Martyn Williams: Letter to Kim Masland, minister of Public Works, and Premier Tim Houston
Martyn Williams on all that’s missing from the mandate letter of newly appointed Public Works minister Kim Masland.
Martyn Williams: Police violence last Wednesday endangered pedestrians, including children
Martyn Williams: “By initiating violence against a protesting but unprotected crowd in a public area, police did not acknowledge their responsibility to ensure events didn’t escalate harmfully in a way that ultimately endangered everyone in this central pedestrian area including children, seniors and people with disabilities.”
Martyn Williams: Response to Road Safety Framework annual report
Martyn Williams writes to members of the Halifax Transportation Standing Committee who are discussing the annual road safety framework report today at 1pm. “The municipality is not experiencing a traffic flow or congestion crisis. It is experiencing a road safety crisis that is disproportionately affecting people who are most vulnerable.”
Dangerous sidewalk closure on Young Street: Halifax hostility to sidewalk users must end
A sidewalk closure on Young Street requires pedestrians, wheelchair and mobility scooter users to take a detour of more than 500 metres to access essential services.Staff and leadership must dig deeper and look further to ensure their policies and approach to access and infrastructure includes everyone and prioritizes the least able in much more than words and aspirations.
Crosswalk safety in Sydney, Cape Breton: ‘This accident should never have happened’
Ian MacIntosh, a much loved resident of Sydney, Cape Breton, was struck while crossing legally on a signalized intersection crosswalk outside the Cape Breton Regional hospital on George Street by a driver turning left. He died one week later, aged 66. Martyn Williams takes a closer look at what happened and what lessons we should learn. “This accident should never have happened,” Ian’s widow Kathryn (Kathy) MacIntosh tells Martyn.
“Basically a race track” – Recent incident highlights ongoing danger for pedestrians at signalized intersections
Yet another pedestrian hit by a car on a marked crosswalk. Halifax decision-makers must wake up to a very obvious reality – vulnerable road user safety infrastructure at the most dangerous locations is essential, not optional.
United Nations Road Safety Week: My plea for urgent action
Cities that prioritize the movement of people over cars truly benefit in all respects. This year’s theme for the United Nations Road Safety Week is 30 km/h speed limits by design and law on all roads where traffic and people mix.
Urgent letter on pedestrian safety to Premier Iain Rankin, Mayor Mike Savage and Member of Parliament Andy Fillmore
“Senior after senior after senior, now eleven in a row, are being killed on urban crosswalks and roads that neglect to appropriately consider the needs of people who are slower movers…” The tireless Martyn Williams writes an open letter to the people who can and must fix this.
Martyn Williams: There’s a mobility crisis for vulnerable road users, and Halifax must change its approach
Signalized intersections are beyond doubt statistically the most dangerous place to cross the road, especially for people with mobility issues. The vast majority of signalized intersections in Halifax provide no dedicated infrastructure protection at all for pedestrians – just two faded white lanes and a legal right of way. Too many people have been killed there. Tell your councillor things must change.
Martyn Williams: Yet another older person left with life threatening injuries after Halifax crosswalk incident
We are accustomed to weave our way past turning drivers on signalized intersections with a mixture of luck and skill. Signalized intersections are known to be treacherous for vulnerable road users and account for around 40% of pedestrian incidents within the municipality. Yesterday a 75 year-old citizen of Halifax was left with life threatening injuries after being struck on a crosswalk by the driver of a truck.