The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) has turned down a request from the Sunshine Coast RCMP to install a pedestrian-activated flashing light to improve the safety of the crosswalk on Highway 101 at Shorncliffe Road in Sechelt.
In a letter to MOTI last December, now-retired Sgt. Mike McCarthy said the crosswalk presents “an unreasonable risk to pedestrians and vehicle occupants.”
Due to the lower elevation and sloping curve of the crosswalk, pedestrian visibility is a major issue, especially for eastbound drivers, McCarthy said.
“The result of this has been several recent motor vehicle accidents where drivers either failed to stop for pedestrians walking across Highway 101 or abrupt vehicle stops that resulted in an eastbound multi-car collision.”
McCarthy said employees at the adjacent courthouse and RCMP detachment headquarters routinely hear screeching tires at the crossing.
“The most recent was in July 2014 when a family of four was slowing at the intersection, only to be rear-ended by a second westbound vehicle,” he said. While the pedestrian crossing the highway was uninjured, “all vehicle occupants suffered injuries.”
The risk is particularly high, he said, due to the high volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The vehicle count is about 710 vehicles per hour, and the crosswalk links to the termination of the seawall walkway, which is used extensively by seniors, runners, school groups and a growing residential population.
“Considering the very high potential for continuing serious traffic-related injury or death, the obvious safety option for this location is a pedestrian-activated flashing light,” McCarthy said.
Contacted Wednesday by Coast Reporter, MOTI spokeswoman Kate Trotter said the ministry recently determined, as part of a regular safety review of all corridors in the area, that the intersection did not warrant any additional upgrades at this time.
“Several factors contributed to this analysis, including pedestrian and vehicle volumes as well as proximity to existing crosswalks in the immediate area,” Trotter said in an email.
As an example, Trotter said MOTI recently installed a crosswalk at Ocean Drive, less than 200 metres from the intersection, “as it was identified as a major pedestrian crossing in the area for Highway 101.”
MOTI has also completed signage improvements to better inform drivers of the crosswalk location, she said, adding that MOTI “will continue to monitor pedestrian activities to ensure the safety of all highway users.”
