I am sure that anyone who has spent any amount of time (and you can spend a lot!) has felt a certain amount of frustration regarding the inefficiency of the current traffic light system on Highway 2, whether passing through St. Albert, or trying to get on or off the highway.
There would seem to be a relatively easy solution, and that is to lengthen the cycle of lights during peak traffic hours. A couple of bottlenecks that are created by insufficient left turn times are at St. Albert Trail, southbound turning onto Boudreau; and Giroux east-bound turning north onto St. Albert Trail. In both instances, because of the duration of the left turn signal is not long enough, you have a situation where vehicles waiting to turn left effectively block the inside lane, which then reduces the road to one lane. As a result massive backups occur.
Another disaster is the short turn off St. Albert Trail by Canadian Western Bank. Because of backups for several blocks north, some people are tempted to cross the highway usually waived on by well-meaning people. Of course, anyone travelling down the third lane is at risk of colliding with the party crossing. I witnessed an accident there this week. Wait – I know – let's just put another traffic light there, and slow down things some more! Better still, I think the city should give serious consideration to removing that road. Sure you would have to drive a little further north to make your left turn, and of course that left turn signal would need adjusting as well.
Furthermore, what has happened to the countdown lights at intersections? Were they too efficient?
Or maybe we could just rename the road. How about St. Albert Wagon Trail?
Steve Knobbe, St. Albert
