Councillors want action on road safety
Committee asks for more co-operation to tackle spate of serious pedestrian injuries, fatalities
Councillors are calling for more teamwork between police and the city to tackle a spike in pedestrian injuries and hit-and-run collisions this year — the latest of which sent a 14-year-old girl to hospital Saturday.
Police said the latest victim was struck by a minivan while crossing Parkdale Avenue North at Roxborough Avenue shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday. She remained in hospital in stable condition Monday.
The minivan driver allegedly fled the area, but was later arrested after members of the public reported a “suspicious” vehicle. The driver faces a criminal charge, but has not yet been named by police.
The incident is the latest in a spate of serious crashes that have killed eight pedestrians on Hamilton roads and sidewalks in 2022. That’s one short of the 2021 total, which was a 10-year record for pedestrian deaths.
Mountain councillor John-Paul Danko referenced the latest teenaged victim when he put forward a motion Monday that calls for more police and city collaboration to deal with the “unprecedented spike” in pedestrian injuries.
In an interview, he said that could include more “strategic traffic enforcement opportunities” based on city collision statistics and newer “near-miss” prediction data collected at high-danger intersections.
Chief Frank Bergen of the Hamilton police acknowledged last month the number of fatal pedestrian collisions is “way too high” and said the service is working to target the worst intersections for crashes. A police spokesperson said Monday the service has “already reached out to the City of Hamilton to investigate further opportunities to enhance our existing partnerships.”
The city adopted a “Vision Zero” strategy in 2019 to try to end traffic injuries and deaths — and Danko acknowledged the number of pedestrian injuries has trended down in recent years. “But this past year, for whatever reasons, we’ve seen a completely unacceptable rise,” he said.
Public works committee members supported the motion, but more than one argued harsher penalties and new laws are needed, too. Mountain councillor Tom Jackson suggested there needs to be a “greater punitive outcome” for drivers who hurt or kill others.
Ward 4 councillor Sam Merulla lamented the fact no government in Canada has so far been willing to force automakers to limit speeds in new vehicles. “Police can’t be at every intersection, on every street in the city,” he said.