
Store manager wants city to improve intersection safety after volunteer hit by car crossing the road
Article content
The injured woman — who was later transported to hospital in serious condition — was hit by a Kia Soul around 1:35 p.m. last Friday while crossing the road to get to her bus stop.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Laura Laanstra, the manager of nearby Mission Thrift Store on 26th Avenue S.W., told Postmedia the injured woman is a long-time volunteer at her shop named Sandy.
Article content
Article content
Sandy had just left the shop for the afternoon, according to Laanstra, after she and the storefront's other volunteers and employees celebrated her 73rd birthday.
Article content
The accident justifies why the city should install a rapid flashing beacon at that intersection to better protect crossing pedestrians, Laanstra said. She added she's considering starting a petition to that effect.
Article content
'We really hope we can get some cooperation with the city to mark this intersection properly,' she said.
Article content
Laanstra, who has been Mission Thrift Store's manager for 12 years, noted that traffic has recently increased along 26th Avenue, and she claimed many vehicles now speed 'all the time.'
Article content
'When there's a set of lights that close to you, that's probably why they haven't done anything with this (spot) but it's still far too busy for them to ignore it, especially after what happened with Sandy,' she said.
Article content
Article content
Mission Thrift Store has dozens of volunteers, Laanstra said. She added many of them do not drive and take the bus to and from the store, and is worried they could suffer a similar fate.
Article content
As for Sandy, Laanstra said she is still in hospital with several broken ribs, and will also need surgery on her shattered pelvis.
Article content
'She has stabilized, but not well enough to do surgery because her pelvis is very badly broken and most of the ribs on the right side are broken,' Laanstra said, adding she was able to visit her in hospital.
Article content
'The crazy thing about her is that she was far more concerned about the lady that hit her. She said, 'I feel so bad for her and hope she's OK.' That's typical Sandy. She really cared about the other woman.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Turn down the vroom: Councillor's motion targets noisy vehicles in Edmonton
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Edmonton police and peace officers test vehicle exhaust noise at the NAIT Souch Campus on May 20, 2023. This was an amnesty event so drivers could learn more about the modifications to their cars, trucks and motorcycles and how they measure up to bylaw enforcement standards. Photo by Shaughn Butts / Postmedia If you live near it, chances are you've heard the Groat Road Grand Prix. In the early hours of the morning, you'll hear screaming engines and snarling motorbikes as they fly through the S turns on Groat Road as if they were the famous Maggotts and Becketts turns at Silverstone. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Or, if you're in Cloverdale, you've heard vehicles roaring up the hill on 98 Avenue as if Oscar Piastri was flooring his papaya-orange McLaren up the famous Eau Rouge incline at Spa-Francorchamps. At the end of Tuesday's urban planning committee, Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz gave notice that he wants council to consider a motion that would allocate $50,000 to address the noisy vehicle issue in Edmonton. And the reasoning is two-fold — because noisy vehicles are often those going well above the speed limit. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Janz wants to see the Edmonton Police Service acquire a SoundVue detector. Manufactured by England-based Intelligent Instruments, the technology can pinpoint the amount of noise coming from a vehicle, as well as all of the identifying information. They are being used in New York, Honolulu, Sydney and London, England. This isn't the first time Janz has railed against vehicle noise in council chambers. But he said the technology has come so far, so fast, that the police now have a reliable tool to use. 'What this does is give the police the power to have an educational opportunity, to have a teachable moment, to be able to tell someone, 'Look, you can't do this, you need to change your ways,'' said Janz. 'And then, in the future, there's some other infraction that they get dinged for, it shows on their record that they have warnings.' Janz spoke of 'warnings' and 'teachable moments' because the current provincial government has curbed the use of photo radar and has warned against instituting any new technology on the roads that would lead to tickets. 'I understand that the minister doesn't want the fines, but there's a lot we can do in terms of collecting information, collecting research,' said Janz. Janz said that learning where noise hotspots are would help police employ traffic cops in the right places at the right times. Since the province curtailed the municipalities' power to use photo radar, traffic fatalities have spiked. As of the end of July, Edmonton had recorded 21 fatal accidents in 2025. And the province announced this week it is launching a new anti-speeding campaign. 'We know that noise is directly linked with street racing, dangerous driving and many of these other antisocial behaviours that are dangerous,' said Janz, adding he witnessed motorbikes drag-race each other on Whyte Avenue the previous evening. 'And, as we've seen, this is one of the most deadly years on record in Alberta, and anything we can do as a municipality would be a huge help to improve safety and quality of life on the roadways.' This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Because the intent of the motion is to use the equipment for research, Janz doesn't feel like the city would be stepping on the province's toes. Janz has a supporter in mayoral candidate and Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack. He said he doesn't just receive a lot of vehicle-noise complaints, but hears the roaring engines firsthand. 'I've been hearing about noisy vehicles along Groat Road and 107 Avenue for years now,' said Knack. 'It's a real quality-of-life impact for people. You've got a young family and your kids are trying to sleep and at one in the morning during the summer, or even fall or spring, and vehicles are flying by. I can hear them from where I live, in the Meadowlark area. I can't even imagine what it feels like for the folks who are right up against it.' Knack said he'd like to see Edmonton police have its own dedicated traffic safety enforcement team, which would focus on school zones and high-collision spots during the day, and on noisy vehicles in the evening. 'We're seeing more unsafe driving behaviour,' said Knack. 'We clearly need to take a more active role. And, frustratingly, we all knew this was coming.' And, as for the reduction of photo radar? 'Well, I hope the minister is seeing that the real impacts of his decision to remove a tool has now made our streets rather less safe. 'When municipalities are asking for these tools to allow them to create safer streets, we should be willing to trust the local representatives who have been democratically elected to make those decisions on behalf of the people they serve.' Edmonton police, Alberta Transportation, and local peace officers team up on Project TENSOR, which targets noisy vehicles, speeders and other traffic violations. The Checkstops began in May and the first instalment led to seven noise-related infractions that were cited, and three more warnings. But Janz said that word gets out fast, and many people know to avoid the checks. And, both Apple and Google Maps will warn drivers where there are traffic-enforcement measures. And, while police do take noise complaints from the public, they need details. If you're shaken out of bed by a revving engine, chances are you don't have a chance to get to your window, note the licence plate, make, model and colour of the vehicle. The machine would do that work, instead. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.


Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Extremely dangerous': Alleged impaired driver going wrong way in fatal Henday crash nearly struck RCMP cruiser
Article content A fatal collision on Anthony Henday Drive early Saturday morning was caused by an alleged impaired driver going the wrong way, nearly striking a police cruiser, say Alberta RCMP. Article content At 1:30 a.m.. Edmonton police received a call about a single-vehicle collision on the southbound portion of Anthony Henday Drive near the Highway 14 overpass. A Chevrolet Cruze struck a light standard and caught fire. Article content Article content Article content Witnesses to the crash pulled the 23-year-old man, driving the car from the vehicle, but he died on scene. Article content Article content It was reported to police that a second vehicle, a Chevrolet Cavalier was the cause of the crash, and an officer with the Strathcona RCMP discovered the vehicle driving the wrong way on the Anthony Henday, and was able to arrest the driver, a 23-year-old woman from Edmonton. Article content 'The suspect vehicle was driving northbound in the southbound lane approaching the Whitemud, so it was extremely dangerous,' said Alberta RCMP Const. Gina Slaney in a phone call with Postmedia on Tuesday. 'The constable got onto Highway 216 heading southbound towards the Whitemud and saw the vehicle coming towards him. The officer initiated emergency lights and made a U-turn and got behind the suspect vehicle.' Article content Slaney said the RCMP officer was able to safely pull over and arrest the driver of the vehicle moments later. When the woman was in custody, the officer was notified the vehicle was the cause of fatal collision on Anthony Henday Drive. Article content Article content 'RCMP and Edmonton Police Service work hand-in-hand for a lot of investigations. They were tied up with that horrible fatal collision and passed information onto RCMP and thankfully RCMP were able to intercept the suspect vehicle and take the female driver into custody,' said Slaney. Article content Article content Kadie Ellen Sinclair, 23, of Edmonton has been charged with impaired driving causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. Article content Postmedia has learned Sinclair was a former member of the NAIT Ooks women's soccer team. She played three seasons from 2021-2024, as a midfielder. Article content In an email to NAIT representatives, they said counselling services are being made available to NAIT athletes, students and staff, or anyone who needs support in the aftermath of this incident. Article content


Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Store manager wants city to improve intersection safety after volunteer hit by car crossing the road
The city needs to do more to protect pedestrians at the intersection of 26th Avenue and 34th Street S.W., said a storefront manager in Killarney whose elderly volunteer was seriously injured when a vehicle struck her there last week. Article content The injured woman — who was later transported to hospital in serious condition — was hit by a Kia Soul around 1:35 p.m. last Friday while crossing the road to get to her bus stop. Article content Article content Article content Laura Laanstra, the manager of nearby Mission Thrift Store on 26th Avenue S.W., told Postmedia the injured woman is a long-time volunteer at her shop named Sandy. Article content Article content Sandy had just left the shop for the afternoon, according to Laanstra, after she and the storefront's other volunteers and employees celebrated her 73rd birthday. Article content The accident justifies why the city should install a rapid flashing beacon at that intersection to better protect crossing pedestrians, Laanstra said. She added she's considering starting a petition to that effect. Article content 'We really hope we can get some cooperation with the city to mark this intersection properly,' she said. Article content Laanstra, who has been Mission Thrift Store's manager for 12 years, noted that traffic has recently increased along 26th Avenue, and she claimed many vehicles now speed 'all the time.' Article content 'When there's a set of lights that close to you, that's probably why they haven't done anything with this (spot) but it's still far too busy for them to ignore it, especially after what happened with Sandy,' she said. Article content Article content Mission Thrift Store has dozens of volunteers, Laanstra said. She added many of them do not drive and take the bus to and from the store, and is worried they could suffer a similar fate. Article content As for Sandy, Laanstra said she is still in hospital with several broken ribs, and will also need surgery on her shattered pelvis. Article content 'She has stabilized, but not well enough to do surgery because her pelvis is very badly broken and most of the ribs on the right side are broken,' Laanstra said, adding she was able to visit her in hospital. Article content 'The crazy thing about her is that she was far more concerned about the lady that hit her. She said, 'I feel so bad for her and hope she's OK.' That's typical Sandy. She really cared about the other woman.'