Highway security advocates are calling for motion after a pedestrian was struck by a transit bus at a infamous crossing exterior the Metrotown Mall in Burnaby.
Transit police had initially reported the pedestrians suffered “life-altering accidents,” however fortuitously turned out to have solely suffered a damaged ankle.
The collision occurred on a stretch of Central Boulevard, which separates the mall and the Metrotown bus loop from the Metrotown SkyTrain station and sees 1000’s of crossings a day.
In November, the mall’s head of safety referred to as on the town to enhance the busy crossing, warning the intersection could possibly be the scene of a severe collision.
Nathan Hawkins, a volunteer with highway security group Imaginative and prescient Zero Vancouver, mentioned it’s obscure why an elevated walkway that when linked the SkyTrain station has been left decommissioned for the reason that station was upgraded in 2016.
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“This has simply been derelict for nearly a decade now, no person has determined to do something about it and everybody says it’s anyone else’s drawback, anyone else must pay for it,” he mentioned.
Hawkins mentioned Metrotown Station, the second busiest in TransLink’s community, sees about 27,000 passengers a day, whereas the bus loop sees about 15,000 day by day boardings.
“And also you take a look at these tiny, slim little crosswalks and it’s a very quick sign, you see these large crowds of individuals attempting to cross and clearly it’s a difficulty,” he mentioned.
In its 2019-2023 capital plan, the Metropolis of Burnaby reported it had the funds to take care of the overpass, however now says the infrastructure is the mall’s accountability.
The town mentioned nobody was accessible for an interview, however in an announcement, it mentioned it had checked out eradicating the bridge, however decided the walkway truly belongs to the mall’s house owners.
“Any selections involving eradicating the bridge or rebuilding it might must be made by the possession group,” the town mentioned.
Mall proprietor Ivanhoe Cambridge didn’t reply to a request for remark. Metropolis at Metrotown’s property supervisor mentioned the ability was “actively working” with the town on pedestrian crossings within the space.
Hawkins acknowledged each the jurisdictional politics and the associated fee imply reviving the elevated walkway would take time.
However he mentioned there are fast fixes the town might implement, equivalent to lengthening the crossing sign time or portray wider crosswalks, that might enhance security on the crossing within the quick time period.
“That might value $1,000 and you may do it principally in a single day,” he mentioned.
“It’s a small ask that they might ship on in a short time.”
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