Petition calls for traffic lights to replace crosswalk in North York neighbourhood where child was struck

Nearly two weeks after an eight-year-old girl and her grandmother were struck by a vehicle in a North York neighbourhood, residents are bringing their concerns about the crosswalk where the collision happened to Toronto City Hall.

Those in East Willowdale say the crosswalk is a safety hazard, telling CityNews drivers often blast through the pedestrian crossover even when lights are flashing. 

“I watch people push the button and about to step out and cars go by or people step out and cars go right through,” said one neighbour. “If I’m gardening at the front, I’ll watch kids or elderly and sometimes I’ll step out and walk them through. It’s bad.”

“Cars never really stop, you really need to look them in the eye to stop,” said another.

CityNews attempted to cross through the intersection Monday and four cars drove right through the flashing lights.

Willowdale Avenue is a thruway, connecting Sheppard and Finch avenues, and the crosswalk is located at the top of a hill at Elmwood Avenue. A driver who lives in the neighbourhood said the crosswalk can be hard to see in smaller cars.

“Sometimes we are driving the mini [cooper], my wife’s car, so there’s very little window and sometimes hard to see the light. I always slow down at the crosswalk because you know it’s coming,” said Simon, a local resident.

Residents started a petition after the collision on Oct. 26 that sent a girl and her grandmother to hospital with serious injuries.

The petition, which has almost 600 signatures, is calling on the City of Toronto to install proper traffic lights. It’s now under review by City staff.

Willowdale councillor Lily Cheng tells CityNews she’s hoping to expedite the process by bringing a motion to the North York Community Council

“When you have a very serious accident, you know that there is a problem there, and you want to solve it faster. That speeds it up because then we’re kind of preempting the need for a study,” said Cheng.

The petition is also calling for more immediate safety measures in the meantime, such as speed reduction or a crossing guard during peak hours. Some have even suggested police should be here handing out tickets.