Westsyde Road continues to be a hazard

WEDNESDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — Details of a pedestrian-driver accident on Westsyde Road Tuesday are pretty sketchy, as police reports often are.

RCMP stick to the basics, providing a few facts and letting the justice system take over from there. What we know is that a 13-year-old boy was in a crosswalk on Westsyde Road when he was hit by a car.

Fortunately, his injuries aren’t life-threatening, but he suffered a possible broken ankle and, no doubt, a lot of fright.

One can’t draw much in the way of conclusion from this, but regardless of the circumstances, Westsyde Road continues to be a major pedestrian-motorist hazard. Many drivers speed and are careless.

There are a lot of crosswalks on Westsyde Road and pedestrians put them to good use. Some of them ignore the crosswalks and dodge across the road tempting fate but, for the most part, they use the crosswalks well. Some crosswalks are lighted, some not.

The crosswalks are obvious during daytime hours; during evening drivers and pedestrians have to be very careful.

There’s a two-part responsibility here. There’s no excuse for a driver who hits a pedestrian. First and foremost, it’s up to the driver to be cautious. However, as a matter of self defence, pedestrians are wise to beware of those careless drivers when crossing.

Make no assumptions. Hold up your arm to signal drivers you want to cross, and wait for traffic to stop. Proceed carefully across the road, keeping a close eye on traffic.

This sounds like a lecture, and maybe it is, but too many people have been badly hurt, and some killed, on Westsyde Road. The only way to stop it is for everybody to be very, very careful.

That said, may the kid who was injured yesterday be well soon.