Widow of pedestrian hit and killed on Elbow Drive supports crosswalk changes

Widow looks to city to increase safety measures The wife of a Calgary man who was struck and killed crossing a southwest intersection is calling for the city to take action.

"He was my best friend, he was that one-in-a-million that I’ll never have again, and I was so lucky to meet him."

Those are the words of Stina Lindenblatt, who tragically lost her husband Ralph Lindenblatt on the night of Nov. 27.

The 56-year-old was hit by two vehicles while crossing the Elbow Drive in a marked crosswalk at 61 Avenue S.W.

"It was the night of my birthday," Stina said. "We were going to celebrate the next day because our kids had activities that night, but we didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye."

Ralph had taken his daughter to Chinook Centre and was waiting to pick his son up from band practice.

Stina says he decided to go for a walk because he disliked hanging around at shopping malls.

While crossing Elbow Drive at around 7:30 p.m., he was hit by a southbound Ford Escape

The driver of the Ford Escape – a woman in her 80s – stopped to help, but Ralph was hit a second time by a southbound Pontiac Vibe driven by a woman in her 70s.

He was pronounced dead on scene.

Stina says her husband loved hiking in the mountains, spending time with close friends, and donating to several causes in his community that he cared about deeply.

"Ralph was funny, amazingly supportive, he was quiet, but always there for his family and his friends. He was the best father to our three children and our entire support system."

She echoes concerns brought forward by community members who say the intersection where Ralph was killed is a problematic one.

"My husband had a flashlight with him to let others know that he was crossing, but that wasn’t enough," said Stina.

"If there had been flashing lights installed there, I would hope the woman would have stopped for him, and then he would have been safely across."

Petition for flashing lights

The Meadowlark Park Community Association has launched an online petition calling for flashing lights to be installed at the crosswalk at Elbow Drive and 61 Avenue.

Community spokesperson Amanda Lovig Hagg says the call to action has now garnered more than 300 signatures over the course of a week.

She notes that the four lanes of busy traffic on Elbow Drive make it a hazard for pedestrians during morning and evening rush-hour periods when there is less visibility for drivers.

"I’ve seen so many near misses here and there’s been very serious accidents, it’s dangerous in the dark and so many cars speed here and don’t obey the limit," said Lovig Hagg.

"I have received tons of complaints and anecdotal comments and stories from people submitting request for change here. It’s been top of mind for years, but our councillor, Kourtney Penner, has just brushed it aside."

Calgary conducting mobility study

Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner, who represents Meadowlark Park, confirmed to CTV News that the city will commission a mobility study in the coming weeks for the Elbow Drive and 61 Avenue S.W. intersection.

She said a fulsome review is protocol anytime a fatal incident occurs, but notes this isn’t the first time city workers have studied this intersection.

"There was a study done not that long ago in 2018 from some complaints back then, and the pedestrian count didn't warrant traffic lights at that time, and the incident reporting didn't warrant it that time either," she said.

"Even at our office, we've received two emails over three years, and the 311, data isn't showing a lot of reporting all of those things get taken into account when we look at intersection safety.

Penner estimates that the average cost of flashing lights sits around $80,000, while the cost for a full set of traffic lights can be anywhere from $300,000 to $350,000.

"I can tell you, in the evening, it's a well lit intersection, the light standards are right over top, pretty much at the intersection," said Penner.

"So, it is a long intersection and that’s not to say that we're not going to do anything, we just have to match the investment with the volumes that are there."

That response, however, is not what people like Stina were hoping to hear.

"If they had those lights, this wouldn't have happened," she said.

"Those lights aren't going to bring my husband back, but if they had been there, I wouldn't have lost him."

"He is a human being, he's not a statistic. I hope city council and those people never have to go through what I did, including the witnesses, the people who were actually involved in the accident, all of our lives have been changed forever. It's not a number, it's humanity."