DEADLY STREETS

Changes sought to keep pedestrians safe,

City workers closed a pathway near Kennedy Public School Monday morning, less than a week after 11-year-old Duncan Xu was struck by a vehicle and killed while walking nearby.

“After consultation with all concerned stakeholders (the resident association, representatives of Kennedy Public School, parents and residents), the pathway on the south side of Kennedy Public School leading to Canongate will be closed as a mitigation measure until further notice,” Councillor Jim Karygiannis (Ward 39 Scarborough-Agincourt) wrote in a newsletter to constituents.

Last Tuesday, Xu was on his way home from Kennedy Public School in Scarborough when he was struck at Canongate Tr. and Purcell Sq., near Kennedy Rd. and Steeles Ave. E. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and later died of his injuries.

Karygiannis tweeted that parents, residents and the school want the pathway closed “until mitigating measures are put in place to safe guard kids.”

Sean Marshall, co-founder of Walk Toronto, called the pathway closure “an easy fix” that doesn’t address the problem of traffic in the neighbourhood.

“Closing these cut-throughs only discourages pedestrians from walking in the first place,” Marshall said.

In the newsletter, Karygiannis said that “we are taking more measures to make sure that our school community is safe,” and asked constituents to drive safely and obey traffic laws.