Have you ever been hit by a bus? Unfortunately a few weeks ago I had that experience – not a particularly pleasant one! I was rear-ended by a school bus on the Anthony Henday. I was hit so hard that both the school bus and my little truck were thrown across two lanes of traffic onto the shoulder. Despite the fact that my truck was folded up like an accordion and my golf clubs were like pretzels, I walked away virtually unscathed. But that’s not the story.
The story I want to tell is about construction zones and the clutter of barricades, safety pylons, speed zone signs and warnings about double fines for speeding. I don’t dispute the need for these signs and the safety zones around construction sites. I worked on construction sites in my younger days and know very well the hazards that construction workers face on a constant basis.
My concern is that construction signage is becoming totally unreasonable, with signs and speed zones commencing several kilometres back from the actual construction site. The cynic in me wonders if the problem isn’t really that some sign contractor is getting paid based on the number of signs placed and the length of time they remain. In particular, I and other drivers get particularly upset when we arrive at the construction site after having obeyed all of the warning signs and there is no evidence of any construction whatsoever. And very often the construction is so far removed from the traffic lanes that the need for any restrictions are questionable.
So what’s my point? My point is that the proliferation of signage when no construction activity is taking place causes drivers to become complacent. After driving through so many of these fake construction zones they begin to ignore the signs expecting that there is no construction and when they then come upon a real construction site they have to take immediate action, often causing pile-ups and serious accidents. This scenario often creates a greater hazard than the construction itself.
That appears to be what happened in my case a few weeks ago, where there was a real construction zone and vehicles were backed up such that drivers had to stop immediately on short notice causing a chain reaction of rear-end collisions. It then only takes one driver who is not paying strict attention to the road, or heaven forbid they are texting or talking on their cellphone, and you have a very serious pile-up, often with major property damage and/or serious injury or even fatal consequences.
So what’s the problem and what’s the solution? In Alberta we have two seasons – winter and construction season, and there is a lot of construction that must be completed while the weather is favourable. Construction must be efficient but we also need to be cognizant of traffic efficiency as well as safety.
Signage is important but it must be meaningful. We do not need excessive signage. The signage that is required must be located strategically and it should be removed or hooded when no construction is taking place. If workers are not working in the traffic areas, the speed zones need not be overly restrictive. Similarly, traffic enforcement should be concentrated in construction zones only when speed restrictions are necessary.
Above all, both contractors and drivers need to be reasonable and treat each other with respect and we’ll all be safer for it.
Ken Allred is a former St. Albert alderman and MLA.
