Renewed calls to improve pedestrian safety in Manotick following fatal collision

Two days after a woman was struck and killed by a vehicle, there are renewed calls about pedestrian safety in Manotick.

Bridge Street is a busy thoroughfare, connecting east to west in Ottawa's south end.

"You hear all this noise and traffic, and suffer through the diesel and the smoke and the engines," says Andrea Doyle.

She used to live at the intersection of Bridge Street and Dickinson Street, and since has moved about a kilometre away.  Doyle says walking along Bridge Street is dangerous.

"It’s very dangerous, from Main and Bridge all the way down to the library," Doyle said.

Doyle is one of many residents in the community calling for change.

“People said, 'do something, do something.', We put a petition out - we had a thousand names signed in one day, that’s why we’re pursuing this. We pursued it back in the fall, we made it an election issue, we made it a health and safety issue.”

Residents have raised traffic concerns before, citing things like traffic volume, speeding, exhaust and the number of trucks passing through the village.

Now, residents renew calls for changes just days after one pedestrian was killed and another was seriously injured when a vehicle struck them Wednesday evening.  That incident is still under investigation by Ottawa police.

“What needs to be done are a few things that don’t cost a lot of money in the short term. In the long term, it is to get the heavy trucks off Bridge Street," Doyle said.

While police confirmed on Thursday that a truck was not involved in Wednesday’s fatality, some of the short-term solutions Doyle is suggesting are things like extending the amount of time pedestrians have to cross Bridge Street.

CTV News Ottawa timed how long the light stays green for pedestrians on Bridge Street at Dickinson Street on Friday afternoon.  The total time someone has to cross is 18 seconds until the light is fully red.  Doyle says while that might be fine for someone that is able-bodied, others, like someone with a stroller, needs more time.

"Well, because I’m slow, with a walker, you can’t go too fast, otherwise you’ll trip over it. You don’t want that to happen,” says Joe Lovagelio, who was crossing using a walker on Friday afternoon.  

“Right now, we’re looking at addressing community concerns around the timing of the lights, so pedestrians can cross the street effectively,” says Coun. David Brown. "We’re looking at traffic calming measures to slow down some of the speeding that we see through the heart of the village, in addition to the overall goal of removing and reducing heavy truck traffic."

"I’ve been speaking with staff and emergency services, in addition to the mayor’s office, and everyone has been in concert - they want to see a solution. So I’m very hopeful and thinking positively that that solution will be forthcoming."