New Westminster residents, mayor push for 'Vision Zero' strategy following pedestrian death
Calls for the City of New Westminster to adopt a 'Vision Zero' strategy – which seeks to eliminate deaths and injuries on roadways – are growing after a man was struck and killed by a truck earlier this month.
The fatal crash happened on Feb.19 on the 100-block of East Columbia Street, a stretch of road some residents say has long been cause for concern.
Mihai Cirstea grew up in New Westminster and now volunteers with Vision Zero Vancouver, an advocacy group in the Lower Mainland focused on creating safer roadways.
“When you’re there, you’re just inches away from really high-volume, high-speed traffic - most of it trucks, and it feels incredibly dangerous,” Cirstea said about the area where the fatality occurred.
“There’s no other place to walk.”
The New Westminster Police Department said a review of dashcam video and witness statements did not reveal any evidence of criminality.
"The work has now shifted from a criminal investigation to one where information is being gathered to provide to the City of New Westminster Engineering Services for consideration," a media release last week said.
Alex Biedka often bikes along this path that’s part of The Central Valley Greenway. He said because of the lack of a protective barrier, cyclists are often riding next to semi-trucks and cars.
“Nothing’s addressed until there’s a problem like this,” Biedka told CTV News. “I think it should be a higher priority especially with more of a transition to more sustainable transportation methods.”
According to public data from ICBC, there were at least 11 crashes involving pedestrians along the stretch of East Columbia between Alberta and Braid streets between 2016 and 2020.
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone said the section of street has been an issue since the city was designed, noting that the narrow lanes and sidewalk force people to walk next to heavy traffic.
Johnstone said engineering staff are currently trying to figure out short and long-term solutions to protect pedestrians, but it hasn’t come without challenges as the roadway is also overseen by the Ministry of Transportation and TransLink.
“If there were a simple solution, it would have been found already,” he said. “We have to change the physical environment so that when people inevitably make mistakes in transportation areas, they don’t make fatal mistakes.”
New Westminster resident Phil Kehres walks the route daily to work and said he’d like to see the city act sooner rather than later.
“Why did it take a pedestrian death to get this moving, when they’ve known about this for a decade?” he asked.
Johnstone says council will be meeting this week to discuss its capital budget for the year and said there’s funding in the plan to address road safety issues on East Columbia Street and beyond.
“I want New Westminsterr to have the safest roads in the Lower Mainland. That’s my goal,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.