Norm Collins

President Crosswalk Safety Society of Nova Scotia promoting crosswalk and pedestrian safety. Opinions are my own, not those of the Society.

[The Laker News - Pat Healey 🇨🇦 @ReprtrPatHealey]

Awareness walk scheduled for crosswalk safety in #Dartmouth @CrosswalkSafety #Halifax

https://t.co/WYCzsFcmbr

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@colinimacaroni @safe_hrm @BigJMcC @AndyFillmoreHFX I suggest you check Motor Vehicle Acts before making such statements.

I just checked Ontario, California and New York and all have effectively the same definition as here in Nova Scotia, i.e. crosswalks exist at all intersections and elsewhere where marked.

[Walk n Roll Hfx @WalknRollHfx]

Halifax safety advocates are calling for government action to reduce the number of pedestrians injured or killed by cars, after the death of a senior who was hi…

Source: CBC https://t.co/EL3ZNeBgS1

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@DaHy_5695 We re-stock crosswalk flags when we are made aware but HRM covers a large area and we are but a few volunteers.

If anyone is aware of missing crosswalk flags or broken crosswalk flag buckets please email:

[email protected]

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @TerriClarke8 @meanderingemu @hfxgov We do agree. Crosswalk flags were never intended to be a long term solution. Improved engineering is required. BUT in the meantime crosswalk flags are better than doing nothing. Research demonstrates crosswalk flags improve driver yielding behaviour.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

10 more pedestrian injury collisions in HRM in August.

Bringing the year to date total to 81 - compared to 72 in 2023 and 68.5 for the Baseline (average of 2018 and 2019) or 48% (!!!) above the Framework's Goal (80% of the Baseline).

Pedestrian safety is not getting better.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@lecwhite @NSACORN Laura, thank you so much for completing our survey.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @JrKokojoe As mentioned I understand the police perspective. But I disagree with them. Please forward me the NS case law. I did a search once and could not find anything. If you have found a case that would be very informative. I would be happy to be proven wrong.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @JrKokojoe I agree that is how the police have said they interpret the law. BUT police interpretation is NOT the law. Only the courts decide what is or is not a violation of the law.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @JrKokojoe To be clear we believe the law should require vehicles to continue to yield until pedestrians reach the curb, as is the law in Ontario. But we do not believe the current MVA is written to require such continued yielding.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @JrKokojoe We do not believe this is so. Where? NS Driver Licensing confirmed a driver would not be failed if they did not continue to yield until the pedestrian reaches the curb. That strikes us as proof as to what the Province believes the law states. Ultimately for the courts to decide.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @JrKokojoe Sorry Martyn but we do not agree. Show us where it is written. We have had this discussion before - it hinges on the interpretation of the word 'yield'. It is not explicit in the MVA. Thus why we use the word 'should' rather than 'must'.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

HRM July pedestrian injuries down slightly. YTD still bad at 12% higher than 2018/19 Baseline.

9 cyclist injuries in July tied record (since 2018) for most in one month. 2024 YTD is 41% higher than 2018/2019 baseline

All injuries a bit better but still 1% higher than baseline.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @EcologyAction @IBIKEHFX @WalknRollHfx Not recognizing who the Primary Stakeholders are, i.e. those who use our roads is evidence of the narrow thinking of this Strategy.

Those listed are accountable for implementing the Strategy. They are NOT the primary stakeholders of the Strategy.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm @PatheticPutter According to Open Data there were 5,213 collisions in 2023 compared to the Baseline's 6,121 (avg. of 2018 and 2019), a decrease of 15%.

There were 757 fatal and injury collisions in 2023 compared to the Baseline's 801, a decrease of 5%.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@68Coaster @safe_hrm If the driver had stopped before the crosswalk lines due to the red light as required the walk light would have illuminated before he or she entered the crosswalk.

Clearly the driver is at fault.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

I will be on the Todd Veinotte show 10:15 this morning to discuss the dramatic decrease in speeding tickets in HRM.

2012 - 11,954
2022 - 3,533
2023 - 1,901

The Cdn Association of Police Chiefs state: "... road safety is expected to suffer when police enforcement is reduced"

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@safe_hrm There is.
If only there was a marked crosswalk.

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@CatsInSpace @safe_hrm You are correct re an unmarked crosswalk but the curb cut on the north side appears to be directly across from the "portion of a roadway ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of curb lines and property lines at intersections" (NSMVA definition of crosswalk)

[Norm Collins @CrosswalkSafety]

@fortyeightblue @safe_hrm It is not. NSMVA defines a crosswalk

h) “crosswalk” means that portion of a roadway ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of curb lines and property lines at intersections ...

whether marked or not.