Three pedestrian-vehicle collisions in one day in Ottawa raising concerns

Road safety advocates are raising concerns after three collisions involving pedestrians on Thursday, and a nine-year-old boy was struck and killed.

A recent string of pedestrian-vehicle collisions is raising concerns in Ottawa.

On Wednesday, a nine-year-old-boy was struck and killed by a school bus while riding his bike in Almonte.

This was followed by three separate collisions Thursday, including on the corner of George St. Sussex St. in the Byward Market, where a vehicle drove onto the sidewalk, striking a woman walking and sending her to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Ottawa councillor Stéphanie Plante says this is the first she heard about a car going onto a sidewalk, but adds the uptick in related collisions, has caught her attention.

“It’s really eye opening because the more bikes and the more people we have walking, the easier it is for cars to commute if we have less people in them,” Plante says.

“It just goes to show that things like bollards, making sure that we have elevated spaces, making sure that we have pedestrian specific spaces, those can make a world of difference.”

In 2023, CTV News Ottawa reported 23 vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. 10 of those were fatal.

Executive director of the Ottawa Safety Council Jamie Kwong says with the weather getting nicer it is leading to more people being outside and motorists need to be extra cautious.

“Everyone has to keep their head on a swivel and really be mindful of paying attention to what’s going on, not everyone is going to have predictable behaviors and we as motorists need to be able to be ready for those situations,” Kwong says.

“When people make mistakes, it shouldn’t be fatal, so, we can all do things that mitigate the amount of harm, whether or not we build our street safer or slow it down, but also as drivers, to be more aware of yourself.”

Some tips from the Safety Council for drivers include to give cyclists enough space to pass them, have patience and drive the speed limit especially in residential neighbourhoods where children may be present.

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