Article content

Two separate motor vehicle collisions in central Ottawa Tuesday night saw two pedestrians injured and taken to hospital. These were merely the two most recent injuries to make news; this calendar year has been scattered with reports of motor vehicles injuring and killing pedestrians and cyclists of all ages, including a number of hit-and-run incidents.

The number of motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists have remained more or less consistent for the past decade, but they’re still astonishingly high. And these are only the reported collisions: incidents in which the pedestrian or cyclist is fortunate enough to escape injury may go unreported.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or McLeod: Our streets should be designed with pedestrians in mind Back to video

While the circumstances under which pedestrians and cyclists are being hit exhibits some variety, one immediate conclusion that can be drawn is that our infrastructure in this city is not working, not for everyone. The problem is not only that the spaces in which pedestrians and cyclists interact with motorists are not adequately protecting our most vulnerable road users, but that our street infrastructure is contributing to motorist behaviours that result in entirely avoidable collisions.