Advocates want pedestrian safety prioritized following fatal crash in DTES

Advocates want pedestrian safety in the Downtown Eastside addressed after a car struck and killed a pedestrian.

On Thursday, just before 11 a.m., two vehicles collided with each other at the intersection of Columbia and East Hastings streets, the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.

The VPD said the crash led to one car "jumping the curb and striking a pedestrian on the sidewalk." According to police, the pedestrian died at the scene, despite life-saving efforts. 

Sarah Blyth, a Downtown Eastside advocate, said vehicle-related fatalities and injuries are common in the community, especially near Main and East Hastings streets. In 2022, it was named the most dangerous intersection for pedestrians by ICBC. 

“It’s probably got the most pedestrians per square foot in the city,” said Blyth. “The most car accidents, pedestrian accidents in Vancouver happen on these two blocks of Hastings, so it’s not a shock to me.”

Blyth said at times, there’s little room for people to walk safely on the sidewalks near Hastings and Columbia streets due to how congested the area is. She said factors such as homelessness and construction often force people to walk on the road.

SPEED HUMPS, AUTOMATED ENFORCEMENT

Throughout much of the Downtown Eastside, the speed limit is 30 kilometres per hour. Blyth and Lucy Maloney, a traffic safety advocate who is also part of Vision Zero Vancouver, told CTV News drivers often exceed that limit. Maloney said she’d like to see changes to Columbia Street, which is a one-way, two-lane street, in order to shift driver behaviour.

“We see higher speeds from drivers when there are two lanes instead of one because it gives motorists a visual cue that they can go faster than the posted speed limit,” she said.

Maloney added she’d also like to see the City of Vancouver install speed humps on East Hastings street, as well as add automated enforcement with red-light and speed cameras to ensure drivers follow the rules.

In a statement to CTV News, the VPD said:

“We do tend to have more pedestrians struck by cars along East Hastings Street than in other areas of the city. Most of the collisions are the result of pedestrians walking into the roadway when vehicles have the right of way.”

Both Blyth and Maloney challenged the VPD’s statement, especially since the latest incident didn’t involve a pedestrian walking into the road.

“It has nothing to do with what pedestrians were doing in this instance,” Maloney said.

The city said once the VPD finishes its investigation, it will review whether any safety improvements should be made at the intersection.