Families of victims killed in HRM crosswalks push government to make roads safer

For the past year, Ernie Warren has been nursing his wounded heart after losing his wife of more than 40years, Kathy another pedestrian killed by a driver at a busy crosswalk in Dartmouth, N.S.

The grandmother of three was struck by a car at the corner of Portland Streetand Eisener Boulevardon Mar. 31, 2020, and died a week later in hospital.

Just as Warren was steeling himselfto speak out for crosswalk safety on the anniversary of her death,beloved family doctor David Gass, a Dalhousie medicine faculty member,died last week. The 75-year-oldwas struck by a driver at an intersection with traffic lights on March16.

"Oh God, not another one. How many more, come on, wake up, do something," Warren, 69, pleaded in an interview from his Dartmouth home on Wednesday. "Get this stupid pedestrian thing done with. This has been going on for years and years."

The deaths of Kathy Warren and David Gass, one year apart, share tragic similarities. They were avid walkers on a morning stroll and had the right of way when they were struck by a motoristturning at anintersection with traffic lights.

In both cases the drivers received a ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian.

And like the Warren family, the sudden, senseless death of Gass has left loved onesin emotional ruin.

"Our family has been ripped apart, my father-in-law is gone, my children's granddad is gone," said Lisa Lachance, who's married to Gass's daughter.

Lachance is joining Warren in calling for crosswalk safety solutions which she believes can be done immediately. She points toleading pedestrial intervals(LPI) updatedwalk signals which give pedestrians a seven-second head startto walk into anintersection before motorists get the signal to start moving.

LPIshavealready been installed at somestreet corners in the municipality.

Lachance is also raising red flags about vehicles turning left when pedestrians are in the crosswalk, which led to herfather-in-law's death. She's considering raising this with the province as it seeks comments from the public on its proposed Traffic Safety Actwhich is set toreplace the Motor Vehicle Act.

Warren is also sounding the alarm about drivers making right-hand turns on red lights. That's how his wife was knocked down. He's calling for it to be banned at more major intersections just as it is at theintersection ofPortland Streetand Baker Drive. A sign there indicatesthe move is illegal.

"How many people are going to get killed or hurt before they do something really simple," he said, with an urgency rising in his voice."I don't want to see anybody else hurt or killed."

Gass's death, the most recent crosswalk fatality, hascity transportation and public works staff under pressure to fix the safety issue just as the departmentrequests an increase in itsbudget.

It has calculated that in 2018 and 2019, the number of collisions that resulted in injuries or fatalities from all types of crashes averaged 800 a year.

City councillors have directed staff to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in those collisions by 2023. It is an achievable goal which staff are committed to, saidBrad Anguish, executive director of Halifax'stransportation and public works department.

"The team absolutely hurts when these incidents happen and they get motivated by it. It kicks us and then we get rolling," he said, citing last week's tragedy.

Anguish spoke as Halifax councillors debated next year's transportation budget. Municipal managers have proposed spending more than $90 million about $7 million more than last June's budget, which was smaller than normal because of the pandemic.

There have been 50 adjustmentsat intersections in the past year, such as leading pedestrian intervals, increased lighting visibility, along withroad signs either beingreplaced or moved, said Anguish.

More changes are coming. Anguishsaid another 20 intersections could getleading pedestrian intervals in 2021/22, pending approval of the budget. And after surveying 365 basic, marked crosswalks, approximately 100 will be upgraded over the next five years.

Warren has heard pledges from officials to address crosswalk safety beforewith no substantive changes. Portland Street's five lanes of traffic have been an "accident waiting to happen" for years, he said, and the risk is growing asthe city's traffic woes worsen. He's on a mission to pressure politicians to deal withthe problem.

For Warren, it's fulfilling a promise to his sweetheart the proudly Scottish woman who stole his heart when they met at a pub 47years ago.

"I said that right at the beginning when she passed, I will not rest until something gets done. And get it done now, not another year," he said.

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