I sent emails to the minister of transportation and to our MLA who happens to be the transportation critic about pedestrian safety.
After a couple of close calls, I wanted statistics on how many pedestrians are injured by cars in B.C. yearly. I also had some suggestions on what should be done to improve pedestrian safety. The minister at least acknowledged my message but didn’t answer my questions so I’ve done some research on line. I learned that walking is considerably more dangerous than cycling per distance. In the USA, pedestrians are killed at a rate 3 to 5 times higher than in the Netherlands and that in the city of Freiburg in Germany the most desirable neighborhoods have a speed limit of seven kilometers per hour. It’s doubtful we will ever be as progressive but there are things we can improve.
My suggestion to the minister is to ban right turns on a red light. Perhaps a yellow arrow light could come on if the pedestrian signal is not activated. It is unacceptable that we do nothing about this. One letter is easily ignored but 10 or 100 e-mails to the minister are not. This is a simple measure that may save your life or the life of your child.
Norm Babin
Campbell River