Three months into the pilot project that created a three-way stop at Pine and Fifth, Dan McKay is asking council to permanently keep the signs in place.
Last summer, council voted to install a pedestrian crossover at the intersection. Because that measure wasn’t expected to be erected until this spring or early summer, late last year council approved putting up stop signs on Pine Street at Fifth Avenue to help alleviate safety concerns.
“It’s good for pedestrians, it’s good for motorists,” McKay told council last night, adding the stop signs haven’t been an issue.
McKay, who is blind and a member of the Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee, said that while the crossovers are a great concept, to get the awareness and education for motorists out there multiple crossovers throughout the city are needed.
With stop signs, vehicles know to stop, he said.
With the 20 seconds offered for pedestrians at a crossover, he outlined the barriers for someone who is blind. It’s a congested area with people are getting dropped off and picked up, vehicles parking, and if the wind’s blowing, the buildings distort the sound of the signal.
While there are requirements for vehicles to stop at a three-way intersection, Manager of Engineering Pat Seguin said there’s no requirement for the vehicles to allow pedestrians to cross.
“With a crossover the regulation requires that the pedestrian fully get across the intersection before a vehicle can go through. So, these are specifically designed to move pedestrians, and three-way stops or four-way stops are made for vehicles,” said Seguin.
“What we’ve done is we put in effectively a four-way stop that wasn’t warranted for vehicles and we’re using it for something that’s not warranted as well, which is to get pedestrians across the road. I do agree that it’s functioning, I just do have some concerns that we’re not meeting the regulations.”
Not meeting regulations worries Coun. Rick Dubeau, who said it would be irresponsible to not accept staff’s recommendation.
“If something happens at that crosswalk, we don’t have a leg to stand on. We have to protect the city’s liability at this crosswalk. It isn’t what we like, it isn’t what we see, it’s what the regulation is,” Dubeau said.
Coun. Pat Bamford, who was previously opposed to stop signs at intersection, is now supporting keeping the signs in place.
“The concern about having a pedestrian-activated flashing red light is that the folks from Autumnwood are mainly seniors, could have some ambulatory issues, but more than that they could have some vision issues and some cognitive issues, meaning that they might not think to press or activate that pedestrian sign,” he said.
Coun. Andrew Marks noted that the intersection wasn’t perfect initially, but supports keeping it.
“This is a way for us to have fixed a major issue. I spoke about how neighbourhoods change and we need to change with neighbourhoods and this is one of the things that we did in a positive, proactive manner to get it up and moving quickly and make it happen and it’s worked,” he said.
Members also noted that if the intersection is kept as it is the city would save money.
Prior to last night’s request, a staff report updating council on the intersection was already expected at council’s April 10 meeting, according to Mayor Steve Black.
Because a bylaw for the stop signs already exists, city clerk Steph Palmateer said if council wants to maintain them they just have to make that decision.
