Hamilton police chief, MP call for action to protect road users after car strikes 12-year-old boy
A 12-year-old boy, standing under a bus shelter.
A family of three, walking around the corner from home.
A 52-year-old father, riding his bike to work.
These are just some of the latest victims in a recent surge of pedestrian- and cyclist-involved collisions in Hamilton, a growing trend that's spurred outrage from community activists and politicians.
The number is too high," Chief Frank Bergen of the Hamilton police told The Spectator in an interview Friday. We can't be OK with this as a community."
Bergen's comments came after a hectic Thursday night that saw police respond to three collisions in as many hours, leaving two cyclists and one pedestrian injured.
The latter involved a 12-year-old boy, waiting in a Stoney Creek bus shelter with his mom and two kid sisters.
Police said the boy was hit in the area of Highway 8 and Grays Road around 6 p.m., when a westbound Hyundai - which had just collided with a Honda Civic turning left onto Grays - went flying onto a sidewalk and then into the shelter.
The boy sustained life-threatening injuries from the crash.
My first response was I put on my uniform and went to the hospital," Bergen said. I needed to speak to the mom and dad - this type of event is significant to a family."
As of Friday, the boy's condition had improved to stable, police said.
Police charged a 35-year-old woman under the Highway Traffic Act in connection with the crash, specifically for turning while failing to avoid a collision. Additional charges may be laid, police said.
The incident marked the eighth collision involving a cyclist or pedestrian in the last 30 days - a statistic that shows no signs of slowing.
A Spectator analysis shows there's been an average of at least one crash per week on city streets since April 1 in which a pedestrian or cyclist was hurt or killed.
It's an undeniably alarming pattern that Hamilton Centre MP Matthew Green likened to a public safety crisis."
The dangers on our streets didn't arrive overnight, but the increase in pedestrians being struck by cars is making it increasingly clear that the way our city streets have been designed are unsafe and that we must re-evaluate how traffic moves through our city," Green wrote in a letter shared on Twitter.
One pedestrian or cyclist fatality or injury is one too many in our community," Mayor Fred Eisenberger added in a statement to The Spec, adding that the city is working with our planners and police on strategies to make our roads safer."
Last week, the city's public works committee approved a guide to build safer streets in Hamilton, particularly ones that protect vulnerable users like cyclists and pedestrians.
But it will take a collective responsibility" - not just road changes - to stem the mounting number of pedestrian and cyclist crashes, Bergen argued.
Everyone has a collective responsibility to slow down, pay attention and respect all road users," he said.
When asked if increased traffic enforcement could help, Bergen pointed to police devoting more than 250 hours in the past year to patrolling high-risk collision intersections, along with cracking down on stunt driving and speeding.
We know enforcement is a factor in addressing driver behaviour, but enforcement alone will not solve it," Bergen said.
Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com