Pedestrians are more likely to get hit by a car walking in poor neighbourhoods than affluent ones, according to new research published by the Montreal Public Health Department.

The discrepancy can be explained by a relative scarcity of traffic calming measures in low-income areas, researchers at the department concluded.

The findings highlight a pressing need to improve street and light design, said Dr. Louis Drouin, head of environment and health with the city department.

At least five pedestrians are involved in traffic accidents every day in Montreal, mostly at intersections, and the rate is on the rise, Drouin said.

Between 1998 and 2003 the number of pedestrian traffic accidents climbed by 17 per cent.

The province has a great opportunity to incorporate the study's findings in the new round of highway renovations announced earlier this week, Drouin said.

Montreal's executive committee already has a municipal plan to make intersections safer.

Montreal will spend $9 million this spring to improve the city's most dangerous intersections by widening sidewalks and installing countdown lights at pedestrian crossings, in a bid to "decrease significantly the number of accidents," said André Lavallée, who is in charge of urban planning with Montréal's executive committee.

The plan will also introduce clearly marked turning lanes for cars at intersections where they don't already exist. About 500 intersections will eventually get a makeover as part of the decade-long  plan, at the rate of 450 a year, Lavallée said.