It’s going to get easier and safer for pedestrians in Port Moody to cross Clarke Street where several businesses line the north side between Queens and Douglas streets.
But owners of some of those businesses are still uncertain when and what kind of crossing is to be built.
Lisa Beecroft, an owner of Gabi and Jules bakery, said she’s glad Port Moody council gave its unanimous assent last Saturday to a motion by Mayor Rob Vagramov instructing staff to expedite the installation of a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk at Clarke and Elgin streets, as well as two other locations at Clarke and Seaview and Queens at St. Johns.
But, Beecroft said, the motion is short on specifics.
“We still don’t know when it will get done,” she said. “It would be nice if there was a bit more of a black-and-white answer to it.”
Vagramov introduced his motion after a seven-year-old boy was hit by the driver of a vehicle Jan. 20 as he crossed Clarke to attend a class at Port Moody Taekwondo, next to Gabi and Jules. The boy suffered serious facial injuries and the road was closed for several hours as police investigated.
Vagramov said his motion was an expression of the frustration he said he has felt since a previous motion he’d successfully introduced almost two years ago to accelerate construction of a pedestrian crossing at the intersection still hadn’t been addressed.
And while the crosswalk is to be included in an update to the city’s master transportation plan, which is expected to be presented to council in February, Vagramov said a child getting injured while trying to cross the street is “a chilling reminder of the need for accelerated action on this front.”
Milad Bahrami, the owner of the martial arts gym, said the lack of a crossing has been a concern of his clients for the six years he’s been in business and he warned city staff an accident would eventually happen.
He said his “heart sank” when he learned the boy was hit.
“I can’t say I was surprised,” Bahrami said, adding the boy and his parents have since visited the gym and he should be well enough to resume classes soon.
Beecroft said the accident resulted in “another six pages” of signatures being added to a petition calling for a new crossing business owners along the street have been gathering since 2018. She presented that petition, now with more than 1,000 names, to councillors Jan. 21.
She said it’s unrealistic to expect customers of businesses including hers, the taekwondo gym, a beauty salon and as well as a wellness studio, to use existing crosswalks at Queens Street to the east and Douglas Street to the west.
Beecroft said she doesn’t want the renewed urgency to build the crossing to result in a hasty solution, adding just painting lines on the pavement won’t be enough.
“I hope they do take the time to do a proper assessment to determine the right kind of light,” she said.
Jeff Moi, Port Moody's general manager of engineering and operations, said city staff is working to get the light installed sometime this year, instead of 2021. He added the typical cost of a pedestrain-controlled traffic signal is $315,000.
