A total of 129 pedestrians were injured in 12 of the Lower Mainland鈥檚 major shopping malls over a five-year period, with about one-quarter of them hurt at Burnaby鈥檚 Metropolis at Metrotown, according to the Insurance Corp. of B.C.
Those statistics were provided this week after a toddler was killed and his mother injured at the Meadowtown Shopping Centre parking lot in Pitt Meadows Friday.
The accident served as a tragic reminder to pedestrians 鈥� as the Christmas shopping season kicks into gear 鈥� of the dangers of walking in busy parking areas where cars are constantly pulling in and backing out.
ICBC provided accident statistics on 12 shopping malls: Metrotown, Brentwood, Coquitlam Centre, Richmond Centre, Yaohan Centre in Richmond, Park Royal, Oakridge, Meadowtown, Willowbrook in Langley, Sevenoaks in Abbotsford, Guildford in Surrey, and Morgan Crossing, also in Surrey.
The numbers showed that there were a total of 16,128 crashes at the 12 malls and 1,084 injured victims, including 129 pedestrians.
However, the numbers at individual malls were sharply different, with Metrotown 鈥� which bills itself as the largest shopping centre in B.C. 鈥� showing the highest number of crashes (3,590), the highest number of injured victims (231) and the highest number of pedestrians hurt (32).
A Metrotown official could not be reached for comment.
Park Royal in West 91原创 came second in the ICBC survey, with 2,490 crashes and 182 injuries including 17 pedestrians.
Fatalities for the 12 malls were not provided, although according to police data there were 15 pedestrians killed in parking lots across B.C. between 2008 and 2012.
At the Meadowtown shopping centre in Pitt Meadows, there were 156 accidents between 2008 and 2012, with 50 people injured including four pedestrians.
Jeffrey Witten, a personal injury lawyer at 91原创 law firm McComb Witten who regularly deals with pedestrian injury claims, said earlier that most cases he鈥檚 seen stemming from accidents in parking lots have involved injuries rather than fatalities because speeds aren鈥檛 as great as on the road. But he said the danger shouldn鈥檛 be underestimated.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a free-for-all,鈥� he said, adding that cars are constantly speeding up, slowing down, backing up and pulling in. Pedestrians, as well as other drivers, struggle to predict these rapid changes in velocity and direction.
Witten said parking lots are especially dangerous because people are constantly backing out, which can put pedestrians in the blind spots of drivers.
A 2012 U.S. study looking at pedestrian safety in parking lots concluded that one way to improve matters is to provide a raised dedicated walking aisle between the cars running the length of the parking aisle.
鈥淚n this scenario, motorists can exit their vehicles and proceed to the front of the car where they can access a sidewalk, or more aptly, a centerwalk,鈥� said the report by John Stark of the University at Albany in New York. 鈥淭his pedestrian artery typically leads directly to their destination without any conflict with moving vehicles, except for a crosswalk to access the storefront.鈥�
Painted walkways in parking lots are another way to reduce accidents, the report said, adding that parking lots are often overlooked as a critical intersection that facilitates the transition between two modes of transportation, walking and driving.
鈥淕iven that foot traffic is such an integral part of our economy and way of life, it is a huge oversight of the 20th century that pedestrians in parking lots are largely overlooked, which begs the question: Are parking lots simply parking lots or a place where pedestrians store their cars?鈥�
The report concluded that in designing parking lots, it is important to consider the experience of the drivers as well as pedestrians to facilitate a safe and welcoming shared space. 鈥淲hile 鈥榗enterwalks鈥� still lack design standards and are not yet universal, they help integrate pedestrians into a vehicular landscape and will hopefully be every bit as ubiquitous as parking lots themselves.鈥�
Factbox:
Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby
Crashes: 3,590. Injuries: 231 (32 pedestrians).
Park Royal Shopping Centre, West 91原创
Crashes: 2,490. Injuries: 182 (17 pedestrians).
Guildford Town Centre, Surrey
Crashes: 1,840. Injuries: 134 (14 pedestrians).
Richmond Centre
Crashes: 1,820. Injuries: 64 (15 pedestrians).
Coquitlam Centre
Crashes: 1,610. Injuries: 99 (17 pedestrians).
Willowbrook Shopping Centre, Langley
Crashes: 1,540. Injuries: 160 (11 pedestrians).
Oakridge Centre, 91原创
Crashes: 1,490. Injuries: 89 (10 pedestrians).
Brentwood Town Centre, Burnaby
Crashes: 1,090. Injuries: 53 (five pedestrians).
Yaohan Centre, Richmond
Crashes: 352. Injuries: 13 (four pedestrians).
Meadowtown Shopping Centre, Pitt Meadows
Crashes: 156. Injuries: 50 (four pedestrians).
The Shops at Morgan Crossing, Surrey
Crashes: 118. Injuries: nine.
Sevenoaks Shopping Centre, Abbotsford
Crashes: 32. Injuries: 0.
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