Pedestrian safety in the city needs to be respected by drivers
By Lethbridge Herald on March 22, 2024.
Editor:
It is beyond frustrating the number of times I have encountered a disrespectful driver while crossing the street in the Lethbridge.
I walk every morning and just this year, I have had to dodge, stop or quickly get out of the way of vehicles entering the crosswalk on five separate occasions.
Just this morning I was half way across the intersection when a vehicle pulls up in front of me and looks me in the eyes and makes a right-hand turn.
In January of this year, I was crossing University Drive at the Garry Drive intersection. I was 10 feet into the crosswalk on a “Walk” signal when three cars crossed in front of me heading north. I am convinced that I am risking my life when crossing the streets in Lethbridge and am very vigilant when doing so.
It may come to the surprise of some drivers that is illegal to enter a crosswalk when occupied by a pedestrian. This infraction carries a $810 fine and four demerits for “Failure to Yield to A Pedestrian” here in Alberta.
I encourage the LPS to be stricter in enforcing this law. Lives can be saved and one of them could be mine.
Kent Perry
Lethbridge
10-9
Wow , a timely letter . I’m frosted over watching three vehicles turn left onto Mayor Magrath Drive yesterday. A pedestrian, who walked with a cane, actually had to stop in the crosswalk while all three of these vehicles made their turn . What jerks ! What makes this worse, is that the third vehicle was a City of Lethbridge truck. This letter is spot on.
Over the years, many pedestrians have been killed using crosswalks in Lethbridge. Pedestrians need to make sure all vehicles have come to a full stop before attempting to cross.
While that’s not the way it should be , that’s the way it is . Do as you please If you have the “right of weight”.
While I certainly share this frustration (I bike and walk Mayor Magrath multiple times a week, and if I asserted my right of way, I’d have been killed many many times by now), I think this is more than just an enforcement issue. Drivers are people and they’re going to make mistakes, and unfortunately mistakes while operating heavy machinery cost lives. Pedestrians make mistakes too, and while those mistakes almost never cost the lives of others, they can result in their own deaths.
Personally I’m tired of the blame game. Every crash we look around, find someone at fault, and then say “oh good, we know who to blame, no need to make a change”. Instead we should accept human mistakes as inevitable and build systems that minimize the impact from them.
Traffic Calming and Fully-Protected Left Turn Signaling are simple, cheap strategies to reduce deaths. Traffic deaths are a choice that we as a city continue to make through out design choices, not an inevitability.
I checked out the links that you provided; thank you. I recognized that City of Lethbridge has adopted some of those traffic calming installations. Some have raised as much contention as the bike paths and we have watched many a motorist simply drive over some at high speed. Sheeeeesh.
Bicycles are not permitted on Mayor Magrath Drive.
I agree . . . I walk around downtown everyday and several times a week I have someone trying to push my 70 year old body along faster by creeping up close as I cross in the crosswalk with a white walk sign displayed or one every two or three weeks have someone coming at me that doesn’t see my fat body. Clean your windows inside and out people and pay attention please.
There would be a lot of people with those expensive tickets if I wanted to call police whenever I am almost ran over!
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