Considered a safety measure to prevent motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians, a fence has been installed along the middle of Brady Street, between Paris Street and Minto Street.
With openings for controlled crossings, the intent is to funnel pedestrians toward safer places to cross, city Transportation and Innovation Support acting manager David Knutson said.
“The city has three controlled crossings along that section of Brady Street, however, there’s still a high number of pedestrians choosing to cross mid-block,” he said, citing this as one of the most pedestrian-heavy areas of the city.
In addition to sheer volume, a pedestrian death in 2023 contributed to the city looking at the stretch of road. In that case, a 59-year-old woman was killed after being struck by a Honda Civic outside of the Golden Grain Bakery (a building that has since been demolished).
The fence cost approximately $90,000 and was installed this week, with a crew seen putting finishing touches on it Wednesday afternoon.
A similar such fence was installed several years ago on Elm Street a few blocks north, which also stretches west from a Paris Street intersection.
“That was to mitigate a similar issue we had with pedestrians crossing mid-block,” Knutson noted.
No other pedestrian-blocking mid-street fences are currently planned, and these two are the only ones in Greater Sudbury.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
