London woman calls for traffic light at crosswalk by Children's Museum, amid safety concerns

Isha Bhargava · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 7:03 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

A London ma is calling connected the metropolis to amended information astatine a pedestrian crosswalk near the Children's Museum that's surrounded by dense traffic, construction and drivers who don't travel the rules, and she fears it could effect successful idiosyncratic getting earnestly hurt.

Melissa Palmer frequently takes her sons to the caller museum in Old East Village and says she's had a fewer adjacent calls astatine the intersection of Dundas Street and Kellogg Lane, with vehicles plowing done and ignoring flashing lights that archer them to halt for pedestrians. 

"Every azygous clip I've tried to usage these crosswalks, I've had astatine slightest 1 conveyance spell done the crosswalk portion the lights are active," said Palmer.

"My superior concern is that arsenic some ft postulation and conveyance postulation increases successful this area, determination is simply a hazard to the public, particularly with truthful galore young children not being capable to safely transverse the road."

The crosswalk is adjacent to an other parking batch for depository visitors and has a fastener that activates flashing lights connected some sides, with clearly marked signs directing vehicles to halt for crossing pedestrians. But the constrictive roadworthy curves and is down to 1 lane on each broadside filled with construction pylons for the East London Bus Rapid Transit project.   

Palmer wants the metropolis to adhd a postulation airy to the walkway to guarantee vehicles really stop. Crossing the roadworthy successful its existent authorities is dangerous, particularly for families with young kids and strollers, she said.

"There needs to beryllium immoderate benignant of airy that's successful the presumption of the drivers much easily," she said. "Currently, the lights are lone connected the sides of the thoroughfare and they're rather hard to see, particularly if the prima is astatine an oculus level wherever it makes it hard to presumption the sides of the road." 

In January, the depository opened up astatine its caller determination astatine 100 Kellogg Lane. It's portion of a monolithic amusement analyzable that houses merchants, an indoor play park, eateries, and volition soon beryllium location to a caller Hard Rock Hotel successful May. 

City says it's moving to amended crosswalk

Emmet Fishersteed works adjacent the depository and uses the crosswalk regular and said she's had a fewer encounters wherever vehicles didn't halt for her arsenic she tried to cross.

"The motion determination that says 'Stop for pedestrians' is beauteous successful your look but the lights during the time aren't ace visible," she said. "Sometimes I'll marque oculus interaction with a operator telling them the lights are going and past they recognize they person to stop, truthful I consciousness it's not ace obvious."  

Palmer addressed her concerns successful a missive to Mayor Josh Morgan and London police, asking them to thrust astir the country connected a engaged play and witnesser firsthand the information issues astatine the crosswalk. In response, the metropolis said it's aware of the interest and is moving connected ways to supply tips to drivers connected however to question safely successful the area, including email and societal media blasts.

In a connection to CBC News, Jennie Dann, the city's caput of operation and infrastructure, said operation for the crosswalk is expected to wrapper up by the summertime and the metropolis is working intimately with the contractor to amended the roadworthy for pedestrians.  

"This is simply a constrained country with important enactment to beryllium completed. Several measures person already been taken to code this including enactment painting, and placing beforehand informing signage connected some sides of Dundas Street to alert drivers of the pedestrian crosswalk astatine Kellogg Lane," she said. 

Signs are besides posted astir the operation portion to assistance pedestrians navigate safely, said Dann, adding that information measures are adjusted arsenic needed.

Palmer said she anticipates much visitors to the country during the summertime and wants the metropolis to address these issues to guarantee a harmless acquisition for everyone. 

"We cognize there's going to beryllium adjacent much radical coming and if there's superior information concerns, it's conscionable a substance of clip until idiosyncratic gets hurt," she said.