Motorists yielding too close to a crosswalk may obscure the view of motorists traveling in adjacent lanes and could result in pedestrians being struck in the crosswalk.

In response to this, the City of Kamloops, through its Safer City program piloted a new traffic control device consisting of a "Yield Here To Pedestrians" sign and marking at the following locations:

• Westsyde Road @ Settlement Road;
• Westsyde Road @ Overlander Road;
• Columbia Street @ 500 block.

The "Yield Here To Pedestrians" sign and marking prompts motorists to yield at least 10 metres from the crosswalk improving pedestrian safety by increasing the sight distance between the pedestrian and the motorist approaching in the adjacent lane, and by reducing the potential of a vehicle striking the yielding vehicle from behind and pushing it into a pedestrian who is in the crosswalk.

In order to properly evaluate and determine the effectiveness of this new traffic control device, City staff observed motorist yielding distances at each of the three locations prior to the installation of the devices. Now that the devices are in place, City staff will study the effectiveness of the new device in increasing pedestrian safety. Based on the results, these traffic control devices may be implemented at other crosswalks throughout the City.