Traffic lights to be installed at accident site

In addressing the issue, Mayor Karin Marks announced that the City will soon be installing a new four-way stop and a walk light at Strathcona Avenue and Sherbrooke Street, which will give priority to pedestrians. The lights, she said, should be in place within the next two weeks.

This comes exactly one year after tragedy struck at that corner.

Lansdowne Avenue resident John Fretz witnessed the accident on Strathcona and Sherbrooke last Dec. 19 when Jessica Holman-Price, 21, was struck and killed by a snow truck while crossing the street with her younger brother. As the truck turned right, the siblings were caught in the driver’s blind spot. Holman-Price saved her brother by pushing him out of the way, but didn’t have time to save herself.

“I was there," said Fretz. "It was dark. I was walking my dog. I saw the signaling person blocking the street and the snow blower coming down. The flag person was blocking the street from other vehicles going up, but to my recall, he didn’t have a red-nose flashlight.�

Fretz suggested drivers honk went making sharp turns. He also asked council that a flag person carry a red flashlight while standing on the inside corner of the curb. As trucks make sharp turns, a signaller would warn pedestrians of the oncoming truck.

But that’s not always possible, according to City Councillor Patrick Martin, who sits on Westmount's Community Safety committee.

“When you are loading a truck you must have a flag person there to make sure it’s safe," Martin said in response to Fretz. "But, once the truck has been loaded and leaves, you can’t have a flag person chasing it all the way to where ever it dumps the load.�

Martin said the major problem with road safety is that snow trucks have faulty designs that can create dangerous blind spots for the driver.

“The truck driver cannot see the pedestrian because of the way the trucks are designed,� he said. “Their visibility is limited on the side, the actually design of the trucks needs to be reviewed at the ministerial level.�

Martin made it clear that there is a national issue concerning the standards and codes of the designs of the snow trucks across Canada.

“They’re driving a 10-ton piece of machinery; it’s like a weapon. When you’re sitting up there in the cab, you don’t realize the responsibility you have,� said Martin.

According to Mayor Karin Marks, drivers are paid by the hour, not by the load. This way, drivers aren’t enticed to neglect road safety over heavier pay checks. Marks reassured citizens by stating that the Public Works Department and Director General Bruce St. Louis have safety procedures in place.

“There’s always a flag man, and (drivers) are notified every morning that safety is our number-one priority," said Marks. "And now a new light is going in.�