Student who was hit at same intersection says it’s ‘dangerous’ for pedestrians
Photo: Adam Feibel
A woman was taken to hospital after being hit by a vehicle near the Minto Sports Complex on March 31.
Police and paramedics were called to the intersection of King Edward Avenue and Templeton Street that Tuesday afternoon.
Police had to close King Edward south of Somerset Street until the accident was cleared.
Ottawa police would not confirm whether the woman is a University of Ottawa student.
Police also could not comment on the condition of the victim when reached by the Fulcrum.
A fifth-year U of O student who was once hit at that same intersection says he would like to see changes made to what he calls a “dangerous” area for pedestrians, particularly students walking to and from class.
Geography student Marco Dante Ferraris says he was crossing King Edward on his way to the bus station in late 2012 when he was hit by a car that had blown a red light. He was shaken up but not hurt, and the driver stuck around and was fined. But Ferraris says it’s a bad intersection.
“That intersection is really quite dangerous,” especially with a high volume of pedestrians as students walk to and from campus and Sandy Hill, he said.
“If you’re driving southbound towards the 417, it’s a downhill and it can be difficult to stop on time. Northbound means you begin going uphill and the traffic lights themselves are on a bit of an odd angle with the ground,” he said. “These factors combined with a huge amount of students that cross it during the day could be cause for pretty tragic events.”
Ferraris suggests that better markings, such as stencils on the pavement indicating high pedestrian traffic, could help avoid future incidents.
Ottawa police were not able to provide the Fulcrum with more information about the March 31 collision at press time.
—With files from Nadia Drissi El-Bouzaidi
