Vehicle crashes into business at east Hamilton intersection — 9th collision there this year: police

When Judith Sloan was jolted awake at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday by a call from police telling her a car had crashed into her Ottawa Street North business, she says she wasn't overly surprised.

Vehicles have crashed into buildings at the irregular Ottawa-Cannon intersection several times before, including at the exact same location as Sloan's Poke Co., but back when it was a coffee shop in 2020, said Sloan.

That coffee shop, The Cannon, moved to another corner of the intersection this year, but its new location was hit by a car in August and its windows are still boarded up, she said. 

"Pedestrians are almost hit crossing the intersection daily," Sloan said. "It is not a very well designed intersection but ultimately drivers are not paying attention." 

Hamilton police say it's the ninth motor vehicle collision in or near the intersection this year alone. There have been 29 incidents since 2018. 

Police were called to the most recent crash at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, said spokesperson Indy Bharaj. The driver didn't sustain any injuries and police continue to investigate. 

The building remains structurally sound, but damages are estimated to be about $10,000, he said.

Sloan said while the crash "certainly did a number" on their Halloween window art, she's got plans to add colour to the plywood that's currently boarding up a smashed window.

The intersection sits on the boundary between wards 3 and 4. Coun. Nrinder Nann (Ward 3) said in a social media post she's been pushing for over a year for the city to make the intersection, which is on an angle, safer. 

City staff have completed a review and had installed "enhanced markings" before the latest collision, Nann said. She says more work is underway.

This month and next, the city will be doing the "most significant changes" to prevent vehicles from driving onto sidewalks, said Mike Field, a transportation operations manager. These measures include changing traffic signals and adding barriers and bollards, as well as realigning pedestrian crossings.