South Vancouver residents seeking safer crosswalk

By Danauca Dory

Residents living around Cambie Street and 39th Avenue say their complaints about a dangerous intersection have not been properly addressed by the city.

Barry Jung, a resident in the area, said there have been several accidents around the intersection in recent years, including one involving a man in a wheelchair. 

“Since we’ve been here, we’ve seen car accidents after car accidents,” said Jung, who has lived in the area since 2002.

Multiple collisions

Jung said he has been voicing his concerns to the City of Vancouver about the intersection with no satisfying response. In January, Jung said he wrote a letter to the city detailing the residents’ worries, along with evidence of crashes on the intersection. 

He suggested a pedestrian traffic light be implemented at the intersection.

Jung said after he wrote the letter, a city representative came to look at the area — but no changes were made. 

According to a crash map provided by ICBC, there were 74 collisions along the intersection from 2014 to 2018. It was ranked 439 out of 5621 intersections in the Lower Mainland for highest crash rates. 

Local schools cause for concern

The area is home to École Secondaire Jules-Verne and École Rose-Des-Vents elementary school, causing concern for the community as the intersection is frequented by students.

Joseph Tan, who lives in front of the intersection, said he has witnessed many accidents. 

“I always hear a lot of screeching and honking.”

Tan and Jung believe one of the issues with the intersection is that the BC Liquor store is right across from the intersection. 

In the letter to the city, Jung suggested that motorists are incorrectly entering the boulevard cradle, using the oncoming left lane to make left turns onto Cambie to access the liquor store parking.

Jung said he currently knows of no plan for any lights being added to the intersection.

No city representatives were available for comment before publication.