Overview: Apparently it’s a hazard just to walk across the street in Calgary, as the rule “pedestrians have the right of way” seemingly no longer applies on crosswalks. A Calgary city councilor has brought to surface the alarming number of pedestrians being hit in crosswalks. Read the blog below to find out what one city councilor is suggesting to improve pedestrian safety.
Cars struck approximately 400 pedestrians in 2014 and around 300 of them were hit on crosswalks. Texting? Speeding? It’s not clear why Calgary drivers are making great strides in absentminded driving, but a city councilor Brian Pincott has a plan to increase safety. He wants to implement a pilot project in which in-street lighting would be used at two crosswalks in the city.
The in-street lighting system has lights embedded within the crosswalks that are activated when someone needs to cross the street. The program is currently in use in Airdrie, Banff and Canmore. Data needs to be collected on how effective the in-street lighting system would be, but currently pedestrians need to be covered head to toe in reflectors to get noticed by drivers. The statistics clearly indicate that the current overhead pedestrian lights or signs indicating a crosswalk are not enough to keep people safe. Hopefully bright lights illuminating the crosswalk will be an effective method to get drivers to obey traffic laws.
The Bottom Line: The truth of the matter is that getting the attention of drivers in Calgary has become a trying task. Unless you can jump clear across the street or have the gift of flight, your chances of getting struck in the safety of the crosswalk are rising. With music blaring in cars, texting, or other distracting infractions, hopefully lighting up a large crosswalk will finally catch drivers' attention.
For information on lighting systems, contact Fluorescent Man Lighting in Calgary today on 403-863-8529.
