Driving the issue

Colonel Gray High School student starts petition for improvements to problematic Charlottetown intersection

A student at Colonel Gray High School has started an online petition calling on the city to make safety improvements to what she says is a dangerous Charlottetown intersection.

Grade 10 student Chanuthi Kongahawattege’s petition, which is online at www.ipetitions.com as “Blind Intersection in School Zone is a Death Trap!”, has received 130 signatures within four days. Chanuthi started the petition after nearly getting hit at the intersection.

“I was walking down with a couple of friends to Dairy Queen, a car came speeding by and almost hit us. (Afterwards) a lot of my other friends told the same story,” she said.

“A lot of cars speed by and they don’t realize kids walk through there so they drive carelessly.

I thought, maybe if I get the students involved (in a petition) people will start realizing how important it is.” Chanuthi approached her principal with the petition, which was then sent out to parents.

She approached staff at Queen Charlotte Intermediate School and noted the intersection is also surrounded by homes, the Holy Redeemer Church, Jack Blanchard Hall and a number of businesses. Chanuthi would first like to see the city remove or relocate a yellow house on the corner of the intersection, which restricts visibility for drivers by extending past the stop sign.

That was also the first in a series of recommendations that were provided to the city in a 2011 report completed by ADI Limited.

“A lot of people have told me they feel it’s dangerous when you’re walking through there,” said Chanuthi.

The report also stated future development in the area or a diversion of pedestrian traffic from the nearby Royalty Court crosswalk should result in further evaluation of a traffic signal.

Both of those have occurred since, with a new 23-unit apartment now under construction. Kelley MacQueen, whose family owns MacQueen’s Bike Shop, said she has witnessed accidents at the intersection.

She’s glad to see the petition gaining some traction, with the intersection being busier since the report’s release.

“It’s been talked about for many years… there’s so much infrastructure being changed, now is the time to do it,” she said.

The yellow house’s owner Janette Gallant also feels it is a safety concern.

“I do feel it’s in the best interest of the city to own the house and manage that intersection. I don’t have any indication from the city that’s part of their plans,” said Gallant, who rents out the home but also lives in the city.

“As a resident of the city as well, I feel it’s a trouble intersection, so I recognize those issues.”

The issue has been raised in a number of council meetings by Coun. Mitch Tweel. Tweel said while he was pleased to hear the city is planning on installing a sidewalk on Pond Street, the house should be addressed first so the new sidewalk would line up with the existing one on the other side of Queen Street. “The message that has to get through to city hall is this intersection is a death trap,” said Tweel. “This should be the top priority in terms of improving and enhancing intersections. It’s not only long overdue, it’s reckless and dangerous and if there ever was a tragedy, the city wouldn’t have a legal leg to stand on.”