New Pedestrian Crossovers Coming to Burlington's Brant Street
*Please see below a media release issued by the City of Burlington.Burlington, Ont. — Aug. 24, 2020 — The City of Burlington is converting ‘wait for the gap’ crossings along Brant Street to pedestrian crossovers to be ready for Thursday, Aug. 27, weather permitting.The City of Burlington will be installing its first pedestrian crossovers at:
- Pine Street;
- Elgin Street; and
- Maria Street
In addition to the three locations along Brant Street, crossovers will also be installed at the Centennial Pathway road crossings in 2020. These locations include:
- Smith Avenue
- Seneca Avenue
- Delaware Avenue
- Cumberland Avenue
- Woodview Road
- Elwood Road
- Longmoor Drive - 2 locations
- Belvenia Road
"This long-requested improvement will correctly prioritize pedestrians over vehicles in locations where confusion can result in the potential for collisions. Residents enthusiastically welcome the Downtown Pedestrian Crossovers in locations where hundreds of daily crossings are made along lower Brant Street. This improvement puts people first and supports our Council’s commitment to integrated city mobility." -- Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns
New legislation was introduced in January 2016 by the Province of Ontario that gives pedestrians the right of way at road crossings. The new rules are in Part 10, section 140 of the Highway Traffic Act.By law, drivers and cyclists must stop and yield the whole roadway at pedestrian crossovers. Only when pedestrians have crossed and are safely on the sidewalk can drivers and cyclists proceed.Pedestrian crossovers, marked by signs and pavement markings, are a new way for pedestrians to easily and safely cross the road. By law, drivers and cyclists must stop and yield the whole roadway at pedestrian crossovers. Only when pedestrians have crossed and are safely on the sidewalk can drivers and cyclists proceed.Crossovers are different than crosswalks. Crosswalks are most often located at an intersection with traffic signals, pedestrian signals or stop signs. Crossovers are a designated pedestrian crossing in the roadway, usually not at an intersection.The new crossovers in Burlington will share key elements, such as:
- signage saying “Stop for Pedestrians”
- ladder style pavement markings in the crossover area
- triangle yield lines (i.e. shark’s teeth) on each approach, indicating where drivers need to stop
MAYOR MEED WARD'S TAKE:Residents have been asking for additional measures for making walking around our City easier and this will help. This is part of our commitment to make our streets walkable and help make people feel safe to do so.LINKS AND RESOURCES:
--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist