The federal government is pitching $150,000 to the City of Saint John, N.B., to look at where crosswalks and sidewalks are needed to create better accessibility.
The Saint John Ability Advisory Committee has already submitted a list of nearly a dozen intersections throughout the city that are in need of increased accessibility. According to the group, intersections without safety tact-tile surfacing, audible warnings or ramps have created a safety concern.
The intersection at the top of the list? McAlister Drive and Westmorland Road. Home to banks, two shopping plaza’s and a nearby mall, the intersection, is without any tact-tile surfacing or any safety features, with the exception of a small ramp on the corners.
The median holding a light pole and traffic light doesn’t contain any accessibility features, either.
“If a sidewalk or crosswalk is not accessible, how can you be included in your community? How can you get to work? How do you get to your doctor’s appointments, or get to work, or get your groceries?” asked board member Marisa Hersey-Misner.
She said intersections like McAlister Drive and Westmorland Road lack accessibility for many to cross the street safely.
Hersey-Misner told Global News on Tuesday she’s hoping the city will use the funding announced at the press conference to look at accessibility features throughout the city.
“It’s been a slow-go because of the finances, so this announcement today for the funding it is is really crucial and important to the disability community and into the city,” she said.
Saint John City Councillor David Hickey told Global News he anticipates more dense neighbourhoods to be looked at first. The city has been looking for ways to make the crosswalks more accessible, and Hickey believes the city is on track but not there yet.
“They’re (crosswalks and sidewalks) not there yet, but they were really focused, and the staff is focused on making sure they become the best they can be and more user-friendly for residents in Saint John,” he said on Tuesday.
“It’s really about laying out what the future of active transportation looks like.”
The funds also prompt the city to look into sidewalks. Hickey mentioned his ward contains sidewalks that have gaps and dead ends, which he hopes to address.
“Today’s funding will help us identify where crosswalks and sidewalks are needed, and it will allow us to add a public safety strategy to the Move SJ: Transportation Plan,” told Deputy Mayor of Saint John, John MacKenzie, in a release.
“We need to make sure that we place active transportation infrastructure in the right places.”