City manager Kevin Scoble has cautioned council about overriding administrative decisions made with professional engineering standards in mind.
But that didn’t stop council from debating a motion about a three-way stop that administration said was unwarranted, and ultimately passing a motion requiring more consultation with affected Grandin residents before doing planned intersection-safety work.
“I would not recommend stepping outside establish standards and putting things in that are not warranted,” Scoble said, adding if council wanted another opinion the appropriate course would be to hire an independent engineer to provide recommendations.
The issue arose March 6 as council debated Coun. Bob Russell’s motion to put in a three-way stop sign at the intersection of Grosvenor Boulevard and Grenfell Avenue, a Y-intersection that area residents have long said is problematic.
Resident Philip Guile, who said he has lived at that corner for three decades, told council there are regular issues and near-misses at that corner as drivers are unsure of who has the right of way – currently there’s a stop sign on Grenfell Avenue, giving through-traffic on Grosvenor the right of way.
“Over the years there have been many vehicle collisions, pedestrian injuries, vehicles hitting lights poles and ending up on my front lawn and other people’s front lawns.”
Transportation manager Dean Schick explained there are specific accepted engineering standards for when a three-way stop is warranted, which are not met in this particular location. Instead, he said the city is looking to do curb extensions to enhance pedestrian safety and also influence drivers to slow down in the area.
While council heeded administration’s advice and defeated the motion to put in the three-way stop, it unanimously approved Coun. Cam MacKay’s motion to go back to consult with residents about the curb extensions planned for 2017 as a pedestrian-safety and traffic-calming measure.
“I really don’t like those things myself,” MacKay said. “You kind of get wedged into the guy next to you, you’re running over the curbs when you’re making a turn in the winter.”
Schick said much of the curb-extension work planned for 2017 aligns with the Safe Journeys to School initiative and is mostly focused on areas near schools, but he emphasized traffic safety is a long-term city-wide initiative.
While planning work is happening at about two dozen locations, the specific locations where construction is expected in 2017 is yet to be finalized – but Schick said the work on Grosvenor is expected to go ahead this year.
In looking at the best solutions for concerns at any given site, he said there are several considerations, including land-use around the area, proximity to schools and playgrounds, and collision data when determining whether pedestrian-safety improvements or traffic-calming measures are warranted, and what residents are saying.
Schick said resident reports of general traffic-safety concerns in an area, and reports of any near misses, is a key component of the city’s decision-making process in assessing problem areas.
Residents who have safety concerns about a specific pedestrian crossing, roadway or intersection can contact city staff.
These types of reports have been significant in determining locations where curb-extension work is necessary to enhance pedestrian safety and also to calm traffic.
Curb extensions bring the sidewalk out into the parking lane of the road, creating better sight lines between pedestrians and drivers. Several were installed in 2016, and can be seen near the schools along Sunset and Fairview boulevards.
“These are highly used in terms of vulnerable road users with kids crossing and whatnot,” Schick said.
Residents with specific traffic-safety concerns can report them to Schick by sending an email to [email protected].
