Questions are being raised today after a three-car accident on the treacherous Haney Bypass in Maple Ridge sent seven people to hospital on Friday.
Residents have seen several deadly collisions on the bypass over the years and after this latest crash, they say the city and provincial government need to take action now.
Just over a year ago, 15-year-old Katelynn Kirkland lost her life in a crash on the bypass.
She was a passenger in a vehicle trying to make a left turn on the bypass when it was T-boned by another car.
Since then, her family has been pushing for the government to do something about the roadway.
The Kirklands say the Haney Bypass is too unsafe and hearing about more collisions happening in the area is frustrating for them.
“We know exactly what they are going through,” says Katelynn’s sister Taylor. “We know they got that phone call. One day, we know we are going to have to share this spot with some other family. It’s just a question of when.”
According to the latest numbers from ICBC, over a five-year period, the Haney Bypass saw 315 collisions that have resulted in either injury or death.
Some measures have been taken to make the road safer, including the installation of plastic poles that prevent drivers from cutting over from the right-turn lane.
Calls to the Ministry of Transportation were not returned, but Maple Ridge Mayor Nicole Read told Global News it’s a band-aid solution.
Read says even before the collision that killed Kirkland, she asked the province to do a complete safety overhaul of the bypass to make it safer.
“They’ve had a year,” says Read. “This a dangerous stretch of the road and we would like to see some sort of formal commitment and plan around what’s going to be done to improve the bypass.”
~With files from John Hua