By Thia James

PA traffic cause for concern over safety, congestion

Mar 7, 2013 | 5:55 AM

Traffic congestion along major roads in Prince Albert is bleeding onto residential roads, and that’s leading to some concern about safety on the side streets.

Wait times at intersections and heavy vehicle volumes on arterial roads, such as Second Avenue West, are leading drivers to find ways to avoid the growing gridlock. The rising number of cars detouring onto residential streets even has some parents concerned about their children’s safety.

“I’ve gotten calls from people of West Hill on Fourth Avenue. People are racing down Fourth Avenue West as if it is a main thoroughfare. They’re speeding up Sixth Avenue West, as you know. You can go from 15th Street, go all the way up Sixth Avenue West, and you do not have to stop until you get to 28th Street,” Coun. Ted Zurakowski said on Wednesday.

“By the way, you’re going past two schools and a community club,” he said.

Traffic congestion was discussed at Monday evening’s executive committee meeting, with a report from the transportation project manager on the agenda. The councillors voted to refer the matter of traffic flows back to administration. And the city’s traffic problems have brought up concerns about routes to different areas of the city and safety of residents because more people are using alternates.

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Zurakowski has had conversations with parents in the area who do not feel safe crossing Sixth Avenue and Fourth Avenue West with their children. He plans to bring up concerns about Fourth Avenue and speed and safety on Sixth Avenue West, and he has already asked administration to look into crosswalks on Sixth.

Fourth Avenue West is narrower than the main arteries with nearby apartments and residents with parked cars along the street, leading to pressures along that artery, he said. “What we’re seeing is in fact is delivery trucks as well using Fourth Avenue West to get to and from their businesses because they are avoiding Second Avenue.”

Traffic counts in recent years have shown that traffic on Fourth Avenue West is increasing. Zurakowski said the sooner Marquis Road can be extended out towards the Alfred Jenkins Field House it would alleviate a lot of pressure. “The people who are going to the west, they’re not taking Second Avenue. They’re coming on Fourth.”

But Fourth Avenue West isn’t the only area affected by heavier traffic flows. With a new development along Central Avenue south on Southwood Drive, the increase in residential growth has led to an increase in the amount of traffic in the area, he said.

“And that’s led to pressure on Central Avenue and 28th [Street],” he said.

His ward neighbours Coun. Mark Tweidt’s ward, where congestion at intersections was the subject of an inquiry forwarded to the public works department during the Jan. 28 council meeting.

Residents in his ward find it difficult to get into the East Hill because Second Avenue West and Sixth Avenue East are so busy and the only way to get up along Central Avenue or First Avenue, Twiedt said on Wednesday.

“It’s really, really frustrating to get up into the East Hill area because, of course, there is no Second, Third, Fourth or Fifth Avenue [East] access. So if you turn on Sixth, the lineups are so doggone long that it’s really tough to get onto Sixth,” he said.

It’s very much a driver headache, Tweidt said. “The biggest thing is Cornerstone has no access other than 15th Avenue and Sixth Avenue [East]. So it’s such a busy area, that that whole glut now ties up Sixth Avenue and 15th and then it ties up Second Avenue and there is no way to ever alleviate that because the golf course is on the one side and the other side is the fair grounds.”

To that end, he requested a review of the timing of the traffic light at 28th Street and Central Avenue and about consideration of a left turn arrow at the intersection of Central Avenue and First Avenue West to alleviate traffic congestion at 15th Street and Second Avenue West.

The report by transportation project manager Keri Sexsmith found the problem at 28th Street and Central Avenue is not with the timing plan, but with intersection capacity. She said a left turn arrow would not solve the problem because there isn’t a dedicated turning lane. She did, however, offer three alternative options, including an “upgrade” of the intersection, which would involve acquiring surrounding property.

Where the congestion along 15th Street West is concerned, Sexsmith’s report states that a review and study “determined that a left turn arrow would not be appropriate as it would not alleviate traffic congestion at other main intersections.”

“I’m still not totally satisfied with the response from public works,” Coun. Martin Ring said during the meeting. “We have to find a different way then to get this to work, whether it means adjusting the timing at a couple of other intersections further down , this has been brought up to me once again by the people that are on the road.”

He said there just seems to be a wait at each of the two clogged intersections. “What we consider a wait here perhaps in a larger centre, not that big a deal. But it’s a wait here in Prince Albert… I guess maybe that’s what we perhaps have to come to grips with as well.”

And city manager Robert Cotterill agreed. “I think we have to look at how larger jurisdictions do traffic.”

He suggested a two-lane turning option for certain intersections, which would require a change to some of the traffic arms.

“I honestly believe you have to take a Toronto approach, or a Calgary or an Edmonton, to this intersection to get it to move… We don’t have enough stacking room and if you can’t do it on stacking, the only other choice you’ve got is to have instead of one lane turning, two.”

Public works director Colin Innes said he had expected the report to recommend the removal of some traffic lights, during the meeting. “That’s certainly something that we can still continue to look at if that’s what council would like.”

There’ll be a broad review of different areas where traffic flow can be sped up, Tweidt said. Drivers have voiced their frustrations to him, and he said the traffic flow problem will only get worse.

“I’m just trying to look at a way to maybe fix it before it gets too bad.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames