A petition has started to ask Maple Ridge council to slow traffic on 102nd Avenue, where a 13-year-old girl was hit by a pickup earlier this month.
Christina Holland, who organized the petition, said there has been swift support for the petition, which calls for increasing pedestrian safety with traffic calming measures. These could include raised crosswalks, speed bumps, increased lighting, more sidewalks, and a four-way controlled intersection, she proposes.
Holland said speeding along the street is “out of control,” and it puts students at risk as they walk to nearby Albion Elementary, c’usqunela elementary, and Samuel Robertson Technical (SRT) schools.
It’s a neighbourhood with lots of young families, numerous pedestrians, and heavy traffic during commuting hours.
Holland has taken on these cases before, and was surprised at how quickly she is seeing support – 150 signatories in the first 24 hours. It was closing in on 200 in a short time.
The petition organizer’s daughter walks to school with the teen who was hit by a truck. Holland said the stricken girl was in a crosswalk at 242B Street, and had the crosswalk lights flashing, when she was hit at full speed. She said the girl is home now, but it could have been worse.
“It shook up a lot of people for sure,” said Holland. “It could have happened to any one of our children.”
That scary incident may have highlight the problem, but she said multiple members of the community had already reached out to the city about slowing speeders.
“As a member of this community and a concerned parent, I’ve personally witnessed how dangerous this street can be,” she said on the petition. “There have been numerous accidents at these crosswalks as well as many near misses. The lack of sufficient traffic calming measures puts our children in harm’s way as they navigate their daily journeys to and from school.”
“I urge the Maple Ridge city council and engineering department to prioritize this issue and take immediate action. The responsibility to protect our children on 102 avenue rests with all of us, and together, we can ensure a safer future for our community.”
In addition to the petition, she is lobbying Parent Advisory Councils and school trustees about the issue.
Holland is hopeful people will sign soon, because she s planning to attend council with the petition.
“The more signatures we have, the better.”