70 crashes in 6 years on Fourth Avenue in Whitehorse

Frequent accidents on a busy downtown street in Whitehorse are causing concern after awoman was sent to the hospital in Whitehorse in January after being hit by a vehicle near the intersection of Ray Street and Fourth Avenue.

It is the second time a pedestrian has been hit at the location in less than a year. William Marvin Lagimodiere died in March2014, after being struck while crossing Fourth Avenue.

• VIDEO from Northbeat: Philippe Morin visited the Fourth Avenue crosswalk today and spoke with people in Whitehorse.

Forest Pearson, with the Whitehorse Urban Cycling Coalition, says the problem is bad driving habits in that stretch of Fourth Avenue.

"A lot of motorists drive fairly aggressively through that section, so they're accelerating quickly and changing lanes quickly which is intimidating and creates a barrier to cycling," Pearson says.

There are also many vehicles turning off and on to Fourth Avenue from the McDonald's restaurant and its neighbour, Tags Food and Gas.

Pearson says it's a dangerous area for cyclists.

"Certainly in the winter, I wouldn't even use it all. I would take, you know, back alleys, or take something else," he says.

Cpl. Natasha Dunmall, with the Whitehorse RCMP, says there have been 70 vehicle collisions reported on the stretch of Fourth Avenuefrom Ogilvie Street to Baxter Street since 2008.

She says 11 of those involved pedestrians.

"There's a new pedestrian crossing sign that illuminates now, but you're also hoping that pedestrians use those areas to cross the street," Dunmall says.

She says the RCMP islooking into whether the area is actually more dangerous than other sections of road in the city.