More than 300 people have signed a petition calling for a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk on Princess Street.
As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 337 people had signed the “Make Princess Street Safer by Creating a Pedestrian Controlled Crosswalk” petition on change.org. It was started on Dec. 10.
The petition comes in the aftermath of a death of a pedestrian who was struck by the driver of a vehicle in the 700 block of Princess Street. New Westminster police are investigating the fatal incident, which occurred around 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10.
“Anyone who lives on Princess Street in the City of New Westminster or in the surrounding neighbourhood often cross the street to access Save-On-Foods or Royal City Centre mall. There have been many people, most often the elderly, that have been injured or hit by a car while crossing the street,” stated the petition started by Irene Choi. “Today, someone passed away from getting hit by a car. This could have all been preventable if there was a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk.”
According to the petition, there has been an increase in traffic on Princess Street ever since Walmart opened in Royal City Centre.
“Commercial trucks park and block the road, creating many blind spots for both pedestrians and drivers. There are many cars who come up from the underground parking lot without checking for pedestrians,” said the petition. “Now, there is a new condo that is being built in between Princess Street and Seventh Avenue, which is bound to increase traffic even more.”
The petition states many residents have been asking for a crosswalk at this location for years, and that has not happened.
“Please help us convince the city to build a crosswalk and prevent future accidents,” said the online petition.
At Monday’s city council meeting, Mayor Patrick Johnstone said engineering staff are engaged in work to determine if there are engineering solutions to make Princess Street safer.
