Barrhead to become a two traffic light town

Town of Barrhead drivers will have to bone up on the rules of regarding four-way stops, at least if they plan to drive on Main Street (51 Avenue).

On May 14, councillors unanimously voted to remove the town’s stop lights at the intersection of 51 Avenue and 50 Street.

Public works estimate the cost to convert the intersection to a four-way stop will be about $2,000 and will include the costs of installing the signs, sidewalk repair and the proper removal of existing traffic lights. Work on the project will begin this summer.

In the information package, it notes the existing lights are an old design and are becoming increasingly difficult to repair due to the availability of parts.

Mayor Dave McKenzie said that regardless of the maintenance issue the traffic lights pose a significant safety hazard.

“Especially with the lack of pedestrian lights,” he said. “I have seen pedestrians get caught in the middle of the intersection or they don’t know when they should start to walk across because there is no timing indicator when the lights are about to change.”

H noted most modern traffic lights have a delay built into them before changing from red to green allowing people to clear the intersection.

However, he said perhaps the most significant safety issue is the location, of the lights which are on poles on the sidewalk, rather than above of the driving lanes.

“I have talked to people who come into town for meetings and have gone right through the lights not realizing they are there,” McKenzie said. “And if we decided to replace them we are talking about a big ticket item.”

Coun. Don Smith agreed, adding it was better to replace the lights on their schedule than wait until they suffer a catastrophic failure.

Coun. Dausen Kluin supported the move but said a public education campaign needs to go hand-in-hand with the change in the intersection’s operation.

“Make sure everyone is aware of how a four-way stop works. Who is in the right, who’s in the wrong,” he said.

McKenzie agreed, adding drivers should already be aware of the rules of the road, but there are steps they can take to make drivers and pedestrians more aware of their responsibilities.

Although Coun. Ty Assaf, supported the change, he suggesting summer is the wrong time to make the change, citing traffic congestion concerns, especially during peak times.

“You go there during lunch hour, you are going to have a lot of traffic backed up waiting for pedestrians crossing from all directions to clear,” he said.

McKenzie disagreed with Assaf, saying summer was the best time to make the change, noting construction is not something you wanted to do in the winter. Also, having the traffic lights located where they are now are more of a hazard in the summer.

“If there is a heightened danger, it is going to be in the summer when people visit our community and don’t know where our lights are so they blow through the intersection. With a four-way stop, if pedestrians and motorists do what they are supposed to do traffic flows smoothly,” he said.

McKenzie also noted Stony Plain is a much larger community, but  does not have one set of traffic lights on their Main Street and traffic seems to flow quite well.

He also hopes the introduction of a four-way stop will encourage pedestrians to cross at an intersection instead of jaywalking.

“And it’s not like four-way stops are uncommon. It is something they are already used to and with a little bit of education and possibly enforcement, they have the potential to improve the traffic flow,” McKenzie said.