Port Moody responds to concerns about pedestrian safety on Clarke Street

The City of Port Moody has been advised by Port Moody Police that a child was injured by a moving vehicle while attempting to cross Clarke Street mid-block (2300 block, near Elgin Street) on January 20, 2020.  

“I was extremely disheartened to learn of the incident on Clarke Street last night, and extremely grateful that the situation was not any worse than it was,” says Mayor Rob Vagramov. “The City of Port Moody takes the safety of our residents very seriously, and I will be bringing a memo to City Council tonight to make sure this part of Clarke Street, and two other pedestrian hot spots, are permanently made safer.” 

In February 2018, a delegation made up of Clarke Street business owners asked Council to consider installing a crosswalk on Clarke Street at Elgin Street. On March 27, 2018, Council directed staff to report back with options for and impacts of accelerating the installation of this crosswalk. Staff plan to provide Council with an update on the implementation of the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) in February 2020 which will also include information about a Clarke Street crosswalk. 

The MTP identifies many locations for new pedestrian and traffic signals to help improve walkability and pedestrian safety. Since Council adopted the MTP in 2017, pedestrian improvements have been made throughout the City including the installation of pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights at many existing major road crosswalks, and two new signalized crosswalks currently under construction on Murray Street.   

The City approaches these proposed projects on a priority basis, taking into consideration a variety of factors including vehicle and pedestrian traffic data, provincial and national guidelines, anticipated land uses, and funding options.