An online petition calling for improved safety at a crosswalk near a New West Elementary School is picking up speed.
In just four days, close to 400 people had signed the Improve Safety at Elementary School Crosswalk (Sixth Avenue and Second Street) petition on change.org. As of noon on Nov. 20, 378 people had signed the petition which was launched on Nov. 16.
“This petition was created by parents, families, and residents of the New Westminster community. We are concerned citizens who have witnessed frequent vehicular accidents at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Second Street,” said the petition. “We’ve witnessed countless near misses both when a crossing guard is present and even more when not. We are fearing for the safety of our children walking to and from school (at hours that also capture before- and after-school care and activities beyond the bell schedule).”
The petition states that this intersection is located in a school zone and serves as a crossing for kids attending École Herbert Spencer Elementary School, as well as Glenbrook Middle School students.
“Hundreds of parents, children, elderly and residents cross 6th street at this location every school day,” said the petition. “The intersection at Sixth Avenue and Second Street New Westminster has proven to be perilous due to the frequency of traffic incidents occurring there. The traffic at this location is heavy and is sure to increase with the continued changes in New West. The situation demands our immediate attention and action to prevent potential tragedies involving our young students.”
According to the petition, traffic accidents are unfortunately common near schools. It cited a Transportation Canada report from 2021 which stated, on average, 43 deaths and 3,000 serious child pedestrian injuries occur each year in Canada.
“If we don't take immediate and concrete steps to improve the safety of this intersection, we risk our children becoming part of this sad statistic,” said the petition. “It is crucial to implement increased safety measures at this school cross street. We need to work together to transform the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Second Street into a safe passage for our community's children. Examining and implementing safety measures will also support the elderly and disabled folks in our community who use this area and need to be protected.”
In an email to the Record, one of the petition's organizers said they have heard from local parents who have shared terrifying accounts of close calls, such as one mother who had to pull her daughter and nieces back onto the curb as a vehicle sped through the crosswalk. Another parent recounted how a recent car crash sent a vehicle onto the very spot where their daughter had been standing moments earlier.
As part of their efforts to advocate for “urgent action to address this dangerous intersection and ensure it is safe for everyone,” community members have met with some city councillors and school trustees. They also plan to raise the issue at the Queen’s Park Residents’ Association’s annual general meeting and at city council in December.
An ongoing concern
The online petition is not the first time concerns have been raised about the intersection.
Queen’s Park resident Larry Church has appeared as a delegate to council on several occasions in an effort to get a full traffic signal at the intersection. He said the “convoluted” intersection includes a boulevard on Second Street, which makes it challenging for the crossing guards trying to stop traffic to let students cross.
In November 2023, council voted 4-3 in support of Coun. Daniel Fontaine’s motion to have staff report back to council, as part of the 2024 budget process, about the opportunity of prioritizing the installation of a full traffic signal at the corner of Second Street and Sixth Avenue.
At a January 2024, council voted 3-3 for a motion that would have directed staff to adjust the city’s five-year financial plan to incorporate up to $500,000 for the installation of a new street light system at the corner of Second Street and Sixth Avenue, with those funds coming from the Growing Communities Fund reserve; because the vote was tied, it was defeated.
The Record contacted the engineering department for an update on the status of plans for the intersection.
Mike Anderson, manager of transportation, said the city hears the concerns that are being raised, especially given the location adjacent to an elementary school.
“The city takes a data-driven approach to road safety,” he said in an email to the Record. “We completed and presented to council the latest intersection safety study in 2023, which did not highlight this intersection as a particular issue relative to others in the city. It was therefore not analyzed in more detail for recommended safety countermeasures, and we continue to focus our attention on the 25 intersections profiled in the study.”
Given that the intersection safety study was based on older ICBC data (2015-2019), Anderson said the city will be reviewing more recent collision data that it recently received from ICBC, along with information from New Westminster’s fire and police departments to see if there is an observable upward trend in collisions, or severity of collisions, since completion of the citywide study.
“We will also be collecting intersection traffic data in the near future, so we have up-to-date information with which to analyze the operation of the intersection,” he said.
Anderson said that determining any potential modifications will be based on observed collision trends to ensure the root causes of any safety issues are being addressed.
“We will need to consider any new information within the context of the 2023 intersection safety study to determine how to prioritize any modifications relative to intersections across the city,” he said.
In August 2023, a consultant submitted an intersection safety review report to council that included collision statistics and field review observations about 25 intersections in the city. This intersection was not among the 25 selected for review.
According to a staff report, the city-wide road network screening analyzed ICBC collision data over a five-year period (2015 through 2019) to determine collision frequency by location.
“The initial analysis identified 50 locations with the highest collision risk. A secondary screening analysis reviewed collision rates, severity, and frequency of collisions with vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) to prioritize locations for more detailed review. Locations where changes to intersections are planned or in progress (for example, near the future Pattullo Bridge) were excluded at this stage,” said a report to council. “A total of 25 intersections were identified for detailed review of traffic operations, design/layout, driver behaviour characteristics, and referenced to any identified collision trends.”
