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Local Senior struck at pedestrian crossover


By Michelle Janzen

 

Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 7, a senior crossing Main Street East, at the pedestrian crossover by William Street, on a scooter was struck by an SUV turning from William Street onto Main Street East.

This crosswalk has been the topic of many conversations both at Council and on social media.

First brought to Council's attention on July 12, 2016, when local resident Gord Craig advised of the danger of crossing at this new crosswalk on Main Street as vehicles were not stopping.

“What is it going to take – someone getting hit or killed at this crosswalk?” he asked local lawmakers. “It's a fact, and a crisis, and something needs to be done now.”

Just two weeks ago, the issue of the Town's crosswalk came up once again.

CAO John Telfer stated that a previous solution to the matter of aggressive drivers trying to pass on the right when a car is stopped for the crosswalk, was not immediately acceptable to the MTO, and so he recommended to Council that permanent delineation markers be installed instead of the proposed curbs and gutters.

Telfer told Council that these markers are permanently fastened into the roadway and effectively reduce the crosswalk area to two single lanes, one going west, and one east.

Trying to drive around or over these flexible markers, would cause significant damage to the vehicle concerned and should curtail the dangers of cars passing within the crosswalk area.

The markers are flexible enough to allow for snow removal and are highly visible at night, thanks to multiple reflective surfaces on each one.

This was approved and was scheduled to be put into place on Friday June, 8, just one day after this accident occurred.

These markers most likely would not have stopped this particular accident from occurring had they already been in place. However they will stop vehicles from passing on the right in the future.

The local senior who was struck was transported by ambulance to Orangeville's Headwaters Hospital, with serious, but non-life threating injuries, then transferred to Sunnybrook where she remains.
Post date: 2017-06-19 18:15:58
Post date GMT: 2017-06-19 22:15:58
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