Parents from Abbotsford Middle School are calling on the city to upgrade the intersection at Bevan Avenue and Ware Street after a student in the crosswalk was badly injured after he was struck by a garbage truck last month.

Lisa Medynski, secretary of the Abbotsford Middle parent advisory council, said a petition is underway online and at the middle school's office in an effort improve the busy intersection.

Parents are concerned their children and other pedestrians are not visible enough to drivers rushing to make left-hand turns, particularly at peak drop off and pick up times, said Medynski.

A 12-year-old boy student suffered serious lower body injuries the morning of Jan. 4 after he was hit by a garbage truck making a left-hand turn through the crosswalk.

Such a horrific crash involving a student must never happen again, said Medynski.

"The lives of the Grade 6 student, the garbage truck driver and their families have been changed forever," she said.

"We must ensure that such an accident does not happen again."

The petition and parents' concerns will be presented to the city's traffic safety committee at its Feb. 20 meeting, said Medynski.

The PAC's primary wish is that the city install a scramble intersection, which is a light system that stops vehicle traffic in every direction and allows pedestrians right of way in all crosswalks at the same time.

Failing that, the petition calls for a combination of controlled left turn signals, a LightGuard system and a leading pedestrian interval (LPI).

A LightGuard system features bright LED lights that flash along the lines of a crosswalk or on a warning sign as pedestrians enter the intersection.

An LPI allows the pedestrian to begin crossing the street before vehicles on the parallel street get a green light.

Medynski recognizes the city, which has already implemented crossing guards and a delayed light, may be apprehensive of the cost of a scramble intersection.

The high volume intersection, which also serves Godson Elementary and Abbotsford Collegiate Secondary schools, is only expected to get more hectic, said Medynski.

"The city definitely needs to make more improvements at that intersection," she said.

"It's only going to get busier with the opening of the new [Collegiate] high school and the new Bevan Avenue entrance."

- The PAC's online petition can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/79dcex5.

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