Ottawa residents gather to honour pedestrian killed at Elgin and Laurier

Some “ghost shoes” are being placed at Ottawa City Hall in memory of a woman who died after being hit by pickup truck this week. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

Ottawa residents are paying tribute to a 27-year-old woman who died Monday after being hit by a pickup truck at the intersection of Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue West.

The woman has been identified as Saloni Aitawadekar, who came to Canada from India to study.

This latest tragedy is renewing calls for the city to take action to improve safety for pedestrians, particularly at that intersection. A vigil at Ottawa City Hall was held Friday evening, with pairs of white shoes being placed ar Marion Dewar Plaza in Aitawadekar honour.

“She was 27. She had just gotten her permanent residence here, and she was supporting her single mother back home,” vigil organizer Marna Nightingale told CTV News Ottawa Friday morning.

A GoFundMe in Aitawadekar’s memory says she was a kind soul who was building a life filled with hope, love and purpose.

Nightingale says Friday’s vigil is meant to honour Aitawadekar and to raise concerns about what many say is a dangerous intersection.

“There are a lot of lanes. There’s no advanced green for pedestrians, and people get impatient,” she said.

In 2018, a cyclist was killed at the same intersection. A redesign was slated for last year, but Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster says federal and provincial red tape kept the project in limbo.

“And that’s what makes me deeply sad, because if it had been completed, I really wonder if this terrible accident would have happened,” Troster said.

Nightingale says immediate action is needed.

“My hope with this vigil is that the city will take seriously the consequences of the delays and the ways in which they endlessly compromise safe roads.”

Safety advocates agree.

“Make sure that we’re allocating the budget needed to maybe get these projects done a little bit earlier, instead of waiting 10, 15, 20 years down the line,” said Marko Miljusevic, with Strong Towns Ottawa.

The redesign for the intersection is now approved, and construction will start this year.

“This is a $5 million project. It is a major reconstruction of the intersection, but it’s a priority. It shouldn’t take one death, and now two deaths, for us to take action,” said Troster. “And also, as a city, how do we fix the most dangerous spots in our city?”

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