Deaths and injuries on Edmonton roads fell in 2019, city says

The City of Edmonton says its long-term plan to make roads safer is working, despite recent cases of excessive speeding, vehicle noise and distracted driving during COVID-19 restrictions.

Since Edmonton adopted Vision Zero in 2015, deaths related to road collisions have dropped more than 50 per cent, Jessica Lamarre, the city's director of traffic safety, said Tuesday. 

The city shared some statistics on road-related injuries and deaths spanning the past four years, ahead of it releasing the full 2019 Vision Zero report on Friday. 

Last year, 14 people died in traffic-related accidents, down from 19 in 2018 and 32 in 2015, the city said. 

Serious injuries were also down to 268 in 2019 from 319 the year before. 

Lamarre noted that last year, the city upgraded 87 spots, including 23 crosswalks, which can include installing flashing pedestrian lights or full traffic lights. 

Safety cameras were installed at 37 intersections to deter drivers from running red lights or speeding through pedestrian crosswalks. 

The city released the statistics in conjunction with National Road Safety Week. 

• Collisions, traffic-related deaths decline in Edmonton, report shows

Speeders rev on

Sgt. Kerry Bates with Edmonton Police Service traffic safety unit joined Lamarre during a news conference Tuesday to echo the message for drivers to slow down.

Over the past six weeks, with fewer vehicles on the roads, cases of extreme speeding included 138 vehicles going more than 50 km/h over the limit, some nearing 200 km/h, Bates said.

"[There] seems to be a lot of it on the higher speed roadways — Anthony Henday, Whitemud Drive — but also there's some alarming ones happening in 50 km/h zones where we're getting speeds of over 100 — Saskatchewan Drive onto Groat Road, areas like that," he said.

Lamarre said between Jan. 1 and May 10, 114 automated enforcement tickets were issued to drivers going more than 50 km/h over the speed limit — 47 more tickets than were issued during the same period last year. 

"While the total number may not be astronomically higher, when you think about the number of vehicles and the increase of ticketing, there's lots more speeding on our roads," she said.

Speeding makes little difference in improving a driver's travel time but has a big impact on residents, Lamarre added. 

"Even up to 20 kilometres over the limit is dangerous and we need to be careful," she said. "Especially right now when they're out getting physical activity closer to home." 

• Fewer drivers on Edmonton streets but they're speeding more than before, city says