Latest news with #pedestriansafety
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Car ploughs into pedestrians at UK tourist attraction in horror early hours crash
A MAN has been arrested after a car smashed into pedestrians at a UK tourist attraction. Cops were called at around 3:15am this morning to reports of a car ploughing into a lamppost and two pedestrians on North Parade, Bath. One of the pedestrians was rushed to hospital and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Three of the car's passengers were also taken to hospital as a precaution. The suspected driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and drink driving. Cops have since launched an appeal for information, calling on witnesses or anyone in the area with dashcam footage to come forward. In a statement, Avon and Somserset police said: "A man has been arrested following a collision in Bath in the early hours of this morning. "We received a 999 call to a serious injury collision on North Parade, Bath, at around 3.15am this morning (Friday 6 June). "We received reports a car collided with a lamppost and two pedestrians. "There were four people in the car at the time of the collision and the suspected driver has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit. "One of the pedestrians has been taken to hospital with serious injuries, which are not thought to be life threatening, while three passengers from the car were also taken to hospital as a precaution. "We are now appealing for any witnesses and anybody who may have CCTV or mobile phone, doorbell or dashcam footage of the incident or the events leading up to it to call us on 101 quoting reference." 1
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman (29) avoids jail for breaking red light and knocking down pensioner (81)
A judge has warned that a car can become a 'maiming or killing machine if not driven with due regard for all road users, especially pedestrians'. Judge Pauline Codd made the comments while imposing a 17-month suspended prison sentence on a driver who broke a red light and knocked down an older woman as she crossed the road, leaving her with serious and life-changing injuries. Advertisement Frienna Rockett (29) was not paying attention to the road because she was trying to find her sister's home when she broke the red light at a pedestrian crossing on St Peter's Road, Crumlin and ploughed into the 81-year-old woman, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard. Rockett, of Ballybrack, Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving causing serious bodily harm on December 16th, 2022. She has no previous convictions. The victim in the case suffered a bleed to the brain, multiple fractures to her legs, pelvis and clavicle and a dislocated shoulder. She spent a period of time in intensive care and in rehabilitation after the accident. In a victim impact statement read out by prosecuting counsel at an earlier sentencing hearing, the woman said the accident had a 'devastating' impact on her mental health. She said she used to be fit and active but can now no longer go to line dancing, meet her Age Action friends or go for coffee because she struggles to leave her home. Advertisement 'My life is very sad and lonely now,' she said. She is 'terrified' to walk near the road or be around traffic and is also in constant pain, which makes getting around difficult, the court heard. She said she can no longer drive or take public transport and relies on a walking aid and a mobility scooter. Outlining the extent of her injuries, she said she is in pain 'all day, every day'. 'I'm pretty much helpless,' she said, adding that her son is now her full-time carer. 'I feel vulnerable all the time and live with a lot of fear.' The court heard Rockett was driving her Volkswagen Golf car around 12.30pm on the day in question when she knocked down the woman who was out walking her dog. She stayed at the scene and called emergency services, the court heard. Rockett was not speeding, she tested negative for any intoxicating substances and her paperwork and insurance was all in order, the court heard. Advertisement When questioned by gardaí at the scene, Rockett said she was 'driving at a snail's pace', that the woman 'came out of nowhere' and the traffic light at the pedestrian crossing was green. However, CCTV footage of the incident along with footage taken from a dashcam of a van travelling directly behind Rockett showed her car breaking the red light. The CCTV footage was played in court during an earlier sentencing and the victim covered her eyes throughout to avoid watching it. Rockett later said she took her eyes off the road as she was looking for her sister's house. The maximum sentence for careless driving causing serious bodily harm is two years' imprisonment and/or a fine of up to €10,000. Advertisement Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Codd said Rockett's 'carelessness was more than a momentary lapse' and that she had allowed the search for her sister's house 'to become a distraction'. Judge Codd said it is incumbent on drivers to 'take extra care in a residential area where there is often the danger of people crossing legitimately or illegitimately'. The judge noted that a car 'can become a maiming or killing machine if not driven with due regard for all road users, especially pedestrians'. Judge Codd said the victim was a 'courageous and brave person' who had lived an active life before this accident. She said the woman had faced 'adversity with dignity', and that this incident 'reflects how one act of carelessness by a motorist can profoundly affect the life of another'. Advertisement She set a headline sentence of 21 months, which she reduced to 17 months, taking the mitigation into consideration. The judge suspended the sentence on strict conditions for one year. She also imposed a two-year driving disqualification on Rockett. Ireland Garda left with serious leg injuries after getting... Read More At a previous sentence hearing, Craig Phillips BL, defending, said Rockett was very remorseful for her actions, which were entirely unintentional. The court heard she worked as a social worker for a charity but that the accident took its toll on her and she is now working in a bar. A letter of apology for the victim was handed into court. Judge Codd noted that drivers must always be careful when driving, particularly in residential areas. 'The consequences are enormous for [the victim],' she said. 'Her life as she knew it has been undone by this accident. 'One never intends to go out and do it, but when one is driving a car there is a massive responsibility. It can have fatal consequences. I consider going through a red light to be a very serious matter, especially at a pedestrian crossing.'
CTV News
02-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
New pedestrian scramble crossing intersection in Winnipeg to take effect Monday
The intersection of King Street and Bannatyne Avenue pictured on Feb. 26, 2025. (Glenn Pismenny/CTV News Winnipeg) Winnipeggers will get to test out a new scramble crossing as part of a pilot project. The city announced Monday the intersection at King Street and Bannatyne Avenue has been converted into a pedestrian scramble and will be activated Monday afternoon. A scramble allows pedestrians to cross in all directions once per light cycle. 'Having a dedicated crossing phase for pedestrians can improve safety and efficiency when installed at a suitable location. Pedestrian scrambles are most suitable at small intersections where there are lots of pedestrians, fewer vehicles, and many destinations close by,' the city said in a news release. The new scramble won't allow for diagonal crossing right now, but the city said if this project becomes permanent, it will look at the possibility of adding that option. People are asked to pay attention to the signals and listen for the audible signal as well, which will indicate when people can cross in the scramble. Cars won't be allowed to turn on a red light during the scramble. Pedestrians will still be allowed to cross outside the scramble when the lights allow for it. The results from the pilot project will be presented in 2026.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Longueuil to lower speed limit on all residential streets, take new approach to safety
The city of Longueuil, on Montreal's South Shore, is reducing the speed limit on all residential streets to 30 km/h starting in January of next year. It is also putting in place new traffic calming measures across the city. The changes are part of an overall effort to get drivers to slow down, city officials said Tuesday. "This is where people go for a walk, go for a picnic, hang out with their neighbours. Kids play in the street. So we want to make people safer," said Jonathan Tabarah, a Longueuil city councillor. From now on, instead of responding to individual citizen requests for traffic-calming measures, the Longueuil administration will adopt a sector-based approach. The city found that in certain neighbourhoods, particularly those that are socio-economically disadvantaged, residents were making fewer requests to improve local safety. That's why a more systemic approach to neighbourhood safety is needed, said Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier. "We're shifting from a reactive model to a science-based method guided by recommendations from our teams," she said. The city cited research that found pedestrians struck by a vehicle have a 90 per cent survival rate when the vehicle is travelling at 30 km/h or less. If the vehicle is going 50 km/h, that survival rate drops to 25 per cent, said Gabrielle Manseau, a senior advisor with Montérégie public health. If the vehicle is an SUV or the pedestrian already has physical limitations, their chances of survival are even lower, he said. Sector by sector approach For this initiative, Longueuil has been divided into 15 neighbourhoods, which will be reviewed one by one to reassess safety infrastructure. Those include speed humps, speed radar signs, new traffic signs, road markings to narrow lanes, added pedestrian crossings and, in the longer term, raised intersections and permanent curb extensions. The first sector to be analyzed is Maricourt–Castle Gardens in Saint-Hubert, as it is representative — due to its school zones and types of streets — of what exists in other parts of Longueuil, the city said. Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Vieux-Longueuil will be reviewed next. Over time, the Fournier administration plans to expand its teams so it can accelerate the pace of the safety rollout. A third measure announced Tuesday is the construction of around 100 permanent speed humps every year, starting next year. Fournier believes this more systemic approach to neighbourhood safety will lead to gains in both efficiency and cost savings, though she acknowledged it's hard to quantify. She said the city will still respond to citizen concerns and to urgent situations, like those near schools. But this new system will help the city address issues in a timely manner, rather than trying to respond to concerns one at a time. When her team took office at city hall in 2021, she said there was a backlog of about 600 citizen requests.
CBC
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Bay Roberts traffic light was meant to improve safety, but it's never been activated
A costly project that was intended to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety in Bay Roberts has hit a stubborn red light following an embarrassing mistake — and town officials are being very guarded when it comes to the release of information as efforts to resolve the problem are explored. The town spent roughly $500,000 last year to upgrade the busy intersection at Route 70 and Sawdust Road, and install traffic/pedestrian lights. The project received the green light after years of complaints about how this section of road through Bay Roberts is not pedestrian friendly, and how drivers are often forced to dart across multiple lanes of traffic in order to enter and exit Route 70. But for some unexplained reason, one of the poles for the lighting system was installed less than a car's length from Lodge MacKay, a Masonic lodge located at the intersection, on the eastern side of Route 70. It turns out the pole was placed on land owned by the Masons, and no one is saying how the mistake was made, or what options are being considered in order to finally flip the switch and activate the traffic and pedestrian lights. So for many months, the traffic lights have been covered in garbage bags that have become tattered by the wind, and the buttons intended to activate a pedestrian crossing serve no purpose. When she saw the lights being installed last year, Sawdust Road resident Vera Molloy was both relieved and overjoyed. "We thought at last our problems are being addressed," Molloy told CBC News during an interview at the intersection on Thursday morning. But weeks and months went by and the lights were never activated. Then the rumours started. And now, Molloy and others are tired of waiting. Molloy is an avid walker, and she has to walk several hundred metres to access a pedestrian crossing, and then double back in order in order to get to the shopping mall or the bank on the opposite side of Route 70. And left turns are not permitted when she exits Sawdust Road onto Route 70 in her car, so again she has to drive south and find a place to turn around in order to travel north, while being mindful of the heavy traffic that's common in this area. "How would you like to skip across there this morning? Across four lanes of traffic to get over there, it's not good," Molloy said while gesturing at the wide road and struggling to be heard over the growling engines passing by. Sawdust Road is a popular area for 50-plus housing units, and more are being constructed. Molloy and her husband relocated to Bay Roberts a few years ago from the Burin Peninsula. While they enjoy living in the town, they are not comfortable with the traffic situation. "It causes us lots of problems." Acting Mayor Geoff Seymour declined an interview request, saying it's a "legal issue" and "I can't say much." Seymour directed CBC News to the town's new chief administrative officer, Dave Tibbo. He also declined a recorded interview, saying only that negotiations between the parties involved are underway and that he's "100 per cent committed to resolving the situation very soon."
