KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Since Friday, at least three incidents have been reported where pedestrians have been hit by traffic at signalized intersections in Halifax, with five further collisions involving pedestrians reported in Halifax, Bedford, Dartmouth and East Preston. Eight pedestrians hit by traffic in just a few days is just way too many.
While the large number of pedestrians hit on our crosswalks has been occurring for years, decades possibly, it sadly has not resulted in any right measure to address the root causes of these frequent accidents.
Halifax is keen to promote active transportation, but vulnerable road users need basic safety on our streets, especially when they use a crosswalk.
Haligonian pedestrians frequently express their frustration with walk signals at wide signalized intersections which do not give them adequate time to start and finish their crossing, but the biggest hazard is caused by traffic that turns and moves over the crosswalk while the walk sign is on and pedestrians are still crossing: Right turns on red and green traffic lights and left turns on a green light are statistically the most common causes of traffic hitting pedestrians in HRM.
Turning traffic at signalized intersections creates an extremely complex and dangerous cross for pedestrians – although illegal, vehicles do move over the crosswalk from all angles while pedestrians cross. Unless you can twist your head like an owl and be ready to move like a cat throughout the whole time you are crossing, such a signalized intersection is an extremely dangerous location to cross a road in Halifax.
There are plenty of drivers ready to provide an explanation for the high number of accidents on signalized intersections on crosswalks – distracted pedestrians crossing at the wrong time when the walk sign is off. This does happen, and it is dangerous, but it doesn’t seem to be a significant cause of pedestrians being hit by traffic. Local police accident data tells us that only 11% of Summary Offence Tickets issued following pedestrian/vehicle collisions in 2017 were issued to pedestrians, whilst 89% went to drivers.
A remedy to the constant battering of pedestrians at signalized intersections is widely available, inexpensive, and does not delay traffic for longer than a few seconds. A small adjustment to our traffic lights could give pedestrians a few precious seconds “head start” on turning traffic.
Traffic lights can be reprogrammed to remain red for a short period to allow pedestrians to start walking without the threat of traffic turning over the crosswalk from behind, to the side and ahead of them. These precious few seconds head start, called a “leading pedestrian interval” have been shown to significantly reduce accidents involving pedestrians at signalized intersections by up to 60%, report the National Association of Transport Officials (NACTO). Their widespread introduction in New York has been hailed as a major Vision Zero success story.
A trial of leading pedestrian intervals, to be implemented in limited locations, has just been announced. But why do we need a trial for this decades old and widely recommended solution which has been transformative with reducing incidents involving cyclists and pedestrians in cities all over North America? When we have several accidents a month, a week even, and consistent historical data telling us that turning traffic at signalized intersections is the most common cause of pedestrians being hit by traffic, we just need to get on with implementing this essential remedy to as many intersections as possible.
Even better, the lights for left turning traffic could remain red the whole time the pedestrian is crossing. Surely this makes sense seeing as our skin offers so little protection from impact with a vehicle? This measure, called a protected left turn phase, is the pedestrian equivalent of the protected left green arrow/directional traffic light turn for traffic where oncoming traffic has a red light so traffic can turn safely without conflict. This protected left turn phase for peds has been in place in some limited locations in Halifax (try crossing at Young/Kempt), but no plans to extend this essential safety measure have been announced.
Another easy and cheap fix available to our authorities is to restrict right turns on red at our intersections – a dangerous manoeuvre which results in a disproportionate amount of incidents where pedestrians and cyclists are hit by traffic. Can vehicles wait a few seconds to allow vulnerable road users to cross in safety? It won’t result in Halifax grinding to a halt.
With no guarantees from the authorities on when and where our signalized intersections will be adapted to make them safe for pedestrians, we are left guessing how many more pedestrians need to be hit before our municipality acts and we reduce bloodshed on our streets.
See also:
Road safety plan offers fabulous graphics but fails to make Halifax roads safer
We can do better than Nova Scotia’s no frills crosswalks
Road safety in Nova Scotia: Not just a problem, it’s a crisis
If you walk, cycle or use a wheelchair and are affected by road safety issues, please join HRM Safe Streets for Everyone. If your local crosswalk needs a crosswalk flag, please contact the Crosswalk Safety Society.
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My walking isn’t a “Privilege” while driving a car is. My body can not kill someone when it slams into something going 30 KMs an hours. A car can.
Drivers are more likely to kill a person while texting on being on a phone. A pedestrian isn’t likely to kill someone else while talking on their phone and walking… although they are more likely to be killed by others not paying attention.
People get fined for Distracted DRIVING for a reason. Never seen a person fined for distracted walking. *If that was the case no one would ever go outside.*
Ontario has a law where cars are NOT allowed to proceed through a crosswalk till the crosser has crossed completely.
BRING THAT HERE! (We need it) Or even a Pedestrian scramble crosswalk. (Google it!) would be absolutely beneficial to this city along with MORE set in areas that have even moderate traffic as to prevent kids or seniors from being injured while crossing (like by the skate park end of the Captain William Spry Center) or even LIGHTS in areas where it’s known to be used to “race” (Eh-hum… 500 block section of Herring Cove rd by the Cove Market!… where 6 people have been injured or killed in the last 10 years!)
Yes, people are on phones more, BUT a licence is a PRIVILEGE and people seem to forget that, and a cell shouldn’t EVER be used while driving. I could be sitting on my porch on my cell while my kids play in our yard and some jerk using a cell texting could slam into my home/porch and kill us because of their stupidity. Fines should be in the 1000’s not 100’s to make people think before they use their cell in a car. PERIOD.
PS: Yes, diver too… and even my spouse I will NEVER allow him on the cell in our car. Eyes on the road not your phone!
Thanks Lila. Believe it or not, we have the same law here that traffic must not proceed until the pedestrian has finished crossing – however the law is very rarely obeyed and not well known. Even the head of our traffic authority wrote to me saying (incorrectly) it was legal for traffic to pass through a crosswalk behind us after we have passed through the centre line. Re Herring Cove Rd, I don’t know it well but I often see collisions reported on crosswalks there. Do keep asking your local councillor for safety improvements – bottom line is all crosswalks need many improvements here to make them safe for pedestrians. Also please join facebook group hrm safe streets for everyone.
Two words: scramble intersections.
That would be ideal Megan. But we have very little chance of getting these in more than a few downtown locations around Spring Garden Rd. I think traffic flow will remain the primary consideration in by far the majority of locations, not the safety needs of vulnerable road users
As long as you give pedestrians Cross Now at the same time you give cars a Green Go you will continue to have deaths at your controlled intersections
Frankly it’s unbelievable how stupid it it here
Bill I couldn’t agree more. It is a sacrifice on safety made purely to effect traffic flow. We will not get our priorities right until we make decisions about vulnerable road users which put them first, as I’ve explained in this follow up article https://nsadvocate.org/2018/11/08/what-matters-more-traffic-flow-or-human-lives/
Maybe instead of doing something crazy they could just change the cross-walk time. So before Cars are even allowed to go, they should implement red lights for everyone & give the pedestrians 30-40 seconds to walk, not having to worry about cars coming and going from whatever way. Then have the cars go, after the pedestrian isn’t present anymore… It’s pretty straight forward to do.
Create a crosswalk/light set up, where Pedestrians have the right away FIRST, but all the lights are red, so no vehicles are moving…
Boom = safety.
Jacklyn, yes I agree – it is this simple. This is what is in place at all signalized intersections in the UK. Here we allow conflicting flows of traffic and pedestrians and people work out who is doing what and where in the middle, resulting in the constant incidents we have here. Likewise with mid block crosswalks – red lights would provide for certainty and safety. Again these are used on other countries which have an improved safety record. It is really sad that this continues unabated and has gone on for so long. So so many needless incidents which dramatically affect people’s life through injury or even loss.