Sudbury adds fence along Brady Street to improve pedestrian safety

A new safety feature along a busy street in downtown Sudbury is catching the attention of drivers and pedestrians.

A fence now divides traffic on Brady Street, between Paris and Minto Streets, running parallel to the police station and Tom Davies Square.

A fence now divides traffic on Brady Street, between Paris and Minto Streets, running parallel to the police station and Tom Davies Square. (Photo from video)

David Knutson, the city’s acting manager of transportation and innovation, said the goal is to improve safety.

"It’s aimed to improve pedestrian safety along that section of Brady Street," Knutson said.

"Despite the three controlled pedestrian crossings that we have, a number of pedestrians are still choosing to cross mid-block along the roadway. So, the fence was installed to help direct pedestrians to one of these three controlled crossings to help improve pedestrian safety."

Some pedestrians admitted to CTV News off camera they would likely still find a way to jaywalk across the street.

Knutson said he understands there might be some frustration with pedestrians having to walk a little further to use a controlled crosswalk, but said it's the safest way.

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"In 2023, unfortunately a pedestrian was struck and fatally injured along that stretch," he said.

"We looked back a number of years and it seems that was the only major incident we had but there is still a number of mid-block crossings. Any time you have a mid-block crossing like that, it increases the number of conflict points between pedestrians and vehicles which can lead to a collision."

The new fence takes up a good portion of the median, including a spot well-known for panhandling.

The city installed a similar fence along Elm Street near the transit terminal and the downtown mall, which Knutson said helped to reduce pedestrian issues.