Halifax Regional Council is taking steps to improve crosswalk safety for pedestrians across the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The Crosswalk Safety Advisory Committee is recommending the city paint continental, or zebra, stripes in many crosswalks across HRM so pedestrians are more visible to motorists. The recommendation is just one of 25 presented to councillors by the committee.
The recommendations come amid a slew of car-pedestrians collisions reported in HRM since the fall of last year.
“Zebra jumped the cue only because it was an initial major step to improving visibility and getting it in within the budget year,” says HRM Deputy Mayor Darren Fisher, who sits on the committee.
According to the report, the stripes would cost HRM $155,000 to implement in June, and $85,000 to upkeep.
Crosswalks already equipped with buttons and lights won’t be getting an update. There are roughly 500 crosswalks in HRM that could get the zebra stripes.
However, crosswalk safety activist Norm Collins says he wants to see zebra stripes in all high-traffic areas.
“If you take, for example, a major intersection like Robie and Spring Garden, a big intersection, the current proposal is not to have zebras there,” says Collins. “I might argue that it’s a more dangerous spot than a crosswalk on Waverley Road.”
Council has voted to defer the matter to their meeting in two weeks.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Amanda Debison
