Latest news with #pedestrianSafety
CTV News
15 hours ago
- CTV News
Three pedestrian-vehicle collisions in one day in Ottawa raising concerns
A recent string of pedestrian-vehicle collisions is raising concerns in Ottawa. On Wednesday, a nine-year-old-boy was struck and killed by a school bus while riding his bike in Almonte. This was followed by three separate collisions Thursday, including on the corner of George St. Sussex St. in the Byward Market, where a vehicle drove onto the sidewalk, striking a woman walking and sending her to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Ottawa councillor Stéphanie Plante says this is the first she heard about a car going onto a sidewalk, but adds the uptick in related collisions, has caught her attention. 'It's really eye opening because the more bikes and the more people we have walking, the easier it is for cars to commute if we have less people in them,' Plante says. 'It just goes to show that things like bollards, making sure that we have elevated spaces, making sure that we have pedestrian specific spaces, those can make a world of difference.' In 2023, CTV News Ottawa reported 23 vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. 10 of those were fatal. Executive director of the Ottawa Safety Council Jamie Kwong says with the weather getting nicer it is leading to more people being outside and motorists need to be extra cautious. 'Everyone has to keep their head on a swivel and really be mindful of paying attention to what's going on, not everyone is going to have predictable behaviors and we as motorists need to be able to be ready for those situations,' Kwong says. 'When people make mistakes, it shouldn't be fatal, so, we can all do things that mitigate the amount of harm, whether or not we build our street safer or slow it down, but also as drivers, to be more aware of yourself.' Some tips from the Safety Council for drivers include to give cyclists enough space to pass them, have patience and drive the speed limit especially in residential neighbourhoods where children may be present.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
I'm glad we have rules. I just don't expect people to follow them
Rules are great. I think most of us over the age of five will agree that having them is preferable to not. Perhaps there are a few stragglers out there reading this who would love to cosplay a lesser sequel of The Purge, swinging baseball bats at strangers and urinating in the street, but I would imagine you are in the minority on that. Rules are the backbone of what we have left of society. I'm not happy about where we are, but I don't make the rules. At least not yet. I just need to host a popular reality show – then my political career can really take off. A recent interaction has me reflecting on this. I was wandering over to my local coffee shop one morning, off a wide boulevard where motorists scream through intersections like the car from Ghostbusters late for a particularly aggressive haunting. A crosswalk, with accompanying yellow yield light, was recently installed to combat the minor issue of pedestrians being flattened by drivers on their way to the hair salon or texting about being late to the hair salon. The light has been mostly successful in preventing the human waffle-ironing, but it requires walkers to actually press the button to activate it. This is a step that people often dismiss, hoping and praying that the drivers out there are lucid enough to acknowledge the existence of others. Without the yellow light, we're all operating on the honor system for not killing each other. That morning, someone confidently strolled into the intersection, and was mortified that the car screaming down the road didn't immediately stop for him. The pedestrian hollered and moaned as the vehicle screeched to a halt. Once he was done cursing and spitting on the street, the man crossed and the befuddled driver carried on. Besides my relief at not witnessing a homicide, I was left wondering why the man was so upset. Was he expecting the driver to follow the rules? How naive. Let's pray this guy never ends up involved in global foreign policy. I couldn't help but think of this beautifully trusting pedestrian during the last week of nail-biting brinkmanship between the United States and Iran. A few bombs here, a couple of missiles there. Some erratic social media posts later, and we have something akin to a ceasefire for the time being. Donald Trump claimed the Iranian nuclear capability had been 'obliterated', though experts say the country's program was only set back by a few months. It all comes back to the rules we make. We had an Obama-era deal to cap Iran's atomic ambitions – but Trump pulled the US out of it back in 2018, drastically curtailing the west's ability to hold the ayatollah to his promises. It's like if Los Angeles decided to take the crosswalk out of my neighborhood and instead ask people nicely not to run each other over with giant piles of metal going over 40mph – and if someone got hit, to blow up the area with a bunker buster. We need rules, even if we assume people will break them early and often. Because the vast majority of us won't. Most of us are too timid, too square or, in my case, too lazy. The alternative to rules is anarchy: a fistfight in the supermarket or a bachelor party in Atlantic City. Still, it's time to expect that the arc of the universe will not bend in our direction, that our fellows might not be considering whether or not to slow down through the intersection of life. I don't want to wade too deeply into the finer points of foreign policy, because, as I mentioned above, I have never hosted a reality television program. But I am highly qualified to complain about things, which I will continue doing in this space for the foreseeable future. Assume the worst, as I do, and your life will be much simpler. Expect those around you to fail and flout the rules that govern our world. Does this sound cynical? Of course it does. Does that mean it's wrong? Absolutely not. Look around. Not just at the inside of your living room, the bathroom stall or wherever it is you're reading this. I mean, look around metaphorically. Our institutions are wobbly, our trust in order is at an all-time low, and Vanderpump Rules might never come back for new episodes. Where is the justice? The Democratic primary victory of the New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has been the talk of the entire US, acting as a lighthouse of hope in the choppy pea-soup shit fog of 2025. But in order for Mamdani to win that primary, people had to show up. They had to vote for him and not assume someone else would. Better to assume everyone around you had a nasty fall on the head and can't stop saying 'Cuomo' over and over again. Expect the worst, then enjoy the surprise of being wrong. If I did host a reality show, and therefore became eligible for the presidency, this would be the primary tenet of my foreign policy. 'If we bomb Iran, people will be upset. And upset people do nasty things' – sure, that won't fit on a campaign button, but I'm sure I could hire someone to workshop it into something catchier. I'm obviously thrilled we all haven't been vaporized, but decisions made today do have this pesky way of leading to calamities of the future. You only need to think back to the 1953 CIA coup that led to the overthrow of the Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Cleverer people than me (with a higher word-count maximum) could explain the connection between that regime change and Iran's persistent conflict with the United States. What will be the long-term effects of the US-Israeli bombing campaign? Unfortunately, I'm stuck in the present and can't give you a definitive answer. That is one of the many drawbacks of corporeal existence, another of which is getting hit by a car. Whatever happens next, don't expect it to be fun. But if it is, and we're all drinking champagne in Tehran in a decade, you can come back here and tell me I'm stupid. What a lovely surprise that would be. Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Ottawa Safety Council's message to drivers: slow down and ‘remove your distractions'
An Ottawa Police Service cruiser blocks a section of Innes Road following a collision involving two pedestrians in Orléans Tuesday afternoon. (Ottawa Traffic Cameras/website) The Ottawa Safety Council is urging motorists to slow down on roads and put down distractions to help keep pedestrians safe this summer. Three pedestrians were struck by vehicles in Ottawa on Thursday, including a woman who was struck by an SUV on George Street in the ByWard Market. In Almonte, Ont., a nine-year-old boy died after he was struck by a school bus while riding his bicycle home from school on Wednesday. Jamie Kwong of the Ottawa Safety Council tells CTV Morning Live that the things drivers can do to keep pedestrians safe 'is not rocket science.' 'Slow down in school neighbourhoods, in school zones. Obey crossing guards. Our crossing guards are there until the last day and they're keeping kids safe, but they need your help,' Kwong said Friday morning. 'Slow it down, remove your distractions – that means don't be touching your phones, that means not eating, not playing around with the dials. If you can't be focused on what's going on and all these kids are running around with excitement, you can't react quickly.' Kwong urges motorists to check their blind spots and learn about the blind spots on a new vehicle. 'It takes a few seconds,' Kwong said. The Ottawa Safety Council is urging all motorists to obey traffic signals and ensure you communicate with pedestrians. 'Giving eye contact with pedestrians and pedestrians giving eye contact to motorists,' Kwong said. 'We have to assume people are going to be unpredictable and make mistakes, it shouldn't be fatal.' Kwong adds all levels of government need to design roads safer. 'If we're in a four-tonne car, we're in a metal casing – we're protected. Children walking, pedestrians, cyclists, seniors, motorcycle riders – these individuals are vulnerable road users so even though not everyone is going to have perfect behaviour, we have to find ways to be just that much safer.' The Ottawa Safety Council offers motorcycle training and road safety education courses. The RoadSmarts4Kids library is full of resources for learning about road safety concepts, skills and awareness. 'Education is such a big thing,' Kwong said. 'We want to teach kids young about safe, responsible road behaviours. They end up bringing that back to their parents and their parents improve.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fears temporary lights will cause fatal crash
People living near a busy ring road have said they fear someone will die because of temporary pedestrian lights. New permanent traffic lights, a crossing, a wider path and a bus stop are being installed on the A4174 in Emersons Green, with a temporary crossing in place on the Wick Wick roundabout while the work is carried out. However, residents have claimed the temporary layout is an "accident waiting to happen", as motorists wrongly think a green pedestrian light is a signal for them to go. South Gloucestershire Council said it had painted temporary give way road markings for greater clarity following feedback from residents. The work began on 16 June and is scheduled to last for 11 weeks. The council said it is being done to "enhance facilities for buses, walking, wheeling and cycling". More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol To highlight the problems with the temporary road measures, four residents filmed on the roundabout for 20 minutes. In that time, they claimed they witnessed "about 40 near misses". Resident Vanessa Blount said the confusion was caused by green lights at the temporary pedestrian crossing, which motorists mistook for traffic lights signalling for them to go. "As locals, we can see the problem and we're aware of it," Ms Blount said. "But, if somebody's not familiar with what's going on and they come tearing down the ring road, they're going to plough into somebody and kill somebody." Another resident, Martyn Howe, told the BBC the junction was "inadequately signposted" and said many notices and signals were obstructed. He said he had experienced "two or three" near misses as a motorist, while his wife saw a pedestrian "almost run over on the crossing where a car failed to stop". Tracey Blythe, who also lives in the area, has said she fears someone will be killed. "It's not been thought out," she added. "You can see an accident waiting to happen." She called for the roundabout's usual traffic lights to be reinstated while the work is carried out. In a statement, the council acknowledged the feedback on the road layout and said it had installed new, temporary give way markings "to avoid further confusion". "We thank members of the public for bringing this to our attention and apologise for any inconvenience while the work takes place," it added. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. No plans to finish town's 'road to nowhere' Plans for city centre road changes set to progress Everything we know about Bristol's travel changes South Gloucestershire Council
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Bus driver charged over fatal collision
A Transperth bus driver has been charged after he fatally struck a pedestrian outside of Perth Arena. A 45-year old man died when he was hit by a bus crossing Wellington St near the Milligan St intersection just after 6.15pm on Friday. He was treated at the scene by paramedics but could not be saved. The bus driver has been charged with careless driving causing death and will appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on July 18. Inspector Vic Hussey told 9News it was a confronting scene. 'It's a very, very sad scene here at the moment,' he said. Witnesses said the driver appeared distressed and was unable to speak in the immediate aftermath of the collision, while others nearby were seen crying on the street. The crash occurred as hundreds of people were arriving at the arena to watch a Super Netball clash between the West Coast Fever and Adelaide Thunderbirds, and as city workers were leaving their offices for the day. Residents have since raised concerns about pedestrian safety at the intersection. 'It's not nice, especially when it's so close to home, and when it's something that could have been avoided,' one resident said. 'I raised this with the police about two months ago because I almost got killed.'
