Flashing beacons to be installed at site of serious crash near Vancouver school

The City of Vancouver says it will install flashing beacons at the intersection of Wallace Street and 16th Avenue, where a 15-year-old was seriously injured by a car last month.

The crash happened on Jan. 30 near Lord Byng Secondary School.

The student was crossing around 2 p.m. when she was struck by a grey Mercedes, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

“She sustained serious and life-altering injuries,” the VPD said in a statement at the time.

On Thursday, police confirmed the student remains in hospital.

Kaycie Burtchett has been living and working in the area for 26 years and has noticed the chaos of the intersection.

“What we’ve been seeing over the years is a lot of near-misses. It’s been an accident waiting to happen,” she said.

She has been asking the city to install a crosswalk since last May.

“I wrote them, the city, and said, ‘Please can somebody just at least look for a crosswalk to be put here, blinking lights, just something,’” she said.

At the time, the city wrote back to say they were looking into it, but that crosswalks were installed partially based on the number of incidents that take place.

“Waiting all the time until someone gets injured is not a good enough answer,” Berchett said. “I don’t think we should be waiting until people get hurt to wait and see where the priorities should be.”

From 2018 to 2022, here have been 24 car crashes at Wallace Street and 16th Ave that involved a casualty or injury, according to ICBC statistics.

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of serious injuries and fatalities among children, the shocking part about it is these are easily preventable,” said Jade Buchanan, a volunteer with Vision Zero Vancouver.

In British Columbia, an average of seven children under the age of 16 are killed in a car crashes each year, he said.

While installing light beacons is a start, he says more could be done, including adding speed bumps.

"There are so many more inexpensive easy to deploy solutions,” Buchanan said. “Raised crosswalks are an improvement. Instead of the kid walking having to go on the street, the car has a hump to go over.” 

The Vancouver School Board says safety concerns for the area had not previously been raised with them, but the crash highlighted the worry among parents.

In a meeting with the VSB’s parents advisory committee Thursday, staff said they had requested immediate support for traffic and pedestrian safety from the VPD.

“School-based staff have requested the support of the school liaison officers at peak times of the day to manage traffic safety through education and road use enforcement,” the VSB said in a statement to CTV News.

It said the school will be putting in speakers to address traffic and pedestrian safety and will share regular safety reminders and educational sessions for all students.

Low-hanging tree branches on the boulevard will also be removed, and the curb will be built out to align with the sidewalk to improve pedestrian access across the street.

No charges have yet been recommended by the Vancouver Police Department, as the investigation continues.