The Active Transportation Coalition of Moncton (ATCM) is calling for safer routes to schools after an 11-year-old student was struck by a vehicle in Moncton, N.B., last week.
A press release from the ATCM said the student was struck Friday while riding their bike to school at the intersection of Twin Oaks Drive and Falcon Drive, and several parents witnessed the accident.
“Emergency services promptly transported the injured child to the hospital,” the release said. “Fortunately, reports indicate that the student’s injuries are non-life threatening.”
Coun. Dave Steeves said the incident on Friday has sparked conversation and outrage.
“Residents are saying that there are race tracks here in our city that need to be calmed,” he said.
ATCM spokesperson and mother of five Rachel Fox said she wished she felt better about letting her children walk to school. However, the experiences she’s had while out in her neighbourhood leave her with little comfort.
“The traffic, the speeding, the distracted driving that I see when I’m running and biking on a daily basis, I just can’t in good conscience let them bike and potentially walk to school,” Fox said.
Fox herself has had some close calls while running and says the aggressive driving is what concerns her most. She said the design of a lot of the streets in the north end promotes speed and the other issues the ATCM is trying to address.
“People have to slow down,” ATCM president Calvin Martini said. “There’s just too much speed.”
Martini believes that drivers need to make the change themselves if they want the city to be safer and avoid more incidents like Friday’s.
Twin Oaks Drive was identified as a safety hazard in the Traffic Calming and Speed Management Strategy approved by Moncton city council in November 2023, and a traffic calming plan will be designed specifically for that area.
Some of the measures that are being considered include raised crosswalks, raised intersections, speed bumps, speed cushions and driver feedback signs. The city will work with Codiac RCMP, Ambulance NB, the Moncton Fire Department and Codiac Transpo to get their input on the design.
— with files from Suzanne Lapointe
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