Edmonton advocacy group says roads need to be safer after recent pedestrian deaths

In 2015 the City of Edmonton launched — vision zero — a policy with the goal to have zero traffic injuries and fatalities by 2032. In 2019, the city spent almost $4 million on improving crosswalks and $1.1 million on traffic signals.

“What could be done here should’ve been done with the renewal recently, where the city spent millions of dollars on repaving and redesigning the streets,” said Stephen Raitz, a board member of Paths for People.

Edmonton police responded to multiple pedestrian deaths to start the week, bringing the total to six in the city this year. At this time last year, there had been two pedestrian fatalities in the city.

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Paths for People, says it’s time for a redesign of Edmonton’s roads.

“If we accept that we’re going to achieve vision zero in 2032 we’re going to accept more Edmontonians dying. We need to have our streets redesigned to ensure that they’re safe for everyone,” said Raitz.

“We can add amber flashers on both sides of the street, paint the crosswalk on both sides of the streets, maybe do a higher intesity crosswalk paint to make even more obvious to drivers. We can slow down the speed limit.”