I am writing in response to your article “Drivers give feedback on traffic calming solutions” (Gazette, July 1). In it Tim Saunders was quoted as saying he was in favour of Ebony Way being extended (as proposed by Landrex) so as to take pressure off of Everitt Drive. This, to me, is just a shell game ... moving traffic from one street to another. It does nothing to reduce the overall volume. Not mentioned is that both Ebony and Everitt empty onto Erin Ridge Drive, which also has houses and driveways fronting onto it. Do you think those people will care if the traffic zipping by their doors came off of Ebony, or off of Everitt?
Where is the discussion on how to reduce the traffic on Erin Ridge Drive itself? Or Eldorado? These are used more and more to bypass St. Albert Trail, and are the only roads that connect onto Bellerose Drive directly. They are meant to be collector roads ... yet are turning into arterials from all the short-cutting traffic.
They not only go past numerous houses and driveways, they pass a school, a seniors complex (that houses a daycare) and a hospital. This is where my neighbour Sandy was hit as a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk; a crosswalk that gets used by schoolchildren every day to get to their bus stop.
One block away is another busy crosswalk that the daycare group uses to head to the playground; the Ecole Tache students use to get to McDonald's, etc.; and the seniors (many of whom are mobility-challenged) use to access the Red Willow Trail. Not to mention hospital and Citadel staff getting to their parked cars. This is not an area that can handle more traffic. And yet that's what the result will be if the city allows Landrex to extend Ebony, and allows short-cutters easy access to the busy commercial/retail area in Erin Ridge North.
Extending Ebony might result in a decrease in traffic on Everitt, short term. But I would argue that once Jensen Lakes is built out (conveniently right across the highway from Everitt), and Sturgeon County has developed that large piece of land north of Costco – not to mention the build-out of the commercial/retail site itself – the traffic volume will be right up there again on Everitt Drive.
I believe all the measures proposed (raised intersection, bulb-outs, etc.) will not decrease the volume. Given the choice between navigating those “calming” measures or stopping at several lights on the too-busy St. Albert Trail, I'm pretty sure most people will still opt to drive through Erin Ridge.
What’s the saying; if you build it they will come? Well, the more access routes that are opened to allow traffic to shortcut through, the more traffic there will be. It's a no-brainer. And the more likely that someone could get hurt (like Sandy) or worse. The city needs to stop allowing developers to drive all the traffic planning. Otherwise this will be just the first of many “traffic calming” open houses for Erin Ridge.
Katherine Van Hoof, St. Albert
