Protesters gather at Saanich intersection where child was struck by car

The protesters gathered at the intersection of Shelbourne Street and San Juan Avenue to protest what they say is a lack of safety for children and other community members who walk or ride in Saanich. (CTV News)

Protesters held a rally Wednesday morning at a Saanich, B.C., intersection where a child walking to school was struck by a car and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The protesters gathered at the intersection of Shelbourne Street and San Juan Avenue to protest what they say is a lack of safety for children and other community members who walk or ride in Saanich.

"My message to local leaders, drivers, law enforcement, and community members is simple,” said Elise Cote, the rally’s organizer. “No more child death. It is unacceptable that children cannot get around safely, and we must treat this issue as the crisis that it is."

Protesters are asking Saanich’s new mayor and council to take bold action to address road safety with improved infrastructure, reduced speed limits, and improved enforcement when pedestrians and other road users are injured or killed.

"I think for a lot of folks they recognize that there are badly needed road safety improvements that are going to make life much safer for people using the road," Saanich mayor-elect Dean Murdock said following the crash Tuesday.

"Those young kids that are trying to get to school safely, I think we can all agree that those kinds of improvements should be a priority."

Murdock said he will examine data collected by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) about what intersections and areas are at a higher risk of crashes or near-misses.

Trimming trees, narrowing intersections and adding additional lights are a few quick and low-cost options Murdock suggested could be looked at to improve road safety.