I've personally seen friends hurt and injured in car accidents and it deeply concerns me that these incidents could have been prevented by better pedestrian crossings. Especially inside of downtown Calgary - one of the city's busiest areas. Many pedestrian lights don't work or are non-existent, thereby putting lives at risk, especially during the night when the area is still bustling with activity. A quick analysis of all the data on pedestrian accidents within Calgary conclude that the downtown area contains the largest density of these accidents, (@YYCTransport, (2019))

The Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics (2019) noted that nearly 50% of fatal pedestrian collisions happened at night, an alarming statistic that underscores how crucial functional pedestrian lights/crossings are for road safety. This also coincides with the findings of the UK Department for Transport (2018), which indicated that 40% of pedestrian casualties occur in the hours of darkness. 

The current state of our downtown pedestrian lighting holds our citizens and their safety hostage, and that does not align with Calgary's commitment to being a walkable city. We call upon the City of Calgary to prioritize repairing non-operational lights and invest in robust pedestrian lighting/crossing solutions to create a safer environment. Your signature can make a difference, can prevent many of these accidents from happening. Sign this petition today to demand improved pedestrian lighting/crossings in downtown Calgary.