BARRHEAD - Town of Barrhead councillor’s believes the municipality needs to do more to protect the young users coming and going from the new all-wheel park from nearby motorists, especially those travelling on Highway 18.
And that is why councillors, during their April 11 meeting, instructed administration to investigate ways to alert drivers to the potential of young wheeled sports enthusiasts on the area roadways.
Coun. Dausen Kluin asked to discuss expanding the playground zone on Highway 18 to incorporate the area adjacent to the new all-wheel park.
He said that now that the snow is gone, many all-wheel sports enthusiasts are using the park.
"And that is great to see, but not all of the kids are watching for safety when they are going to or coming from the park. My wife and I were driving (on Highway 18) when this young girl stepped out on the road, and we almost hit her," Kluin said, adding that because they knew about the park and how popular it is, so they were alert to the potential of kids darting on to the road and were driving accordingly.
However, he said not all motorists coming into town on Highway 18 are aware of the park or are as cautious.
This is especially true because of the topography of the land just prior to the park, which includes a church and a row of trees blocking motorists' view of the facility, which is near the old Champion Feeds building on the east side of 50th Avenue between 55 A Street and 56th Street south of Highway 18.
"What would it take for us to get Alberta Transportation to make where the park is next to (Highway 18) into a playground zone?" Kluin asked.
Chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc said administration staff recently asked the province about reducing the speed limit on that stretch of the highway to 30 km/h, and they flatly turned it down.
Mayor Dave McKenzie agreed with Kluin, saying it was important to increase the park's visibility to motorists, not only on Highway 18, but on 50th Avenue and 55A Street.
And unlike, Highway 18 the municipality has jurisdiction over the other streets, he said.
McKenzie specifically pointed to the unmarked crosswalk crossing over 55A Street from the corner of the all-wheel park property to the Remax property on the south side of Highway 18 as an example.
"We can make that crosswalk more visible as well as the road along the curb (on 55A Street and 50 Avenue), turning it into a playground zone," he said.
Later in the meeting, LeBlanc noted that administration, most likely at the April 25 council meeting, will be bringing an amendment to their Traffic Bylaw, which will introduce a playground zone in the immediate vicinity of the park on 50 Avenue and 55A Street.
McKenzie added that they have asked the town's community police officer to monitor pedestrian traffic in the area to see where the municipality may need to improve sidewalk and crosswalk safety.
Coun. Rod Klumph suggested they ask Alberta Transportation to install a pedestrian-controlled crossing, enhancing the current crosswalk that goes from the north to the south side of Highway 18 at 55A Street.
McKenzie replied the chances of having Alberta Transportation greenlighting such a project would be slim. He also noted that even if they were successful, it would be some time before the project was approved.
Several councillors agreed, pointing to the years of lobbying by the municipality until the province approved the traffic lights on Grizzly Trail and 50 Avenue.
Klumph also suggested the municipality could install a fence along the park's Highway 18 side, directing users to the corner and the crosswalk instead of taking unsafe shortcuts.
Coun. Anthony Oswald noted if council did decide to install a crosswalk across 55A Street on the south side of Highway 18, the municipality needs to continue the crosswalk on the Re/Max side of the highway.
“It doesn’t make sense to encourage kids to cross the street to where there is not a sidewalk,” he said.
Councillors then discussed several possibilities, from putting their own signs on municipal property, such as electronic speed signs, and other more conventional road signs to improve driver awareness of the park and the potential of children on the road.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
