A pedestrian was struck by a driver in uptown New West on Thursday – in the same block where another pedestrian was killed in December.
Residents in the 700 block of Princess Street contacted the Record to report a pedestrian had been struck by a driver on Thursday, April 25. The New Westminster Police Department confirmed a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle in the 700 block of Princess Street at about 11:40 a.m.
“The pedestrian was transported to hospital with minor injuries,” Hailey Finnigan, the NWPD’s strategic communications coordinator, said in an email to the Record. “Investigators are collecting CCTV and interviewing witnesses to determine the details of what happened.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident and hasn’t spoke to police is asked to call the New Westminster Police Department at 604-525-5411.
Mike Anderson, the city’s manager of transportation, said the city is aware of the incident and hopes the injured pedestrian makes a full recovery.
“We acknowledge the community’s concern about pedestrian safety on Princess Street,” he said in an email to the Record. “The city has commissioned an engineering safety review of this portion of Princess Street, and that work is well underway. We are expecting to receive the findings and recommendations from that review in late May or early June and we are committed to acting on recommendations in collaboration with Princess Street residents and property managers.”
On Dec. 10, 2023, a pedestrian died after being struck by the driver of a vehicle in the 700 block of Princess Street.
The Record has contacted the New Westminster Police Department for an update on the status of that investigation.
At the time of the fatality, many Princes Street residents voiced concern about pedestrian safety on the road that runs between Sixth and Eighth streets. That stretch of road includes several residential towers, as well as parking access and a loading bay for Royal City Centre mall.
As of April 26, 590 people have signed a petition calling for a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk on Princess Street. An area resident started the Make Princess Street Safer by Creating a Pedestrian Controlled Crosswalk petition on Dec. 10.
Uptown residents who are already concerned about pedestrian safety on Princess Street fear it will only worsen when the highrise that’s now under construction at Sixth and Princess streets is completed and brings more traffic to the street.
