爱城市议员推动过街人行道快速升级，留置购买光学雷达的钱
原始发布日期： 2017-03-20 发布者：玉山字变大 字变小
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Councillor pushes for quick crossing upgrade with photo radar dollars A plan to use $8.8 million in photo radar funds to upgrade pedestrian crossings across the city will still leave 310 dangerous intersections on the books. Even the 70 crossings set to be voted on this spring will take three years to complete, say city officials.  Coun. Bryan Anderson said council should hit this issue hard. “That’s what the money is for," said the Ward 9 councillor, who pushed it on the agenda after hearing from many parents, particularly in the new Glenridding Heights neighbourhood. They have to cross Ellerslie Road at Allan Drive without protection to get their children to school. In the next capital budget cycle, said Anderson, “I would certainly encourage council to take a good solid chunk of photo radar money and attack (those 310 remaining spots) with care and abandon." In 2015, four people were killed and 221 people were injured using the city's marked crosswalks, traffic lights or crossing at street corners, where they have the right of way. Last week, the Office of Traffic Safety said it's now finished surveying all of the pedestrian crossings on arterial roads - the larger, busier main arteries in the city. They said 380 crossings qualify for increased protection because of the number of lanes being crossed, the speed on the road, sightline issues and/or complicated vehicle turns is putting pedestrians at risk. Safety officials released the numbers earlier this month. Late last week, they released the list of 70 crossings that need "immediate" attention that they would like to tackle first. The crossing Anderson kept hearing about – Allan Drive and Ellerslie Road – is on the list to get fixed. Four crossings on Rabbit Hill Road are also included. Others are sprinkled across the city – several along 107 Avenue and 118 Avenue, another at Groat Road and 115 Street, two on 82 Street near the Balwin neighbourhood. 'They don't stop' Mohan Sivaram lives just blocks from Commonwealth Stadium, and often uses the pedestrian crossing at the foot of the stadium to cross Stadium Road to reach the transit centre on the other side. He said he isn't surprised to hear that the crossing has been deemed one of the 70 most in need 0f "immediate" upgrades. "They come fast and they don't stop," Sivaram said, standing on the sidewalk next to crossing. It's Sunday morning and traffic comes in waves: occasionally a single car cruises past, but typically it's a cluster of vehicles rushing past all at once. Sivaram said that it's common for drivers to hit the gas to make it through the set of lights just north of the crossing, paying no heed to people waiting at the marked crosswalk. Dan Barnes said he's found that most drivers do stop for him during his twice daily use of the crosswalk, but said some extra safety measures would help. "It would make things smoother," Barnes said. Spending the $8.8 million should just be a first step, said Anderson. When it goes to council for approval in the spring, he plans to ask if it can be done faster than in three years. Safety officials estimate it will cost $45 million to fix all 380 crossings. Rapid flashing beacons Gord Cebryk, branch manager for the area in City Operations, said city crews will likely use more of a new type of type of signal called a rapid flashing beacon. It runs on solar power, so it doesn't have to be hooked up to underground power. It looks like an amber flasher, but is set on the side of the road at the level of the pedestrian. It uses an erratic flashing light to attract driver's attention when someone pushes the button. "Depending on the location, we can do them for about $20,000 for installation (compared) to $100,000 for the overhead pedestrian flashers," said Cebryk. They might use them to get something in quickly, then change them out when a higher standard of protection is available, he said. Then they can be reused in another location or on a slightly quieter road where the erratic flasher is all that's needed. |