princess.
But it was heartening to hear the Mayor's approach to ensuring this doesn't happen again.
All too often after a tragic collision, the entire investigation is focused on what the driver did wrong. Were they speeding? Were they impaired?
But never is it about what might have made the street unsafe in the first place.
Johnstone and city engineering staff are now looking at engineering solutions to make that area of Princess Street safer, part of a small piece of reaching the city's "Vision Zero" goal of zero fatalities or serious injuries caused by car crashes.
They deserve applause for this step.
Human beings will continue to make mistakes or bad decisions. It's up to our cities to engineer our streets in such a way that these mistakes aren't deadly.
What's even better than engineering solutions to improve safety after a fatal crash? Proactive engineering to prevent tragedies in the first place.
We can use existing knowledge to pick the most dangerous spots.
ICBC publishes detailed collision statistics: several intersections along 8th Street, including at 6th Avenue, 8th Avenue, and 10th Avenue, could use some work.
If the engineering team wants some free (literally) safety wins, they could implement leading pedestrian intervals at these intersections.
Look it up.
- Mihai Cirstea, New Westminster
