Armstrong mother demands traffic calming strategies after child clipped in crosswalk

Concerned residents are demanding more action to slow drivers in Armstrong after a mother said her son was clipped in the crosswalk near Armstrong Elementary School.

Holly Dalgleish turned to social media late last month to urge neighbours to speak up and write council.

“Someone in a black car sped through the crosswalk, clipping his backpack with the side-view mirror,” Dalgleish shared in her post warning parents.

Now, an area resident is seeking more traffic calming strategies throughout the city.

“In light of the near-tragedy in one of our local crosswalks, where a child was clipped by a negligent driver in a school zone… it behooves the city to take action,” wrote Melanie Law Oke in a letter to council.

“This community is expanding quickly and incidents like this one are only the beginning of what is to come.”

Oke said she’s watched traffic “rip past” her Pleasant Valley Road home at all hours at “near highway speeds” and she’s reported these incidents to RCMP and the city with “no improvement.”

“We are sickened by this recent incident so close to home,” the letter reads. “Our child has nearly been hit in the pedestrian-activated crosswalk… Even as an adult, I have experienced near misses in local crosswalks on both PVR and Rosedale.”

Signage and RCMP presence is not enough to slow speeders and instead, Oke said, speed bumps and photo radar should be considered.

Oke also points to a need for more sidewalks throughout the community, specifically on high-traffic streets, such as Rosedale.

“Pedestrians, especially children, should never have to walk on the road…,” Oke said.

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