A makeshift memorial has been set up on Birchmount Road in the east end, where a hard-working mother died this week after she was struck by a car while crossing the street.
Amable “Shashi” Rajaratnam was on her way to a second job on Thursday evening, when she got off a TTC bus at Rolark Drive and stepped into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Now, Rajaratnam’s friends and family are pushing for a crosswalk to be installed on the busy stretch of Birchmount between Ellesmere Road and the 401.
There’s always a steady flow of traffic in the area, but from the bus stop at Rolark, it’s a half-kilometre to the closest intersection.
"Walking down there and walking back up - it's easier to cross the street like that - to jaywalk," noted area resident, Urge Urgessa.
Making the situation even more unsafe, visibility has declined considerably now that it gets dark early in the evening.
And with pedestrian deaths making up a growing percentage of traffic fatalities, police are urging people to be aware of their surroundings.
“We are down across the board in virtually every category that we measure road deaths except pedestrians and passengers of cars. The problem is that pedestrians are now representing about 65 per cent of traffic fatalities where it used to be 50 per cent,” explained Sgt. Tim Burrows.
Six pedestrians were injured or killed by vehicles this week, including 16-year-old Woodbridge student Catherine Tran, who died after she was hit by a York Region bus. Two people were hit Saturday afternoon at Britannia Road West and Erin Mills Parkway in Mississauga.
Rajaratnam leaves behind a 24-year-old daughter who lives in Sri Lanka and an elderly mother she helped to support.