"We don't want to be casual about casualties."
This is the message the Richmond Poverty Reduction Coalition (RPRC) is sending to Richmond city council regarding pedestrian safety, according to Athena Estremadura, project consultant with the RPRC.
The "Vision Zero" project, part of RPRC's Richmond Advocacy and Support Committee (RASC), is urging the city to update its Official Community Plan to include a pedestrian safety strategy.
Vision Zero means a vision of zero pedestrian deaths or fatalities. The RPRC hopes the City of Richmond will adopt a goal of zero fatalities in its transportation system, explained Estremadura.
Although this might seem like an "impossible goal" because accidents happen, including it in the city's official plans shows that Richmond values the safety of everyone, especially vulnerable road users, she added.
"When it comes to pedestrian safety, we shouldn't just accept the number of people who will die if they're not in a car," said Estremadura.
"We found people still have a big problem with how close cars get to them when they're crossing at an intersection."
This concern was the top issue raised in a recent survey conducted by RASC between September 2023 and June 2024.
For example, pedestrians reported cars making turns just as they were stepping onto the road or immediately after.
A total of 226 participants from local partner organizations including the Richmond Centre for Disability, Foodbank seniors, Richmond Mental Health Consumer and Friends Society, local libraries and Richmond Family Place took part in the survey.
Of the participants, 57 per cent said they did not use a private vehicle for primary travel needs. Among these individuals, 64 per cent said they felt safe as pedestrians while the remaining 36 per cent said they didn't.
When asked if cars ever made them feel rushed or unsafe, 60 per cent said yes while 17 per cent reported having been hit by a car at some time.
"We think this is almost worse than texting and driving because you're looking at people in the intersection and just disregarding the respect for their space and safety on purpose by passing too close behind them," said Estremadura.
RPRC's Vision Zero project is asking the city to prioritize pedestrian safety, not just focus on distracted driving.
Aside from federal and provincial road safety strategies, other Lower Mainland municipalities are looking into implementing their own Vision Zero strategies.
These cities include Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Delta and Surrey, according to Estremadura.
Meanwhile, Coquitlam is officially expecting to approve one later this year.
"Richmond needs to do so, too, because it shows that we as a city care and recognize the importance of the safety of the vulnerable people in our community.
"We need to be aware as a community of the standards that the institutions accept when they conduct their business and ask for the best."
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