REGINA, Sask. — Regina city council is calling for stronger protections for pedestrians and cyclists after a series of collisions left people dead and injured, directing administration to develop a citywide action plan while bringing forward any immediate safety changes as soon as possible.
The motion, co-sponsored by councillors Shanon Zachidniak and Victoria Flores, passed 7-4 at council’s Oct. 28 meeting. It followed at least 14 collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, cyclists or e-bike riders between Sept. 18 and Oct. 8, including two fatalities, according to information presented to council.
Zachidniak said she was aware of at least 16 incidents involving vulnerable road users.
“I can’t remember, in my six years on council, ever seeing anything close to those numbers in the past,” Zachidniak said. “I think it is our responsibility as city council to demonstrate that we recognize these significant, growing safety concerns and that we are going to act on it.”
Her comments reflect the urgency behind the motion, which asks the city’s Vision Zero and Complete Streets team to work with road safety partners on a Pedestrian and Cyclist Protection Strategy Action Plan. The plan is to return to council for consideration in the third quarter of 2027.
The action plan is expected to assess policy, regulations, education, engineering and enforcement measures. It is also to be informed by collision data and research into factors contributing to serious injuries and deaths, with priority given to measures that could prevent crashes or reduce their severity.
The timeline, however, leaves a gap between the immediate concern and the arrival of a comprehensive strategy. That is why the motion also asks administration to bring forward any immediate policy changes requiring council approval at the earliest opportunity.
Regina police Insp. Jason Gunderson told council that collisions involving vulnerable road users typically peak in August, September and October. He also said the recent cluster, including 10 incidents in 10 days, was an outlier.
The seasonal trend may help explain when risks tend to rise, but it does not establish a single cause for the recent crashes. Mayor Chad Bachynski said there was no specific factor he could point to as responsible for the recent stretch of incidents.
“There’s not something specific to point to from this stretch that we’ve had,” Bachynski said, describing it as an “unfortunate stretch” of collisions.
He said the Vision Zero framework, combined with the new motion, should help the city focus on initiatives that can make streets safer. Regina adopted its Vision Zero Safety Framework in 2024 with the goal of eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.
The new motion does not approve a specific road redesign, enforcement campaign or signal change. Instead, it directs administration to examine options and return with recommendations. Potential measures could involve crossings, intersection design, traffic signals, signs, education or enforcement, depending on what the review finds.
That means residents should not expect every risk to be addressed immediately. But the instruction to bring forward urgent changes gives administration a route to propose action before the full strategy is ready.
The eventual plan will need to address not only collisions involving moving vehicles, but the wider street environment that determines whether people can move around independently and safely.
The next step is for city administration and its partners to develop recommendations based on the available evidence. Council will then have to decide which changes to adopt, how they will be funded and how progress will be measured.
