The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has removed a crosswalk at a busy intersection in Sydney, and the decision isn’t sitting well with a number of people in the area.

The city eliminated the crosswalk because it was deemed unsafe, but residents like Andrew Macintyre feel the move has actually made things even more dangerous.

Macintyre was recently rushed to hospital after being struck in a different crosswalk nearby.

“I ended up on the ground, in kind of a pool of blood,” he says.

Now he worries the same will happen to someone else.

“That’s bound to happen,” he says. “Now with them taking this crosswalk away.”

Nearby resident Stephen Nathanson crosses several times a day and says he’s been doing so for more than 50 years.

He says the intersection was fine the way it was and with people still crossing, he feels it’s actually more dangerous now.

“The people crossing don’t see the black lines,” he says. “They feel as if those white lines are still there.”

Sydney resident Stella MacPherson agrees.

“We cross here regularly,” she says. “Going to the park, going to the store, taking the dog for a walk. And I’m very, very upset.”

The municipality eliminated the crosswalk after a consulting firm’s report deemed it dangerous.

“If we were to leave that crosswalk in place, with a recommendation from a consulting firm that we have it removed because it’s dangerous,” says Coun. Eldon MacDonald. “The municipality would be liable for anybody hurt in that crosswalk.”

The report also recommended cutting the crossing guard because not enough school children use the intersection.

With the crosswalk gone, more and more pedestrians could face jaywalking fines.

“If they give me a ticket, I’m willing to go to court, and I’m going to plead not guilty,” says Nathanson.

The municipality is looking into other places to put a new crosswalk. But they say the old one is likely gone for good.

“They would not put a crosswalk back just for the sake of putting a crosswalk back,” says MacDonald. “It has to be deemed safe.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald.