Re: Man killed after vehicle hits pedestrians, Feb. 24, Citizen
(I believe the man was killed when or as the vehicle hit the pedestrians.)
That said, I would ask [RCMP Cpl.] Krista Hobday and the RCMP (and drivers) generally: Just how visible do you want pedestrians to make themselves “shortly after noon” at the corner of Jubilee and Evans on a rather pleasant day?
There is a crosswalk at that corner on the north side of Evans for pedestrians crossing Jubilee. There is another crosswalk on the west side of Jubilee for pedestrians crossing Evans. There are three-way stop signs (which should be four-way at that intersection). I was on the sidewalk on the east side of Jubilee that day and had noticed only a woman crossing Jubilee in the crosswalk. I yielded to her as she completed the crossing and continued east. The woman I had allowed to pass ahead of me jaywalked across Evans. It wasn’t until the ambulance approached and I glanced back at the intersection that I realized a collision had occurred.
I don’t have a car and won’t be getting one; hence I walk everywhere. I find the drivers here to be among the worst behaved toward pedestrians I have ever experienced. For the police to make such a banal statement about pedestrians making themselves visible in the middle of the day makes me wonder if the cops’ eyes are open to the facts around them.
I and other pedestrians take our lives in our hands while obeying all the rules at that and many other intersections. The only safe area in Duncan for pedestrians is the downtown core because Craig Street is one-way and there are crosswalks and stop signs at every corner (although I have occasionally watched as drivers have blown through at least one of those stop signs).
Of course I’ve also seen pedestrians taking chances when they should not, and in the downtown core too many pedestrians have an attitude of entitlement as if drivers would like to spend the afternoon watching pedestrians cross in front of them. On the Craig Street corners, pedestrians need to have some consideration for the drivers. That said though, we’re a bit of flesh and blood against at least 2,000 pounds of lethal steel and rubber.
Bottom line: on that day at that time there was no reason for the driver to fail to see the pedestrians.
Victoria Sundberg Stewart
Duncan