The city plans to install curb extensions in several problematic intersections and crosswalks in Grandin. Residents of Grandin got a first look at traffic calming and pedestrian safety measures for their neighbourhood on Thursday evening. Transportation manager for the City of St. Albert Dean Schick said that the changes are set to tackle speed, pedestrian safety and intersection control.The plan aims slow down traffic and make pedestrians more visible to drivers. Andrej Culen, a resident who lives near the Grosvener Blvd. and Grenfell Ave. intersection, said that he has been wanting traffic calming measures in the community for years and is happy to see the city take action. Culen and his neighbours have been asking the city to install measures to slow drivers because of the dangerous driving they see in front of their homes. Culen and many of his neighbours would like to see a three-way stop installed at the intersection. “The biggest concern is for kids to cross safely,” Culen said. The city plans to install curb extensions at the Y-intersection as well as at three crosswalks in the nearby area along with installing rapid flashing crosswalk lights. Schick said that the extensions help make the pedestrian more visible, put the pedestrian in the roadway for a shorter amount of time and slow down drivers. Concrete barriers to create temporary curb extensions at the Y-intersection will be installed in the next few weeks and a more permanent solution will be installed during the next construction season. Changes to the crosswalks will be done during the next construction season. Schick said that the city assessed the intersection in 2015 and 2016 to see if traffic volumes met the criteria for a three-way stop to be installed. It was found that traffic volumes were not high enough to warrant the installation of the three-way stop and instead the city decided to go forward with curb extensions. “There is nothing that is being taken off the table. At the end of the day here we are all after the exact same thing: to improve safety. If this does not result in improvements then clearly something else needs to be done,” Schick said. The crosswalk where the young cyclist, Darian Mar, was killed earlier this year after a collision with a van has been moved and will feature curb extensions. The crosswalk will soon align with the Grandin Clubhouse entrance rather than align with the alley coming from Sir George Simpson Junior High. The change will also see the crosswalk connect to the Red Willow Trails. To see all of the changes visit the city of St. Albert website and search for “Grandin traffic calming."
