Pitt Meadows residents are calling for improved traffic safety measures after a boy riding a bicycle was hit by a vehicle on the way to school on Tuesday, April 30.
Ridge Meadows RCMP said it was approximately 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Hammond Road and Blakely Road in Pitt Meadows, where police found a youth who had been struck by a motor vehicle. He was transported to hospital, and released with minor injuries.
The driver remained on scene, and was cooperative with police, said Const. Tisha Parsons.
From the posts on social media, it was a scary incident for those on scene, with people saying they heard the sound of the collision.
In a post on social media, the mother of the victim said “thankfully he is in better condition than the bike.”
She said the incident underlines the need for drivers to slow down and be cautious during the morning commute, particularly on busy routes like Harris and Hammond roads.
“My boys know they need to make eye contact with the driver before crossing any road, but something went wrong this morning,” she wrote.
“Thank you to everyone who was on the scene who helped out. I love the Pitt Meadows community,” she added.
Her social media post garnered almost 200 comments in response, with people calling for crossing guards at heavily used crossings, and other suggestions including a 30 km speed limit on all of Blakely Road, and a designated left-hand turn signal off Hammond onto Blakely.
That intersection is just south of Davie Jones Elementary, and just north of Pitt Meadows Secondary, with both schools less than 400 meters away.
“I spent all of yesterday very sad in the beginning… but it quickly turned to anger!” wrote one poster. “This is unacceptable! Our children should be safe to get themselves to school. We are a tiny community, these are all our children. We need to do better. Getting to work on time is not worth anyone’s life! All these intersections are crazy at school drop off.”
Another commenter who stopped to help at the scene said she left very worried, and suggested it could have been worse had the boy not been wearing a helmet.
“We were thankful that the student involved in last week’s accident received immediate assistance and fortunately was not seriously injured,” said school district spokesperson Irena Pochop. “The safety of our students is always a priority for us, and incidents like these are deeply concerning.”
She said implementing a crossing guard program, particularly with volunteers, presents multiple challenges.
“These include ensuring reliability and consistent coverage and managing the extensive resources required for recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers – all of which would add considerable strain on our school principals, who are already stretched thin,” said Pochop.
She said the location of last week’s accident, at an intersection some distance from the school, underscores the further challenge of providing broad coverage.
“It clearly highlights the need for a cooperative approach to community safety,” said Pochop. “As we continue to collaborate with local authorities and community partners, and our goal is to support initiatives that can help mitigate such risks and promote a safer environment for everyone.”