Intersection under review in Charlottetown

Charlottetown police say they are reviewing events surrounding a collision at the crosswalk on University Avenue near Enman Crescent.

A woman pedestrian was hit by a north-bound car at the intersection last Friday around 4 p.m. She went to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

It's a challenging part of University Avenue.— Brad MacConnell, Charlottetown Police

Flashing lights were added in February to improve safety — now, police are taking a look to see if more can be done.

"One of the options that we are considering is potentially removing the crosswalk and forcing pedestrians to either go down to the intersection with the lights, or go up by the mall and cross at that junction," said Deputy Chief Brad MacConnell with Charlottetown Police Services.

6 collisions in the last year 

Police say the stand-alone crosswalk was the scene of six vehicle collisions in the past year, two of them involving pedestrians.

An intersection just one block away with traffic lights is also busy, and has seen accidents as well.

University Avenue is four lanes wide, with traffic moving quickly downhill from the north and south, and converging in a low spot where the traffic lights are located.

Flashing lights are activated by pedestrians before they cross.

'Close encounters'

Some people who use the crosswalk frequently say pedestrians have to be cautious.

"We've had some close encounters," said pedestrian Lynn Boudreau, who uses the crosswalk daily. "We've had some vehicles who've had to screech on the tires and that. We've learned that once you press the button, you need to wait."

"It's partly on our part to keep ourselves safe at the crosswalk as well. So it's not their fault for screaming by. We have a part in it too, we have a role. We need to make sure it's safe when we cross," said pedestrian Reilly McNeill, a student who uses the crosswalk every day to get to the mall.

Several pedestrians CBC News spoke with suggested the speed limit be lowered in the area to make crossing safer. Others said the crosswalk is already well marked.

"It's a big flashing light!" Boudreau said. "People just aren't paying attention." 

Police say they are already in talks with the city about ways to improve safety at the crosswalk.

"We need to review everything that's in the area," MacConnell said, including the nearby traffic light where there have also been several minor accidents. "It's a challenging part of University Avenue and we'll continue to do our best to try and improve the conditions there." 

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With files from Brian Higgins