Councillors call for Main Street to be converted to 2-way traffic after pedestrian deaths

Hamilton Coun. Maureen Wilson has shared a copy of a motion calling for Main Street West to be converted to two-way traffic as a safety measure, following a series of crashes that have killed and injured pedestrians.

The motion, which Wilson said she and Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann will bring before council Wednesday, references the fact 10 pedestrians had been killed in Hamilton this year. 

An 11th incident was reported Tuesday morning after a 64-year-old man died after being hit by a transport truck at a business in Flamborough.

Wilson and Nann's motion points to the city's annual collision report, stating it reveals an "overrepresentation of fatal and injury collisions" along Main and King streets — both multi-lane, one-way roads through the city's core.

"The number of collision deaths/injuries along Main & King is reported annually," Wilson posted on Twitter, along with screenshots of her motion. "These outcomes would not be accepted on any other city road."

The councillor pointed to the Red Hill Valley Parkway inquiry that's currently underway, saying the number of collision-related deaths and injuries along Main and King streets is already reported annually. 

"More study? Time to act," she wrote. 

The motion also calls for staff to find ways to immediately improve safety along the two streets, suggesting more pedestrian space, temporary lane reductions, a reduced speed limit and looking at the synchronized traffic lights on Main Street.

Wilson writes that staff should report back early next year with an implementation plan for making Main a two-way, including costs and a construction timeline.

Ward 8 Coun. John-Paul Danko shared Wilson's post about the motion, adding comments of his own.

"Council knows the problem: the one way configuration of Main is inherently dangerous and killing people," he tweeted.

"Council knows the solution: immediate safety improvements & two way reversion."

In a followup post, Danko said anything less than immediate action was "unacceptable."

"There is no excuse, no rationalization, no dithering," he added.

As of Tuesday, there have been 12 traffic fatalities in Hamilton so far this year, 11 of which involved pedestrians, according to police.

Last week, a DARTS bus driver colleagues have identified as Sherri D'Amour was hit and killed while picking up a passenger on Main Street West near Locke Street.

Police say the collision happened around 2 p.m. ET when a 75-year-old woman driving a black Honda Civic jumped the curb, crashed into a building and light poles before hitting D'Amour, who was on the sidewalk.

Her coworkers and fellow members of CUPE Local 5167 held a memorial along the busy street Saturday morning, saying D'Amour was someone who "loved life, her job and was always ready to help with everything."

After D'Amour's death, Wilson said she was working on a motion to address Hamilton's "killer streets."

The collision followed a crash involving a transport truck at King Street West and Dundurn Street South on April 25 that left a man and girl injured.

It also came after a safety review councillors recently approved at two intersections. One of those crossings is Dundurn and Main Street West, just a few hundred metres from where D'Amour was killed.

A 14-year-old girl, who investigators said was walking home from school, was hit and left critically injured on March 30. Police said she has since been released from hospital. Her recovery continues.

Wilson's motion states there have been 70 fatal incidents, including 26 pedestrians and two cyclists, in Hamilton over the past five years.

Police have reported a "structural redesign" of Main and King streets is necessary to address the "pattern of fatalities and injuries," it adds.

The councillor is also asking for the city to reassess all of its remaining one-way streets.