Two Burnaby councillors want to see speed cameras and no more right turns on red lights at dangerous intersections throughout the city.
They say these measures will improve traffic safety in Burnaby.
Burnaby Citizens Association councillors Maita Santiago and Alison Gu submitted a motion Monday, Dec. 11 to request the province to install the cameras, prioritizing intersections with 50 or more crashes resulting in injuries or fatalities from 2018 to 2022, with revenue from the cameras to go to the city for investment in traffic safety.
The councillors also directed staff to study the possibility of implementing no right turn on red lights at all intersections where there were more than five casualty crashes involving pedestrians from 2018 to 2022.
Santiago said the city has a shared responsibility to create a safe road environment for all users.
“We should be doing more to ensure that the roads, especially traffic intersections, are safer, especially for the pedestrians and for cyclists and for all others,” Santiago said.
She said speed is “almost universally recognized as being the most significant” in motor vehicle crashes and added three of the top 10 crash intersections in the Lower Mainland are in Burnaby.
She said reports have shown clear right-turn policies could reduce conflict between pedestrians and drivers and would benefit children and those with mobility issues.
ICBC data recorded 16,108 casualty crashes resulting in injury or fatality in Burnaby between 2018 and 2022.
Burnaby has a “Vision Zero” target to get to zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2050.
Gu said the intention is not to set up speed traps or ticket people driving above the limit.
“The goal is to provide proper signage … to actually prevent the speed, to ensure that people are observing speed limits and to prevent the crashes altogether.”
She noted speed is the No. 1 factor in determining fatality and how serious injuries can be.
“We need to be doing everything we can to get to, to actually achieve Vision Zero,” she said.
Gu said while moving vehicle traffic is regulated by the province, it’s the municipalities that are “on the frontlines of dealing with the impacts of casualties of accidents.”
She noted the city pays for police and fire departments to respond to crashes and for the road infrastructure which she said needs to be improved to prevent incidents from happening.
“We need to be able to have the provincial government come on board with us and provide us revenue for us to be able to invest back into infrastructure improvements,” Gu said.
She said she would like to see no right turn on red, especially in Burnaby’s town centres.
OneBurnaby Coun. Richard Lee supported some aspects of the motion but said it should be discussed first by the city’s new transportation committee.
The motion was referred to the committee unanimously by council.
The next transportation committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2024, at 5 p.m.
The most dangerous intersections in Burnaby include:
- Trans-Canada Highway and Willingdon Avenue (377 crashes)
- Boundary Road and Grandview Highway and Grandview Highway onramp (343 crashes)
- Kensington Avenue and Trans-Canada Highway (331 crashes)
- Cariboo Road and Gaglardi Way (325 crashes)
- Boundary Road and Kingsway and turning lane (254 crashes)
Gu told the NOW not all of the above intersections would be affected by the motion as roads and intersections near highways are under the province’s jurisdiction.
