South London road where man struck and killed was previously flagged as unsafe

Residents near a south London, Ont. intersection where a 73-year-old man was fatally struck by a vehicle on Saturday say the stretch of road where it occurred often sounds more like a racetrack than a city street.

Police say Murshed Yaldo was crossing Bradley Avenue just west of the intersection around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday when he was struck and killed by a motorist, who remained at the scene.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation, and police have not announced any charges in the case. While investigators have not indicated whether speed was a factor, some neighbours say the area has been plagued with collisions and racing drivers for several years.

Sarah Martin lives in a building near the intersection, and said the man who died lived in the building with his sister. Tenants have rallied around his family, with flowers and a signed card, she said.

"The (neighbours) I talk to, they didn't see it, but they know what happened. (They) saw it pretty close after, and saw the car and where his walker was quite a ways away," she said.

Martin said speeding drivers along Bradley was one of the first things she noticed when she moved in three years ago. She says she's sometimes uncomfortable even walking down the sidewalk.

"It's just treated like a racetrack ... You can feel the wind buffet you when they drive by."

Driving home, she'll often see others going in and out of traffic along Bradley Avenue, failing to signal, and getting impatient with motorists following the speed limit.

Another resident told CBC News she also sees people racing down Bradley on a daily basis. Pedestrians also frequently cross the road away from the intersection crosswalk.

"There's been many times my heart skips because someone walks out close enough to skim the side of my car," said Skyleigh Atkins-Hamilton. 

Ward 12 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza says they're concerns she's heard consistently from residents, and says she previously raised the issue with London's police chief, asking for more patrols.

The risks are compounded by the fact that two schools sit less than 400 metres from the intersection. Cut-through traffic may not realize students are around, and the speed has dropped. Several apartments are also home to seniors.

She said she's worked with city staff to extend crossing times at nearby Jalna and Bradley for that reason, and improve traffic flow out of nearby White Oaks P.S. 

"As there's been infill … some complaints have transferred to school capacity, overcrowding, and the traffic that goes with it," she said.

Among the solutions, she says, is working with police for increased enforcement, and stepping up by-law patrols to make sure traffic stays clear and moving.

She adds a second collision happened near the intersection over the weekend that wasn't reported by police, involving a cyclist who was not seriously hurt. CBC News has reached out to police for comment. 

In a statement, Doug MacRae, London's director of transportation and mobility, said safety improvements have been made. Last year, curb extensions, setback pedestrian crossings, right-turn-on-red restrictions and new signals were added to the intersection, he said.

Two speed cameras are also active on Bradley outside of South London Community Centre, east of Ernest, and more improvements are due between Jalna Boulevard and White Oak Road to the west, he said.

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Bradley and Ernest isn't necessarily prone to more collisions, but it does have its own challenges, said London police Sgt. Chris Riley of the Road Safety Section.

The intersection has high pedestrian traffic from nearby homes and shopping plazas. As well, there are two schools and a major shopping mall down the street, and bike paths run along both sides of Bradley.

"Speed has been a problem in the past there. I don't have stats or numbers for the speed cameras … but I do know there have been tickets issued," he said.

Next month, police will be stationed at several intersections that are prone to complaints, monitoring and enforcing pedestrian safety and driver behaviour, he said. Bradley and Ernest will likely be one of them.

He adds officers are already out regularly patrolling the area, but they may not always be seen, as most of the Road Safety Section's vehicles are unmarked.

"We can do our enforcement and hammer down on offenders, but there's still a notice on the people that are out there to be cognizant of the speeds," he said. "At the end of the day, driving is a privilege, and if you're out there on the road, you should be operating in a safe manner."