Driving around this city, one cannot help but notice the growing number of makeshift memorials -- floral arrangements tied to utility posts.

These flowers usually represent a place where tragedy occurred -- often a motor fatality. In my neighbourhood alone there is no shortage of these floral fixtures.

A horrific fatality happened in November at the corner of King Street East and Gage Avenue. Matthew Power, 21, was killed by alleged street racers. His body was cut in half by the brutality of the accident.

I drive by that spot on a regular basis and as I do so, I get knots in my stomach as I visualize the tragedy. I imagine the pain and the grief that family members are enduring, especially his mother.

Last week, an elderly woman was killed at Main and Prospect, just a block from my house. This 68-year-old woman was apparently crossing Main Street when she was hit by a vehicle. She died in hospital from the injuries.

In February, another man was fatally struck by a pickup truck as he tried crossing Main East at Park Row, between Ottawa Street and Kenilworth Avenue.

In March, two more Hamiltonians lost their lives when they were stuck by vehicles. Kaupo Hansmann, 82, of Flatt Avenue died after he was struck by a car while crossing Aberdeen Avenue. James Lockard, 55, was killed after being hit by a car while crossing King Street at Cochrane.

The growing number of pedestrian fatalities ought to concern us all. Those of us who drive need to become more mindful of pedestrians. Police attribute the growing fatalities to the fact that pedestrians are not using designated controlled crosswalks. They also recommend that pedestrians wear lighter coloured clothing.

But will that solve the growing carnage of pedestrians in our city?

As a runner, I have come close to being hit many times by motor vehicles despite the fact that I wear reflective strips on my running gear. The problem becomes more pronounced when I am running on a one-way street. Drivers tend to look in one direction only as they approach a one-way street.

Speed is a major factor in fatalities. The faster a vehicle is driven the more deadly it can be if an accident occurs. According to researchers Richard Gilbert and Catherine O'Brien in their 2005 report Child- and Youth-Friendly Land Use and Transport Planning Guidelines ... the risk of death increases exponentially with increasing speed. Below 25 kilometres an hour, the death rate rapidly approaches zero.

Living in a high traffic neighbourhood like Main Street East, I know street racers take advantage of the late-night flashing yellow traffic lights. The street becomes an unencumbered path for speeding.

I have often wished for police officers to sit at the intersections and "get" those speeding motorists. (Then, perhaps, we would have enough fines revenue to cover the cost of our social services.)

But that is perhaps not the best way to reduce speed. For several years, a dedicated group of Hamiltonians have been pushing for a safer city. They believe this will be achieved not through increased enforcement, but through engineering. They would like to see more two-way traffic flow, narrow lanes, non-synchronized traffic lights and tree-lined roadways.

With the growing number of pedestrian fatalities in this city, it is time street safety moved to the top of the public agenda.

Freelance columnist Evelyn Myrie lives in Hamilton.