Alta Vista residents voice speeding concerns after pedestrian killed

Residents in Alta Vista are raising concerns about a dangerous stretch of road after an elderly pedestrian was hit and killed by a driver in the area on Tuesday.

The residents say heavy traffic, speeding and a lack of sidewalks on Edge Hill Place are leading to many close calls.

“There’s been many times where I’m jumping out of the way to make sure (my children) don’t get accidentally clipped or fall,” said resident Kelly Savoie.

Jessica Matwick also lives on the street and says she’s seen several close calls over the years, including a hit-and-run involving a pregnant woman outside her front door.

“People come flying down this road as a cut through to Bank Street,” Matwick said. “This particular corner can get really busy at the park.”

But she says the problem doesn’t stop in her Ridgemont neighbourhood. It continues on Bank Street where she has to cross to bring her kids to school.

“It’s a really long wait to cross Bank Street and I think people end up crossing without the light,” she said.

Where the incident happened on Tuesday, there’s about a five block stretch on Bank Street without a crosswalk altogether.

“It was during rush hour and I can’t even believe that it happened, but people, they’re driving so fast,” Savoie said.

Councillor Marty Carr told CTV News that she’s aware of the concerns. She says councillors have a limited budget -- around $100,000 -- for temporary traffic calming measures in their ward.

“The demand for those measures exceeds supply, so I’ll be working with parents to see what we can do,” Carr said. “Sometimes there are measures like flex stakes that we can do to control the traffic.”

As for a more permanent solution, Carr says she’s open to exploring other options, noting sidewalks and speed bumps take time and cost money.