Share the road with wheelchairs, Thunder Bay advocate says

When Tracy Hurlbert heard about a fatal collision, involving a pickup truck and a mobility scooteron Arthur Street in Thunder Bay last week, she immediately recalled many close calls shes had with vehicles while usingher motorized wheelchair.

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Hurlbert said travelling becomes more treacherous in winter, when snowy sidewalks often force her onto the road and she wants to remind Thunder Bay drivers to watch out.

"You know, share the road with us in the winter time. Be aware that we are gonna be on the road, and it's not a choice."

Hurlbert says people using wheelchairs or scooters also need to be mindful about travelling in traffic.Thats why she'sadvocating for an awareness campaign to encourage drivers, and people using scooters or wheelchairs, to share the road.

"I don't know how many times I've been hit, or nearly hit, because someone hasn't seen me, Hurlbertsaid.

And I'm pretty tall in my chair, I've got lots of lights on. I stick out like a sore thumb. And I still have been hit, because drivers still haven't seen me."

Been hit 'many times'

Hurlbert said she's been calling for some sort of awareness campaign in the city for 20 years.

When sidewalks get icy and snowy, people in wheelchairs have no choice but to be on the road.

Wheelchairs can easily become stuck in snow, or even flip over on icy sidewalks that dip where the sidewalk meets a driveway and slopes down, Hurlbert added.

She said she wants to educate drivers, but also recognizes that pedestrians and people using motorized devices have a role in being safe, and making sure they're not travelling in the middle of the road.

"I've been hit many times, and it scares me that [the person in the fatal crash] could have been me."

When driving in a wheelchair, she said she cant simply jump out of the way, Hurlbert said.

"I just sort of curl up in a ball and hope I don't get hit."

The city's accessibility advisory committee is expected to discuss the issue at its next meeting in January.