Beaumont completes traffic safety review

BEAUMONT -- The City of Beaumont has released the results of a recent traffic safety review.

The review examined recent traffic calming measures that were completed at the 30 Avenue and 60 Street intersection in August. The work followed a public survey from the month prior, which saw residents express various concerns about congestion and safety at the busy intersection. Ryan Anders -- Manager of Municipal Projects -- spoke at this week's Committee of the Whole meeting about the new measures now in place.

"Key elements include clear lane marking and guidance, including the associated signs, stop lines, and crosswalk lines," said Anders. "In addition to the lane lines, no parking and no stopping signs were added." 

The survey from July found that nearly 60 per cent of Beaumont residents polled observed or experienced a safety incident at the intersection. This comes as 82 per cent said that school hours had the highest observed incident rate. However, 68 per cent of those polled said they felt safe, or mostly safe, at the intersection.

"Our technical review did not highlight any safety or operational concerns -- from an engineering perspective -- that would require a higher level of treatment or improvements, including signals or a roundabout, at this time," said Anders.

Anders says that based on traffic observations at peak times after the improvements were completed, driver and pedestrian behaviour has improved. He does note that the 30 Avenue and 60 Street intersection will need to be redesigned in approximately ten to fifteen years to accommodate the growth of the community.

"With ongoing growth throughout the City and region, this intersection will need to be redesigned to support safe and efficient operations while accommodating higher volumes and extended wait times," said Anders. "When that time comes, Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors will need to be consulted prior to any changes being approved."

The City of Beaumont currently sees about 7,000 vehicles a day accessing the intersection.