The College of New Caledonia Students' Union is seeking signatures for a petition to urge the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to look at ways to prevent this week's death of a student on Highway 97 from ever happening again.
Sandeep Kaur died Wednesday from injuries suffered when she was struck by a vehicle on Highway 97 between 22nd and 18th Avenues. A sidewalk leading to what was once a bus stop and a well-used crossing point where Kaur was struck has since been blocked off.
No particular solution is being proposed in the petition, CNCSU organizer Harman Dandiwal said.
"At this point, we'll just leave it to the experts," he said Friday. "There was an idea of an overpass or something because this is a popular spot but that depends on if it's even feasible, so we're looking to the Transportation Ministry to do some quick research and come up with a solution because they're the experts in this field."
Walkers can cross at a set of traffic lights at 22nd Avenue about 100 feet to the south.
"It's a bit of a loop for some students to go to the intersection, use it, and then enter CNC so some students, I guess, they just cross it through the highway," Dandiwal said.
A candlelight vigil in Kaur's memory is scheduled for this evening in the Gathering Place, 6-8 p.m. Parking will be free, Dandiwal added.
And a road safety orientation event is being planned for sometime next week to give students points on pedestrian safety including ways to avoid distracted walking.
"A lot of students, they have their headphones on or they're on the phone," Dandiwal said. "It's just good to take that extra moment and look around, then cross the highway."
