City councillor seeking answers to 22nd Street collisions

After four vehicle-pedestrian collisions along 22nd Street in two months, a Saskatoon city councillor is pushing for more safety measures along the busy corridor.

A 23-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries Thursday morning after being struck near Avenue D. In December, three pedestrians were hit in three days — including a man who suffered life-threatening injuries.

Ward 2 Coun. Hilary Gough has asked city administration to study safety along 22nd Street, and to provide options to reduce collisions.

“Should it be addressing vehicle speeds, or wait times at existing crossings?” she asked. “There’s a lot of questions about that.”

She told 650 CKOM Friday the most up-to-date information on pedestrian crossings along 22nd Street was generated by a 2015 report to council.

The numbers at the time indicated new crosswalks at Avenue M and Avenue R had helped reduce collisions by 52 per cent compared to 2013.

Gough suggested since council has addressed some “low-hanging fruit” on the pedestrian side, it may be time to address sightlines and speeding.

“If people are going the speed limit, they have a better chance of seeing someone crossing the street in front of them,” she said.

The first-term councillor floated several options during the Friday interview. She suggested only allowing crossing the road at signalled intersections, or increasing the number of crossings along the road.

The requested report is expected to come before council by mid-year.