Wheelchair user says Happy Valley-Goose Bay needs more crosswalks
A wheelchair user in Happy Valley-Goose Bay says the town's infrastructure is unsafe, and he wants to see more crosswalks installed on the Labrador community's busiest road.
Roy Davis says he was almost hit by a truck Feb. 15 as he was crossing Hamilton River Road on Feb. 15, when he was trying to go to the C-Store across the street from the Labrador Inn, where he lives.
The intersection of Loring Drive and Hamilton River Road is one of the busiest places in town, said Davis, and the lack of crosswalks is making crossing the road dangerous for him.
"Something needs to be done about that road. If not, somebody is going to be hit or killed," said Davis. "Some people don't drive safe around here and some people drive too fast."
Davis says the community's infrastructure is not accessible to people like himself, especially in winter.
"I have a hard time getting anywhere in town," he said. The cold environment, aggressive drivers and snow buildup on the side of the roads all work against him to make his life more difficult.
Since Davis lives at the Labrador Inn, the closest convenience store accessible to him is the C-Store and Gas Station, and he makes frequent trips across Hamilton River Road.
"The solution that we need is a crosswalk or something for [people] in the two hotels [Labrador Inn and Hotel North] to be able to cross that road," he says.
Who is responsible?
But the municipality and the province don't agree on who would be responsible for adding a crosswalk to the road.
In a statement to CBC News, the town says it commissioned a traffic study for the area that it shared with the Department of Transportation and Works in June, but the two parties were unable to reach a resolution.
"Unfortunately, they feel that the intersection is not their responsibility," says the statement.
According to the town, the municipality applied in October to the federal Investing In Canada Infrastructure Program to upgrade the Loring Drive and Hamilton River Road intersection. If approved, upgrades would be cost-shared by the municipality and the provincial and federal governments.
The town says it has allocated funds for its portion of the cost-sharing project in its 2023 budget and is waiting on an update from the federal government.
CBC News asked the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
Davis said he doesn't care whose jurisdiction the road falls under. He wants to see results, instead of different levels of government pointing fingers at each other.
"It doesn't matter who fixes it. It is very dangerous to get across," said Davis.
