Resident Adam Cook is questioning the safety of the intersection after capturing the aftermath of a crash at Newport Avenue and Windsor Street.
Only minor injuries were reported in the two-vehicle collision on the morning of Aug. 17, according to the Oak Bay Police Department. That crash stemmed from miscommunication, said Deputy Chief Ray Bernoties.
“A driver waved another driver on and that driver proceeded, however, unfortunately the way was not clear,” Bernoties told Black Press Media. “This type of situation has likely occurred to many of us where someone waves us through but it is not actually clear or other circumstances arise. People need to always be vigilant when they’re driving as we’re all accountable for our own actions.”
Assessing the safety of its streets is a routine part of the municipal workload and assessments can range from small-scale analyses to large studies such as intersection design, said Dan Horan, director of engineering and public works.
The department has several projects in various stages at all times.
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“We have completed a number of transportation safety upgrades in each of the past few years, and we are in the middle of delivering our 2020 improvement program and preparing for our 2021 program,” he said.
The municipality works with Oak Bay Police Department, residents and ICBC to determine areas of improvement. A key source of information is the ICBC tool that tracks crashes across the province (find it online at public.tableau.com/profile/icbc#!/vizhome/VancouverIslandCrashes/VIDashboard).
In the case of Windsor and Newport, the data shows there were only three incidents between 2015 and 2019 (the dates on the ICBC dashboard). But Cook isn’t alone in his concerns over that intersection, it is something they’ve heard from residents before.
“We use the crash/incident data to help us prioritize our efforts. That said, we still aim to address concerns or make improvements even in areas where the incidents are relatively low,” Horan said.
The district plans to work on a design for that intersection this fall with the potential for implementation in 2021.
“We do think there are some positive changes we can make there, such as adding zebra crosswalk markings at all the crossings and bumping out the curbs to make the crosswalks narrower, that would make that intersection better for pedestrians.”
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