Residents of a Kelowna neighbourhood are concerned that somebody will get hurt if further safety measures aren’t put in place near a busy crosswalk adjacent to an elementary school.
“It’s just very scary to hear the screeches,” Curtis Bennett, a longtime area resident on Hollywood Road, said in reference to the sound of brakes being slammed on what he assumes are close calls on the crosswalk on Hollywood Road North.
The busy thoroughfare sits between Leathead and McCurdy Roads, two very busy connectors in the city. Drivers often use it to cut over to either street.
The street is also close to Pearson Elementary.
There is a sign marking yield for motorists near the crosswalk, but Bennett and others said that’s not enough.
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Bennett, and others, want the city to acknowledge that the road has become busier and, in turn, there need to be flashing lights put in place so motorists get more time to stop when someone is in the crosswalk.
“So you’ve got families, you’ve got (children) every day walking by, all kinds of traffic. It’s a very, very, very busy crosswalk,” resident Jessie Basran said.
Basran said he’s tried to tell the police and city councillors about what’s happening because if he doesn’t, he worries a child could be gravely injured otherwise.
Within a short period of time, Global News did witness people blowing through the crosswalk as pedestrians tried to cross.
The city was reached for contact but has yet to comment.
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Both Bennett and Basran plan to get through to the city themselves.
“I will do what I have to do to save somebody’s life. Period,” Bennett said.
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