This looks strange. The pole is still standing but the city has removed the traffic lights that were attached to it. This intersection and four others have seen the end of the red, amber and green. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

lights out

Traffic lights removed in P.A. downtown

Aug 23, 2019 | 8:21 AM

Driving around Prince Albert’s downtown just got easier.

Five sets of traffic lights designated by the city for removal have now been taken down. The support poles were still up, but they’re now missing their red, amber and green light boxes.

Three of the sets were on Central Avenue: at 11^th Street, 13^th Street and 14^th Street. The other sets were at First Avenue E. and W. at 12th Street. Temporary stop signs are currently in place for the cross traffic at those intersections.

The lights were taken out after a study found these intersections saw relatively little potential vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian interactions and conflicts at peak hour. Many on city council, and the mayor in particular, want Prince Albert’s abundance of traffic lights to be reduced. The city has far more of them compared to similar-sized communities.

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The removal of the devices came after the final approval given by city council on Monday. However, some councillors were against removing all five sets based on concerns for pedestrian safety, especially in light of the new University of Saskatchewan campus opening next year at the corner of Central Avenue and 11^th Street W. Over 300 students plus up to another 70 faculty and staff will be based there.

“I wouldn’t want this turning into an issue like we have at the Carlton [High School] crossing where we have a lot of pedestrians in one area and here we’ve taken away the controlled intersection right at that corner,” Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp said.

The crossroads at intersections where traffic lights have been removed now have temporary stop signs. There are some concerns this corner opposite the U of S campus may need a controlled intersection once all the students and staff are in place. (Glenn Hicks/paNOW Staff)

She and Coun. Charlene Miller also asked why the traffic lights could not rather be removed during the future downtown streetscape rejuvenation project, but Coun.Ted Zurakowski reminded them the budget for that hadn’t yet been approved and it could theoretically still be a decade away.

“That [argument] is a bit of a red herring,” Zurakowski said. “I think this is the right move as indicated by our administration who have studied this. As the university evolves, if the traffic patterns change and we need to put a light there it won’t be a cost, we’ll just put it [back] up.”

Mayor Greg Dionne was fully behind the removal of all five sets of lights and suggested some of the concerns about pedestrian safety were misplaced.

“We don’t like change but if change doesn’t happen we don’t move forward,” he said. “When it comes to pedestrians, I dodge more pedestrians in between the controlled intersections than I do at the intersections. We don’t have a jaywalking bylaw and on Central Avenue when they decide to cross they cross, they don’t go to the corners. I think it [will be] a learning curve.”

paNOW observed the early behaviour at the interactions this week. Not surprisingly motorists slowed down on Central Avenue when approaching the unfamiliar set-up and vehicles respected the stop signs.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow