In the wake of a collision that killed a girl last week, a petition seeking traffic measures along Woodglade Boulevard is scheduled to be presented to Peterborough city council on Monday evening.
Peterborough police late Monday morning said they continue to investigate Thursday morning’s collision. Investigators say an SUV left the roadway and curb and stuck a girl who was standing in the driveway of her family’s home on Woodglade.
The girl later died in hospital from her injuries. Two other children were also in the driveway but were not injured, police said.
Witnesses told Global News an off-duty nurse responded to the scene but resuscitative efforts were unsuccessful.
Police have yet to state the cause of the crash and or if charges will be laid. The victim has not been identified.
Residents in the west-end neighbourhood have since launched a petition asking the city to look at measures to correct traffic issues such as speeding.
According to the West End Ptbo public Facebook group, the petition was available to sign by visiting 2239 Woodglade.
As of mid-afternoon Monday, resident Mariah Beattie said their efforts garnered over 200 signatures. The petition has been handed over to Monaghan Ward Coun. Matthew Crowley, she noted.
“We are eager to see what the city will put in place as a solution,” she said. “It (the petition) is open so we can get a solution that works best.”
Crowley has joined the residents’ request to address frequent speeding incidents in the area. He says he will be asking city staff to investigate the scenario of adding a three-way stop on Woodglade at the corner of Oakwood Crescent — an area about 390 metres away from the crash scene.
“Speeding and dangerous driving has been something the residents on Kawartha Heights Boulevard and Woodglade have been complaining about for years,” Crowley said on his Ward 2 Facebook page.
“The term ‘Kawartha Heights Speedway’ has been used for years to describe traffic in that area. This is no longer something to be joked about, but instead is a serious problem that needs immediate intervention by the city.”
Crowley said “change is needed” along the roadway and that it’s already “far too late” to save the life of a child.
Beattie agrees.
“We will not let this get pushed under the rug,” she said.
Update:
On Monday night, city council accepted the petition. Council also voted unanimously to have staff conduct an “immediate operations review” of the intersection of Woodglade Boulevard and Oakwood Crescent and devise ways to make it safer, including measures identifying Woodglade as a “priority area for traffic calming measures.”
More to come.