Halifax residents call for safer crosswalks, bike lanes to prevent accidents
Williams has been posting near misses at Halifax crosswalks on his Twitter account for years now.
An accident while crossing the street is an all too common occurrence, so much so that Martyn Williams records on his phone when he crosses areas he considers dangerous.
Williams has been posting near misses at Halifax crosswalks on his Twitter account for years now and has built a library of encounters. One of the tips he follows for safety is making eye contact with drivers when crossing dangerous intersections.
Williams calls for additional measures to protect pedestrians and cyclists on the roads.
"At intersections where the vast majority of pedestrians get hit, also cyclists, we need to see what's called protected signal phasings," says Williams.
Signal phasing would mean all traffic drivers would get a red light while pedestrians get a the signal to cross safely.
Sarah Kirk, a professor of health promotion at Dalhousie University, is conducting research which aims to create supportive environments for chronic disease prevention. She says North America is facing a physical inactivity crisis.
"We have a very sedentary lifestyle. We drive everywhere and people are just not walking and cycling as much as they could," says Kirk.
Kirk doesn't own a car but she cycles everywhere. Like Williams, she says her last line of defence as a cyclist is having a camera recording at all times in case she needs to report an infraction.
"Halifax is most definitely the worst place I have ever cycled,"says Kirk.
She says if it feels unsafe to walk or cycle, people simply won't do it. Kirk says she would like to see more protected bike lanes so cyclists aren't forced to share the road with cars.
"We actually know that around 50 per cent of people would be interested in cycling more in Halifax, they just don't feel safe doing so and if we had more protected safe infrastructure, more people would be likely to cycle," says Kirk.
You can see some of the near misses Williams has captured and his interview with Nathan Coleman in the video above.
