‘People just fly through’: Dangerous Vancouver intersection flagged for months without action

A man working in East Vancouver has been complaining to the city for months about traffic issues in the intersection below his office. Drivers have been blowing through stop signs and quick-stopping in front of pedestrians. Then on Monday, there was a three-car crash.

James Hohenwater has a perfect view of the corner of Frances Street and McLean Drive from his office. Throughout the work day, he has to hear and see some concerning traffic problems.

“We have some pretty horrible drivers in the area that really don’t abide by the traffic signs,” he told CityNews.

“I can hear the cars on the approach, the whoosh of tires. A couple times an hour, I hear… somebody coming through way too quick and hope they’re gonna stop. Usually they do, but a lot of times they don’t, probably 20 times a day. People just fly through here.”

Hohenwater says there are multiple blind spots at the intersection and it’s difficult to see stop signs. He’s concerned for the people who cross the street to visit the park, as well as kids going to school up the road.

He says he’s been complaining to the city about this issue for nearly year. The most recent complaint was issued on Friday, when he says the city told him to try talking to Vancouver Police.

“Monday morning at about 8 a.m., they got back to me saying, ‘We see you. Thank you. It’s an important matter. We’ll pass it on traffic. We’ll do something about it.’ So great, at least somebody saw it, right?”

Just an hour later, he witnessed a collision at the intersection, where one vehicle t-boned another, sending the second car careening into a third.

CityNews stood at the corner for an hour to observe traffic, and saw several cars blow through the stop signs at full speed. A pedestrian at an unmarked crossing was also startled by a vehicle making a quick stop.

In a statement, the City of Vancouver says staff started looking at the intersection in 2021 and are trying to determine the best safety measures, which could include ensuring vehicles don’t park too close to the intersection, repainting stop lines, marking a crosswalk, or putting in speed humps.

It says signage or paint could take a couple of months to add, while speed humps could take up to a year to install.

With regard to why it has taken so long for Hohenwater’s complaints to be addressed, the statement says the volume of resident inquiries has grown faster than staff resources.

The Vancouver Police Traffic Unit is also now looking into the intersection.

“Our options to improve safety in the area include education, enforcement, and targeted patrols. We don’t want to see anyone get hurt or feel unsafe,” said Sgt. Steve Addison with the VPD in a statements.

Related: City looking into ‘dangerous’ crosswalk near Mission Memorial Hospital following concerns

Hohenwater thinks the first thing that should be addressed at the intersection is the stop signs, arguing they need to be more visible to approaching drivers.

“Get a blinking stop sign or something,” he suggested, adding the intersection could also be turned into a four-way stop.

“Simple things that I think the city can do to just make it a lot safer.”