A South Surrey woman who says she was nearly hit by a car as she walked with her dogs on Stayte Road Friday is calling on the cities of White Rock and Surrey to improve safety at the intersection of Stayte Road (160 Street) and Pacific Avenue (10 Avenue).
Julie Thorsen said she was driven to speak out after a collision the following evening at the same intersection ended with an SUV upside-down against a fire hydrant.
Thorsen said she and her husband were enjoying a quiet evening in their backyard Saturday when the calm was broken around 6:30 p.m. by the sound of screeching tires, breaking glass and a blaring horn. She told her husband to call 911 and ran outside in her bare feet to find two SUVs had collided. One came to rest partially in a resident’s front yard.
Thorsen didn’t see what caused the crash, but is confident speed and poor visibility played a role. She noted she has voiced concerns about those factors before, and was busy Monday reiterating those concerns in letters to the City of Surrey and White Rock politicians.
“I don’t know how many accidents we have to have at that corner to change things,” Thorsen said. “I really do hope both cities get together and do something about it.”
White Rock RCMP were not available to provide details regarding the crash, or if there were any injuries, by Peace Arch News deadline Monday.
Thorsen’s neighbour, Dianne Dickinson, agreed the site is a tragedy waiting to happen.
Dickinson, who has lived in the area for about 27 years, estimates there are collisions at that intersection about every three weeks. One in May involved three vehicles and sent five people to hospital.
“We’re just lucky there hasn’t been a fatality – that I know of – there,” she said. “It’s only a matter of time before something doesn’t go as well. It’s a very dangerous corner.”
Dickinson, too, pointed to speed and visibility. Drivers coming up Stayte Road from Marine Drive are moving too quickly, and those southbound on Stayte who turn off onto 10 Avenue can’t see them coming, she said.
She and Thorsen said a traffic circle or lights would go a long way towards easing the problem. Both worry the intersection’s location on the White Rock/Surrey border could hinder improvements.
“Let’s not argue about it, let’s just fix the problem,” Dickinson said.