Four months after two separate pedestrian-involved collisions along Northwest Marine Drive, UBC, the AMS and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are still discussing ways to improve the road’s safety.
In late September 2021, two student pedestrians were struck and killed by a car on Northwest Marine Drive behind c̓əsnaʔəm house in the Totem Park residence area. A little over a week later, another pedestrian was struck by a car along NW Marine Drive near the Chan Centre and suffered a broken leg.
So far, UBC has trimmed trees along the road to improve sightlines for motorists and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) has installed a speed reader, according to a statement from the ministry.
“Ministry staff are reviewing vehicle speed and volume data, as well as information gathered from on-site observation. Preliminary findings are expected to be reviewed internally this spring,” the MOTI’s statement read.
Community members have complained online how the speed reader doesn't appear to be enforced well.
In a statement sent to The Ubyssey, Matthew Ramsey, director of university affairs at UBC Media Relations, said the university, MOTI and the RCMP are looking at enhanced speed limit enforcement, traffic calming measures, protected bike lanes, pedestrian walkways and improved street lighting.
“UBC supports any measures that improve safety along that stretch of road and will continue to advocate for them,” he added.
In a statement of its own, the AMS said it was pleased with the addition of a speed reader along NW Marine Drive, but said more should be done.
“It does not fully take into account the wide array of safety concerns that have been raised by both students and the university,” VP External Saad Shoaib wrote in the statement.
The AMS has been conducting a campus safety audit since the accident to ensure that the student body’s safety concerns are being addressed by MOTI, according to Shoaib. Findings from the safety audit, as well as other concerns around lighting and high speed limits, will be included in joint advocacy with UBC to the province.
“We are going to continue to push the provincial government, specifically the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, to act as quickly and diligently as possible on this as this is a matter of safety for everyone on campus.”