Burnaby residents concerned for future of road safety after speed bumps installed

New speed bumps and safety measures are on the way in a Burnaby area where a 14-year-old girl was killed when she was hit by a dump truck earlier this year.

On May 5., Muska Behzad was struck by a dump truck while she was walking home from Byrne Creek Community School.

The truck was pulling out of 11th Avenue near 16th Street when it hit the teenage girl.

“The impacts are obviously most devastating for the families, but also affects everybody else in the community,” says Burnaby City Councillor, Mike Hillman.

This happened in a neighbourhood with a high school, two ice rinks, and it’s set for huge developments in the next decade.

While the girl’s death spurred new safety measures, residents still worry about safety in the future.

“My daughter teaches at Byrne Creek, which is the community high school just down the way. There was another death of an accident at Sixth and 10th Avenue where one of the students was lost. And it hurts, right? We need to, as a city, take the proper steps to make sure we’re protecting people,” says Hillman.

An 18-year-old woman was hit and killed near the same area in November of 2021, and a year before that a worker was crushed to death.

Residents say, for now, the new bumps are making a difference.

“It’s a pity someone had to die before this happened. It had to have happened way before now,” says Burnaby resident, Julie Sobowale.

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Although neighbours are thankful that more safety improvements are being added; an asphalt sidewalk, new signage, and potentially more speed bumps. There is now growing concern over parking in the area. 

Until Friday of next week, no one can park in front of their homes for 24 hours. Residents say they’re getting slapped with unreasonable parking tickets while trying to park after working hours, even when construction isn’t happening.

The whole area is also being developed for a community centre featuring 15 towers, and it could take up to 15 years to complete.

Joyce He, who lives in the neighbourhood, says she is prepared for a lot more construction traffic.

“I hope all drivers know that when you’re passing through residential – just slow down. We have trucks coming in and out. Sometimes they’re just flying through the street. It’s very frustrating, it is not safe,” says He.

Councillor Mike Hillman says he wants to see all car fatalities cut to zero by 2050.

“We have to take the first steps to get there. So by 2030, we’re hoping to be able to get those cut to 50 per cent. It means more sidewalks, it means putting speed bumps in as you’re seeing here on this street, but it also means putting the proper controls around speed,” says Hillman.