The intersection of South Fraser Way and Clearbrook Road is the most dangerous junction for pedestrians, according to ICBC data.
Between 2011 and 2015, vehicles struck 14 pedestrians at the busy West Abbotsford intersection. That easily put it tops in the city, with no other junction surpassing 10 such collisions.
The figures were compiled by staff as part of the city’s work to update its Transportation Master Plan. It found there were 229 incidents in which vehicles struck pedestrians between 2011 and 2015. That is nearly one person every week.
Three of the four worst intersections for pedestrians were located on South Fraser Way. In addition to the Clearbrook junction, South Fraser Way’s intersections with Trethewey Street and Gladwin Road saw 10 and 9 accidents, respectively. The latter intersection was also the worst for vehicle-on-vehicle mayhem.
Two other intersections – at Marshall Road/McCallum Road and at Clearbrook Road/Hillcrest Avenue – saw seven pedestrians struck between 2011 and 2015.
Here’s the full top 10 list:
- 14 - Clearbrook Road/South Fraser Way
- 10 - South Fraser Way/Trethewey Street
- 10 - Gladwin Road/George Ferguson Way
- 9 - Gladwin Road/South Fraser Way
- 7 - Marshall Road/Mccallum Road
- 7 - Clearbrook Road/Hillcrest Avenue
- 6 - South Fraser Way/Ware Street
- 5 - Sumas Way
- 5 - Hillcrest Avenue/Gladwin Road
- 5 - South Fraser Way/Emerson Street
- 5 - Old Clayburn Road/Immel Street
The two worst intersections for pedestrians were also the worst intersections for cyclists over that time period, although their spots were reversed, with Trethewey and South Fraser Way topping the list with eight bicycle-related collisions reported to ICBC between 2011 and 2015. Those figures don’t include cycling accidents that don’t involve a vehicle.
Here’s the full top-five list:
- 8 - South Fraser Way/Trethewey Street
- 7 - Clearbrook Road/South Fraser Way
- 6 - Gladwin Road/South Fraser Way
- 5 - Marshall Road/Mccallum Road
- 4 - Old Yale Road/Clearbrook Road
As part of research for the master plan, staff conducted a survey and asked the public about their concerns involving walking and cycling around the city.
For cyclists, by far the most common concern was the lack of bike lanes in the city centre, particularly on South Fraser Way, George Ferguson Way, Maclure Road and Clearbrook Road. Respondents decried a lack of bike routes, along with gaps in the existing cycling network and bike routes that “don’t go where I need to.”
Several improvements to the city’s cycling network are in the works, or underway – with lanes set to be added or improved on McKee, Old Yale, Huntingdon, and Mt. Lehman roads. But of the 200-plus concerns singled out by the public, only two were along the routes of those projects. The one exception may be the yet-to-be-built pedestrian and cycling overpass at Salton Road. The nearby McCallum Road roundabouts were singled out as a safety issue by multiple respondents. The Salton overpass aims to provide a better link over the highway.
In a statement, a city spokesperson said the new feedback will be used to provide council for future bike plans to consider. Current projects, the city says, reflect priorities identified in the 2007 transportation plan.
For Wednesday’s story on Abbotsford’s worst intersections for drivers, visit abbynews.com/tag/intersections