There’s a certain anxiety that activates when some of us pedestrians push the button to activate one of Toronto’s standalone pedestrian crossovers.
You take a deep breath as the overhead orange flashing lights activate. You try your best to make eye contact with any approaching drivers. If you’re pushing a stroller, you grip the handles tightly. If you’re the religious type, maybe you say a little prayer. Perhaps you just cross your fingers while crossing the street. And you hope.
You hope that the drivers approaching are not staring at their phones. You hope that they’re moving at a reasonable speed. You hope that they have some earthly idea what a “pedestrian crossover” is and how to safely approach one.
Sometimes, sadly and brutally and too damn frequently, hope is not enough. On July 20, Bilkis Khanam was killed by a driver at the pedestrian crossover at Queen East and Sackville Street. She had three children and was pregnant with another.
Push. Pray. Walk: After yet another death, should Toronto replace these dangerous pedestrian crossovers? – Toronto Star, July 30, 2024
Photo: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
