Calgary police to crack down on jaywalking
Two pedestrians killed last month
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 | 5:47 PM MT
There will be more Calgary police and transit officers walking downtown streets Wednesday morning in an effort to crack down on jaywalking.
The move comes after two people were killed last month crossing the street, police said. They say 35 per cent of all fatal collisions last year involved pedestrians.
"And those are preventable collisions," Const. Peter Adria, of the police traffic unit, said Tuesday. "So, this initiative is designed to build awareness in the community so that we can prevent these collisions in the future."
Officers will be informing people about the dangers of jaywalking, he said, and fining those caught illegally crossing the street.
Fines for jaywalking range from $25 to $60, Adria said.
Officers will patrol downtown streets from about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday through to the end of the morning rush hour.
On Jan. 7, Ryan Avery Fox, 34, was hit by a Dodge Caliber at 7 a.m. while crossing Ninth Avenue S.E. in the middle of the block, near the bridge over the Elbow River.
Fox was taken to Foothills Hospital with serious injuries and later died.
Police did not charge the driver because Fox was trying to cross the street at an unsafe spot