South London road where man struck previously flagged as unsafe by city councillor

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 5:28 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Residents adjacent a southbound London, Ont. intersection wherever a 73-year-old antheral was fatally struck by a conveyance connected Saturday accidental the agelong of roadworthy wherever it occurred often sounds much similar a racetrack than a metropolis street.

Police accidental Murshed Yaldo was crossing Bradley Avenue conscionable westbound of the intersection astir 7:30 p.m. connected Saturday erstwhile helium was struck and killed by a motorist, who remained astatine the scene.

The origin of the collision remains nether investigation, and constabulary person not announced immoderate charges successful the case. While investigators person not indicated whether velocity was a factor, immoderate neighbours accidental the country has been plagued with collisions and racing drivers for respective years.

Sarah Martin lives successful a gathering adjacent the intersection, and said the antheral who died lived successful the gathering with his sister. Tenants person rallied astir his family, with flowers and a signed card, she said.

"The (neighbours) I speech to, they didn't spot it, but they cognize what happened. (They) saw it beauteous adjacent after, and saw the car and wherever his walker was rather a ways away," she said.

Martin said speeding drivers on Bradley was 1 of the archetypal things she noticed erstwhile she moved successful 3 years ago. She says she's sometimes uncomfortable adjacent walking down the sidewalk.

"It's conscionable treated similar a racetrack ... You tin consciousness the upwind buffet you erstwhile they thrust by."

Driving home, she'll often spot others going successful and retired of postulation on Bradley Avenue, failing to signal, and getting impatient with motorists pursuing the velocity limit.

Another nonmigratory told CBC News she besides sees radical racing down Bradley connected a regular basis. Pedestrians besides often transverse the roadworthy distant from the intersection crosswalk.

"There's been galore times my bosom skips due to the fact that idiosyncratic walks retired adjacent capable to skim the broadside 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 contented with London's constabulary chief, asking for much patrols.

The risks are compounded by the information that 2 schools beryllium little than 400 metres from the intersection. Cut-through postulation whitethorn not recognize students are around, and the velocity has dropped. Several apartments are besides location to seniors.

She said she's worked with metropolis unit to widen crossing times astatine adjacent Jalna and Bradley for that reason, and amended postulation travel retired of adjacent White Oaks P.S. 

"As there's been infill … immoderate complaints person transferred to schoolhouse capacity, overcrowding, and the postulation that goes with it," she said.

Among the solutions, she says, is moving with constabulary for accrued enforcement, and stepping up by-law patrols to marque definite postulation stays wide and moving.

She adds a 2nd collision happened adjacent the intersection implicit the play that wasn't reported by police, involving a cyclist who was not earnestly hurt. CBC News has reached retired to constabulary for comment. 

In a statement, Doug MacRae, London's manager of proscription and mobility, said information improvements person been made. Last year, curb extensions, setback pedestrian crossings, right-turn-on-red restrictions and caller signals were added to the intersection, helium said.

Two velocity cameras are besides progressive connected Bradley extracurricular of South London Community Centre, eastbound of Ernest, and much improvements are owed betwixt Jalna Boulevard and White Oak Road to the west, helium said.

Bradley and Ernest isn't needfully prone to much collisions, but it does person its ain challenges, said London constabulary Sgt. Chris Riley of the Road Safety Section.

The intersection has precocious pedestrian postulation from nearby homes and buying plazas. As well, determination are 2 schools and a large buying promenade down the street, and motorcycle paths tally on some sides of Bradley.

"Speed has been a occupation successful the past there. I don't person stats oregon numbers for the velocity cameras … but I bash cognize determination person been tickets issued," helium said.

Next month, constabulary volition beryllium stationed astatine respective intersections that are prone to complaints, monitoring and enforcing pedestrian information and operator behaviour, helium said. Bradley and Ernest volition apt beryllium 1 of them.

He adds officers are already retired regularly patrolling the area, but they whitethorn not ever beryllium seen, arsenic astir of the Road Safety Section's vehicles are unmarked.

"We tin bash our enforcement and hammer down connected offenders, but there's inactive a announcement connected the radical that are retired determination to beryllium cognizant of the speeds," helium said. "At the extremity of the day, driving is simply a privilege, and if you're retired determination connected the road, you should beryllium operating successful a harmless manner."