I have had many close calls crossing the roads of our city before, but last week was the nearest and scariest yet.
I was walking across Lasalle at a designated crosswalk with the walk light when a speeding driver approached. He was only just able to stop before hitting me. Literally any closer and I'd have been struck. My Christmas was nearly spent in a hospital because of this driver who chose to ignore the walk light and the pedestrian crossing.
The number of such incidents is unacceptably high in this city. A quick search on social media and in letters to local papers reveals many similar accounts to this one. Further, reports of pedestrians who didn’t escape negligent drivers are all too frequent. Yet nothing is done to reduce such incidents. No increased police presence, no action from council. Nothing. As I said, in Sudbury, pedestrians don’t matter.
What infuriates me even more are the bad-faith arguments drivers present when confronted with the facts of their negligence. They point out irrelevant details about times when pedestrians are careless, or tell people to take extra precautions when crossing streets.
These are victim-blaming and strawman tactics used to deflect blame from negligent and irresponsible drivers onto pedestrians who are (for the most part) acting exactly as they should.
This isn't the first letter I have written on this topic, and I doubt it will be the last, because here in Sudbury, drivers don't care, and pedestrians don’t matter.
Sarah Bowdidge
Greater Sudbury