Second Avenue West crosswalks have garnered a bad reputation with pedestrians… and vehicles.
In this week’s paper, we go deeper into the stories of three people who want safer streets and more aware pedestrians when it comes to crosswalks and street safety.
But to bring improvements to Second Avenue West, the city is relegated to plead with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) to improve the stats — 13 pedestrians struck by vehicles in 14 months, and eight of the collisions were on Second Avenue West, a provincial highway.
Let’s take a look at what the City of Prince Rupert could do to improve the situation on the roads they manage. All you need to do is go outside, walk along Third Avenue West and try to find the crosswalks. They’re virtually gone.
Although many of the collisions have been on Second Avenue West, take a look at the white paint that remains on the asphalt. It’s very much there. Odd, since both Third Ave and Second Ave were repaved the same time last year, and the crosswalks repainted.
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We asked the city what the deal is. They said the paint they use is VOC alkyd paint, a ministry approved product that is environmentally friendly and promises to be longer lasting with improved reflection. In April 2017, MoTI said it would use the new pavement paint that “is committed to stand up to B.C. winters.”
However, the ministry chose to use thermoplastics to mark the crosswalks on Second Avenue West. Thermoplastic is melted at a high temperature to bond with the pavement and glass beads are added to make it highly reflective, the ministry said in an email. The downside, the paint can be up to eight times the price of the other enviro-friendly option. Perhaps the ministry needs to find another cost-effective long-lasting paint for municipalities to use.
newsroom@thenorthernview.com
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