Know Your Neighbour: Ulric Singh
THE GREEN LINE
VIDEO STORY
Know Your Neighbour: ULRIC SINGH
Longtime crossing guard Ulric Singh describes what his job entails and what the city can do to make crossings safer for pedestrians.
Ulric Singh helps pedestrian cross the street with his stop sign and whistle to help ensure they don't get hit by cars.
: Chun He/The Green Line.
Chun he
Immigration lawyer keen to amplify marginalized perspectives. Lover of coffee and biking in heavy traffic. Raised in the GTA and newcomer to Kensington Market.
August 27, 2024
This video was produced by a youth journalist who participated in The Green Line's Alexandra Park Youth Journalism program in partnership with Scadding Court Community Centre. It's part of the series "Know Your Neighbour," which profiles the people and places important to community members in Alexandra Park, Kensington Market and Chinatown.
Have you ever felt unsafe crossing the busy intersections near Bathurst Street and Dundas Street West? You're not alone.
Pedestrian safety was one of the top 10 issues raised by community members surveyed by The Green Line over the course of three months at our community newsroom and engagement outpost located in Scadding Court Community Centre's Market 707. Many locals shared concerns over the need for more crosswalks and streetlights. One person noted that they have had numerous close-calls while passing through the area.
“There are no dedicated bike lanes, and cars are always trying to park, so I almost got hit twice at Dundas and Bathurst,” one survey respondent said.
Despite its small geographic size, a traffic safety map of the Alexandra Park neighbourhood (via the City of Toronto's Vizion Zero mapping tool) shows numerous incidents that resulted in serious injuries over the past five years.
In September 2020, a cyclist was struck in a fatal accident at the intersection of Dundas Street West and Denison Avenue.
To see how one solution is working for a neighbouring community, The Green Line spoke with Ulric Singh, a crossing guard who's worked in the Annex for over five years.
Singh explains that his role only involves helping people cross the street; he has no control over the cars. Sometimes, speeding drivers almost hit him or the people he's helping to cross.
"It's very unsafe for the public, and I try my best to keep everyone safe. But there is only so much I can do with a four-way crossing," he explains.
Singh says police attention, cameras, proper stop lights, and more control over traffic are small things that could help make crossings safer.
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