Pedestrian/Cyclist Collisions with Motor Vehicles

The number of pedestrian/cyclist collisions with motor vehicles is on the rise, doubling from 2019 to 2022.  In 2019, there were 8 collisions, and in 2022, there were 16 collisions. The following chart is the combination of City Police reports (2019-2022) and our research and SAFE membership reporting:


(This graph is generated automatically and may require widening of the screen and refreshing the page.
NOTE: pre-2019 data is based on newspaper reports and SAFE member reporting only)

We have reached out to the City Police Services for 2023 data, and included a request for in-kind pre-2019 data collection from the City of Summerside as part of the Community Support Application process in 2024. The City of Summerside did not approve our request as part of the Community Support Application process; however, after asking each Councillor to provide a rationale for this decision and ask for a reconsideration, the Mayor reached out to us and offered a meeting to review our request. 

Here is our April 2, 2024, appeal for open access to collision data and the response from the city:

 If we had access to the City Police pre-2019 data, it would shed more light on the upward trend of collisions. 

Some other tangible benefits include:

  1. SAFE Summerside to produce an online map with collision data
  2. Data will be utilized to identify potential at-risk areas for AT users in the city
  3. Over time, we will have “baseline” data to determine the impact of infrastructure changes on the number of collisions.
  4. Increase education and awareness of the need to protect the most vulnerable road users
  5. Increase safety as recorded by a reduction of collisions and a reduction of the number of pedestrian/cyclist fatalities (between Dec 2018 – Dec 2023, 4 pedestrians have been fatality in the last five years).
  6. Increase the health of residents as, over time, they will feel safer to walk or bicycle in the city
  7. Work towards meeting one of 14 provincial actions outlined in the PEI Active Transportation Strategy: “Develop a monitoring and reporting mechanism to publish pedestrian and cycling accidents, injuries, and death counts on an annual basis (P. 12)”.

National Averages

We get asked how Summerside ranks with national averages.  While we can understand this question, for us at SAFE, this question is troubling as the impact of one single fatality and how it impacts families and communities should be enough -- but four pedestrian deaths in a population of 16,000 over five years must rank Summerside as the pedestrian death capital of Canada. 

Who is dying? The average age of those four pedestrians was 69 years. 

The Canadian age-specific pedestrian death rate (2018 to 2020) per 100,000 for someone 60-69 years of age is 1.12 (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/231030/cg-a001-eng.htm).  Summerside’s pedestrian death rate is 6.25 –-> 5.6 times higher than the national average.

 

Our Collision Map 

Map of Collisions 

Fatal Pedestrian Collisions in the City of Summerside

The following are the known fatal collisions in the City of Summerside (please note we only list the names of the victims if the Police have made their names public, out of respect for the families):

  1. January 2, 2009 - 62-year-old Blair Wendell Phillips died as a result of injuries sustained after being hit by a vehicle at the intersection of North Drive and the All Weather Highway (Route 2) just after 10 p.m. Police say the car was travelling east and struck Phillips, who was on the highway while operating a residential snowblower. Phillips was transported to PCH where he died a short time later. Road conditions were slippery at the time. No charges laid (Jan 5, 2009 Journal Pioneer news report)
  2. Date Unknown - A collision with a driver and someone riding a Mobility Scooter in the Water Street East / Small Ave. area.  (SAFE Member reporting past incident; we are in search of more details on this incident)
  3. Date Unknown - A fatal collision with a youth crossing Notre Dame Street between periods of a Capitals hockey game.
  4. December 21, 2018, - 69-year-old Angus MacDonald was crossing the street from Tim Horton's parking lot to the Irving Circle K gas station (not in the crosswalk) at around 6:20 a.m., close to Water Street and Autumn, and one vehicle was stopped to let him pass, but a half-ton truck did not stop.  The driver remained at the scene and was interviewed by officers. Police have ruled out alcohol and drugs as factors in the collision. It is our understanding that the current traffic calming measures at the corner of Water Street/Autumn were the result of this incident (CBC and SAFE Summerside membership). One month following MacDonald's death, plans to build a buddy bench to memorialize MacDonald and his brother were moving forward (SaltWire)
  5. August 13, 2020 - 77-year-old Alfred Shaw was out for a morning walk at this intersection next to Elm Street Elementary. At about 7:30 a.m., Shaw was struck by a Ford F-350 pickup truck in the crosswalk at the Willow Ave./Elm Street intersection.  The pedestrian was pronounced dead on arrival.  Police don't believe speed, alcohol, or drugs played a part in the fatal collision. (CBC, CBC, SAFE Summerside communication with City Police)
  6. January 29, 2021 - A 59-year-old Summerside woman (name not released by request of the family) died in the hospital. Just before 5 p.m., Summerside Police responded to a call at the Walmart parking lot.  The driver of the vehicle was backing up in the parking lot at the time.  One day later, the victim died in the hospital. Police say speed, alcohol, or drugs do not appear to be factors in the collision. (CBC and SAFE Summerside communication with City Police)
  7. October 10, 2022 - Two pedestrians were hit while on the sidewalk near the intersection of Pope/Mill Crescent around 9:30 a.m..  The driver of the vehicle was backing up. One 67-year-old pedestrian (woman) was severely injured, and a 73-year-old woman was pronounced deceased. The driver remained at the scene. Police say speed, alcohol, or drugs do not appear to be factors in the collision. (CBC, SaltWire, and  SAFE Summerside communication with City Police)

 

2023 Collisions Reported in the News or by SAFE Members

As we wait for official City of Summerside Police data, our SAFE Summerside team has observed the following collisions in 2023:

  1. April 5, 2023: a SAFE member witnessed and reported to the Police a youth on an e-scooter being hit by a motor vehicle in the parking lot of the PEI Cannabis Store.  SAFE Summerside further sent a detailed communication to all City Councillors concerning this incident and the need to move forward on safe, active transportation.
  2. June 4, 2023: A pedestrian was hit by a driver of a motor vehicle in the Silver Fox parking lot, and left the scene of the accident.  The pedestrian was seriously injured, and listed in critical condition in a Moncton hospital.  The driver was arrested.   Police said the man is expected to be charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failure to stop after an accident causing bodily harm, and assault with a weapon causing bodily harm.  (CBC news)
  3. July 4, 2023: A person was injured while riding an electric scooter at the corner of Water and Central Street. The person was riding an e-scooter rental and fell off. (SaltWire)
  4. July 22, 2023: A SAFE member witnessed family members and police at the PCH following the collision of an elder person, who was walking with the aid of a walker, being hit by a motor vehicle backing up in a residential apartment building parking lot next to Walmart
  5. September 24, 2023: Saltwire reports an e-scooter driver hospitalized after crashing with an SUV on Sep 24 on Granville Street.  Police said the driver was taken to hospital for treatment of what are believed to be minor injuries. (SaltWire)
  6. DATE Unknown: A youth crossed the street on Elm Street and was hit by a car. 

Collisions by Location

This is an interactive chart (best viewed on a desktop).  As soon as we update our research, this chart will be updated. 

NOTE: The Parking Lot ? = the data we received from the City Police does not fully explain if the collision occurred in the parking lot or at the intersection.  We have asked City Police for follow up information and will update as we receive this information. 

Upper Granville Parking Lot Safety

While intersections are the primary collision location (see chart above), the second-highest collision area in the City of Summerside is parking lots.  We are in the process of researching this data and developing a plan to address these collisions . . .  let us know if you want to become involved or if you can help us identify other collisions.  

  1. Oct 18, 2011 - Atlantic Superstore - A 55-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot.  Summerside police are investigating a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle that occurred on Monday at about 1:40 p.m.  Police reported it appeared the woman was walking away from the front entrance when a male driver turned left out of the parking lot and struck her. Ongoing investigation  (Journal Pioneer Oct 18, 2011)
  2. June 20, 2014 - Sobeys - 49-year-old woman was crossing the parking lot with her shopping cart when a small black vehicle struck her. City Police are looking for the public's help to identify a female driver of the vehicle involved in a hit and run at around 4:30 pm on Friday, (Journal Pioneer June 24, 2014)
  3. May 12, 2016 - Sobeys - East Prince RCMP are investigating a collision between a marked Summerside Police vehicle and a female pedestrian in the Sobey's parking lot.  The collision occurred at about 11:40 a.m. (Journal Pioneer May 12, 2016)
  4. Aug 18, 2017 - County Fair Mall - a 51-year-old pedestrian was taken to PCH Tuesday morning after being struck by a car in the parking lot.  The collision happened at about 11:20 a.m. and the driver was a 88-year-old woman who has been charged under the under the Highway Traffic Act for driving without due car and attention
  5. 2020 - Atlantic Superstore - A pedestrian was hit in the parking lot (City Police correspondence with SAFE)
  6. January 29, 2021 - A 59-year-old Summerside woman (name not released by request of the family) died in the hospital. Just before 5 p.m., Summerside Police responded to a call at the Walmart parking lot.  The driver of the vehicle was backing up in the parking lot at the time.  One day later, the victim died in the hospital. Police say speed, alcohol, or drugs do not appear to be factors in the collision. (CBC and SAFE Summerside communication with City Police)
  7. 2021 - Walmart - Pedestrian in a wheelchair hit in Walmart parking lot (behind the building) (City Police correspondence with SAFE)
  8. There are six collisions (2-Sobeys, 1-Walmart, 1- McDonalds, 2-not Upper Granville) from 2019 to 2022 reported to us via the Summerside City Police that we are not 100% sure if they occurred in a parking lot or at the intersections (we will update when we have feedback from the City Police).

Additional facts:

  • In the City of Summerside Council Minutes (September 20, 2022), the City of Summerside Police Services reported between two five-year time periods (2013-2017 and 2018-2022), call volume has increased by 37%, and the “increase in medical first responder calls is the primary reason for this increase” (Page 11).

We understand that collisions with motor vehicles are sensitive issues for families, so we discuss this issue with great care and reverence. We hope that through our work and members reporting to us the location of collisions, we can continue to provide a map of areas where AT users have been statistically more injured. We also understand that most collisions are minor and thus go unreported to the authorities. Thus, we believe the true number of collisions is higher than our numbers.

So, again, we encourage people to report collisions to the Police and share the details with us (remember, the intersections) as it helps us better understand the safety issues of particular streets in the city.  We also want to know if you were involved in a collision outside of Summerside's jurisdiction as well. Reach us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Did you know? Globally, road traffic injuries are the leading killer of people aged 5 to 29 years of age?  1.35 million people die annually the result of road traffic deaths and the burden is disproportionately borne by pedestrains, cyclists, and motorcyclists (whom are known collectively as "vulnerable road users"   

https://worlddayofremembrance.org/
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (Nov 20)

  

We will also provide three charts (best viewed on a desktop or laptop) grouped with the collisions by Ward to illustrate potential trends. Percentages won't add up to 100% as, in rare cases, a collision may occur at an intersection where it may be either ward—so, both wards would be statistically credited with the collision.

 

    


(Please note: we have included collisions with e-scooters, walkers, wheelchairs under the "Pedestrian" category)

We see that the pedestrian fatalities in the city are spread over five different Wards:

Further, our group has received feedback from the community: Some cyclists fear travelling on high-traffic roads, so they ride on the sidewalks  --  some pedestrians then feel unsafe on the sidewalks because of the cyclists. 

According to our members (please note this chart is best viewed on desktop or laptop):

We see protected AT pathways as critical infrastructure to reduce/eliminate pedestrian/cyclist injuries and deaths on high-traffic streets.  We also view education as a key component.  And, being able to identify where collisions are occurring, we believe, is key to eliminating them altogether.

Please join us, and help us, if you would like to see the number of collisions on Summerside streets reduced.  We, by no means, have the answers, but we are 100% trying to get a seat at the table and trying to move this issue forward by creating awareness and encouraging discussion that the streets need to be safer in the City for the most vulnerable road users.