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Edmonton’s new anti-jaywalking signs — set up metres from an intersection where two pedestrians were killed in a marked crosswalk — miss the point, say friends of one victim and safety advocates.

“It feels like a punch in the face from the city,” said Alex McKie, whose friend David Finkelman was killed in a marked crosswalk by a driver turning left.

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“It’s victim blaming,” said Conrad Nobert, a local resident who has been advocating for curb cuts and speed reductions for the busiest 10-block stretch of Whyte Avenue.

City crews recently installed four anti-jaywalking signs in Edmonton’s high pedestrian areas, two on Whyte Avenue and two on Jasper Avenue. Officials say it’s a first step in a larger strategy to reduce major injuries and fatalities on Edmonton’s roads.

Finkelman, a well-known musician, was killed crossing 101 Street on Whyte Avenue in January 2014. Another pedestrian, Peter Olson, was killed in January 2015 at the same intersection. He was also in a marked crosswalk, hit by a driver who ran a red light.

Most pedestrians hit on Edmonton streets are not at fault. According to the city’s data, 68 per cent of pedestrians injured or killed on Edmonton streets last year were in marked crosswalks, at street corners or crossing with a traffic light.

“I don’t think jaywalking is the major issue. This shouldn’t fall on pedestrians,” said McKie, asking drivers to think about their own attitudes.

“A speed reduction is important. I certainly wouldn’t be paying someone to design signs about jaywalking,” he said.