Years of complaints from residents and two recent deaths have helped prompt the City of Burnaby look at ways to fix two local roads that are notorious ratrunner routes.
The city has launched a study that seeks the input of people offering solutions to the situation on Sperling Avenue as well as Duthie Avenue. Duthie, if you don’t remember, was where two people died in July after a truck slammed into a parked vehicle at the Montecito Elementary crosswalk, killing the driver and a pedestrian.
In the weeks that followed, the city installed a raised crosswalk at the scene of the crash. Duthie and Sperling residents have written to me and the city for at least the past two years demanding changes to slow drivers down.
“These roads are death traps,” wrote one Duthie resident. “Both streets have schools on them and lots of pedestrians who cross the roads."
Many drivers use these two roads to cut between Lougheed Highway and Hastings, especially during rush-hour commutes. They are being used more, residents say, since two years of construction work has taken place on Broadway by FortisBC and now the city.
The cynic in me is furious that it seems like the study was only launched AFTER two people died, but whatever the reason, let’s hope we can find some solutions.
The study area includes Sperling Avenue (between Broadway and Hastings Street) and Duthie Avenue (from Broadway to Ridge Drive), as well as the nearby intersection of Montecito Drive and Phillips Avenue.
“In addition to conducting a technical review and receiving inputs from residents and other stakeholders, the study team will also reach out to local schools, TransLink and emergency service providers,” reads a city news release.
“The purpose of this project is to develop strategies and solutions to enhance safety for everyone using” these roads, said the city.
If you want to give your input, you can click on this link and it will take you to the survey site.
“I’m just an average Joe, why don’t the city experts just do something,” said my friend, who lives just off Halifax and Duthie and walks his kids in the area frequently.
It’s a fair question. Why take so long to do a study when you can use your highly paid staff to just come up with some bold ideas?
If you do have ideas, then get them in by Oct. 31.
In the meantime, if you drive in this area, slow the hell down.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
