Thirty Deaths Isn’t a Warning. It’s a Result.
Ottawa has passed a grim milestone this year. Police count 30 traffic-related deaths on city roads so far, more than the 23 recorded in all of 2025.[1]
Pedestrians are a large share of them. When the toll stood at 26, police said it included seven pedestrians, one cyclist and four motorcyclists.[2]
The pace has been relentless. Police logged 10 serious collisions in the stretch after Sept. 9, six of them fatal.[2] One week this fall, a 60-year-old man was killed in Barrhaven and a 78-year-old woman died after being struck on Friel Street in Sandy Hill, the second fatal pedestrian crash that week.[1] Earlier, a pedestrian died after being struck by an OC Transpo bus on Highway 417 near Parkdale.[3]
What the official response says
Police have asked everyone to put safety first. They list speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, careless driving, dangerous driving and ignoring the rules of the road as common factors, and urge people to slow down and put distractions away.[2]
That advice is sound, and it is also an output. An appeal to individual behaviour is cheap to issue and impossible to measure. We have been making it for years, and the deaths are still climbing.
Outputs versus outcomes
The outcome we care about is simple: fewer people killed while crossing the street. Reminders about distraction don’t deliver that. Roads that make a fatal mistake less likely do.
Three design levers matter most:
- Speed. The lower the impact speed, the better a pedestrian’s odds.
- Crossings. A marked, signalled crossing where people actually walk, instead of a long detour to the nearest one.
- Sightlines and geometry. Traffic circles, narrower lanes and protected space, so no one relies on a driver being perfect.
A system that depends on every driver being attentive every second will keep producing this year’s numbers.
Why this is a Ward 13 issue
This is not only a story about other neighbourhoods. Our ward is full of places where people on foot cross fast roads: the Aviation Parkway near Cité collégiale, the Birch and Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway crossing, St-Laurent Boulevard, and sidewalks that stop short of where people need to go. I have written about each of these. They share a pattern: the fix is known, no one owns the job, and the delay is treated as normal.
When a crossing is split between the City and the NCC, no one is accountable for the outcome. Accountability means a named owner, a date, and a public count of crossings built.
What I’d ask of the next council
- Publish collision data by ward, every year, with locations, so residents can see their own streets.
- Set targets for outcomes, such as pedestrian deaths and serious injuries, and report against them, instead of counting campaigns and press releases.
- Settle City and NCC jurisdiction on crossings so a beacon doesn’t wait on a handshake between two agencies.
- Build safety in while the street is already open. Retrofitting later costs more, and people are hurt in the meantime.
Voting ends on Monday. Whoever sits on council for the next four years will vote on road budgets, speed limits and crossings. Ask every candidate on your ballot a simple question:
What will you do in your first year to reduce pedestrian deaths, and how will we know whether it worked?
If the answer is a slogan, you’ve learned something.
Peter Karwacki, candidate for Ward 13 (Rideau-Rockcliffe)
- CTV News Ottawa, Pedestrian dies after being struck by a vehicle in Sandy Hill on Thursday. Source for the 30 deaths in 2026 versus 23 in 2025, and the Barrhaven and Sandy Hill fatalities.
- CTV News Ottawa, Slow down: Ottawa police urge road users to prioritize safety following spike in serious collisions. Source for the 26-death breakdown by road user, the 10 serious collisions since Sept. 9, and the contributing factors.
- CP24, Pedestrian dead after being struck by OC Transpo bus on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa (Sept. 3, 2026).
Four Busy Intersections in Rideau-Rockcliffe: Can Everyone Cross in Time?
Busy intersections aren’t just a driver problem. For a senior with a walker, a person in a wheelchair, or a parent with a stroller, the real question is simple: can I get across before the light changes? This post looks at four major crossings in and around the ward and sets out a simple, repeatable way to check each one.
Why crossing time matters
Many signals are timed on an assumed walking speed of about 1.2 m/s. Plenty of older adults walk slower, and people using walkers or mobility devices often walk well under 1.0 m/s. On a wide crossing, that gap adds up fast. Try your own numbers:
| Crossing width | 1.2 m/s | 1.0 m/s | 0.8 m/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 m | 17 s | 20 s | 25 s |
| 30 m | 25 s | 30 s | 38 s |
| 40 m | 33 s | 40 s | 50 s |
The four intersections
1. Montreal Road & St. Laurent Boulevard
Arterial × arterialTwo major corridors meet here, with transit, shops, and steady foot traffic. Large intersections like this tend to mean long crossings and a lot of turning traffic.
What to check
- Time a crossing on each leg, from curb to curb, at a slow walking pace.
- Are there countdown timers, audible signals, and a leading pedestrian interval?
- Do turning drivers yield, or do they cut across the crosswalk?
2. St. Laurent Boulevard & Hemlock Road
Neighbourho od connectorSt. Laurent is a wide, fast-feeling road, and Hemlock links neighbourhoods on both sides. Residents who walk to shops, transit, or services here have to cross it.
What to check
- How many lanes does a pedestrian cross, and is there a refuge island?
- Is the walk phase long enough to leave the curb comfortably?
- Are curb ramps and tactile surfaces in good repair, including in winter?
3. Beechwood Avenue & Hemlock Road
Main street × connectorBeechwood is a busy local main street with shops, cafés, buses, and cyclists. People of all ages cross here, which makes it a good test of a street that’s meant to be walkable.
What to check
- Are sightlines clear at the corners, or do parked cars and signs block them?
- How do turning vehicles behave with pedestrians and cyclists present at the same time?
- Would curb extensions shorten the crossing?
4. Montreal Road & Aviation Parkway
High-speed approachAviation Parkway carries fast, high-volume traffic, and the pathway network meets the road near here. It’s a spot where people on foot and on bikes meet vehicles moving at higher speeds.
What to check
- Is the pathway crossing clearly signalled for both drivers and users?
- How long is the crossing, and where would someone wait?
- Are vehicle speeds consistent with a safe crossing for slower walkers?
A simple audit anyone can do
- Measure the crossing from curb to curb (a wheel or a phone app works).
- Time how long the walk plus flashing “don’t walk” phases last.
- Compare to the crossing time at 0.8 to 1.0 m/s using the table above.
- Note the day, time, and weather, and take a photo of any hazard.
- Rep ort it through 311 with the exact intersection, and ask for a signal timing review.
What residents can ask the City for
- A slower design walking speed near seniors’ residences, clinics, and care homes
- Button-hold or extended pedestrian time
- Leading pedestrian intervals so people are seen before cars turn
- Refuge islands and curb extensions on wide crossings
- Audible and tactile signals, and well-maintained curb ramps
1. crossing width and number of lanes,
2.signal timing, most recent collision counts, and
3. any planned City works.
Your own timing walks make this all a much stronger case
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