Residents push back on changes to 2 Armstrong intersections

The council is reconsidering the traffic calming measures at the intersections following a petition that has garnered 700 signatures calling for their reversal.

Residents in Armstrong are expressing disapproval of modifications made to two important intersections through a pilot project led by the councils traffic consultants prior, to the winter season.

On September 24th the city made a post on their website to update residents about the road markings at Rosedale Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road as well as Rosedale Avenue and Okanagan Street intersections They mentioned that driving lanes have been narrowed due to the updated painted lines and reflective bollards have been placed at these locations, for traffic calming purposes The modifications were part of a safety improvement initiative facilitated by a traffic engineer through the Plan Zero grant The citys 2023 traffic safety study pinpointed these intersections as high risk areas The city stated that the decision to implement these changes was based on information provided by ICBC.

Residents are feeling quite frustrated, about the intersections after the modifications were implemented as they claim that certain trucks and trailers are finding it challenging to navigate the turns.

An online petition initiated by Neil MacInnes of Armstrong since September 27 has received around 700 signatures far. According to the petitioners concerns about the changed traffic flow being problematic due to "confusion and hazards " it is highlighted that daily commutes have become both inconvenient and possibly risky. The petitions stance is that the narrower lanes pose challenges for vehicles, like those towing trailers; this not only leads to traffic delays but also significantly increases the likelihood of accidents occurring.

In a video shared by The Morning Star newspapers website was a scene where a large truck pulling a trailer had to make a three point turn at an intersection and during the maneuver crossed over the center line and accidentally knocked down one of the bollards in the area.

"We worked together with a traffic safety expert to make sure that the design takes into account all kinds of road users. Including emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks well as school buses and delivery vans " the city mentioned in a Facebook update on October 31st as more people signed the petition." Since these changes have been made at the intersections the city has been keeping an eye on traffic flow. Has noticed a decrease, in how fast cars are driving."

The citys study on traffic safety examines road accidents at intersections with a particular emphasis on safeguarding pedestrians who are at risk of harm from traffic incidents in the area. According to data from ICBC covering the period from 2016 to 2021 in Armstrong town area revealed a total of 219 reported collisions occurred during that time frame. Among these incidents is the intersection of Rosedale Avenue and Okanagan Street which stood out for having a higher frequency of collisions compared to other locations in the town with only four recorded collisions over the five year period. Similarly noted was Rosedale Avenues intersection, with Pleasant Valley Road which saw two documented collisions within the same timeframe. At both intersections there were a total of six accidents classified as " injury " and fortunately no pedestrians were harmed in any of them.

During Armstrongs meeting on November 4th the petition was mentioned as council members talked about John Trainors letter expressing worries about the traffic pattern modifications. Trainor specifically mentioned concerns about the challenges snow plows may face navigating the turns during winter and the potential hazards posed by the driving lane, at Pleasant Valley and Rosedale when snow and ice are present.

During the meeting City operations manager Brad Ackerman mentioned that winter operations will proceed as usual at the intersections; however snow will be. Transported away, from the bollards when necessary.

The council had a discussion, about the issue for an extended period of time; Councilor Shirley Fowler raised worries regarding the timing of the 12 month trial period.

"I believe that if we had initiated this trial project during a season rather, than the winter months it would've given me greater peace of mind " Fowler expressed. She did acknowledge the benefit of it being a trial project since the adjustments are not finalized.

While Fowler acknowledged the improvements made far she expressed a preference for slightly wider corners, in the design.

The intersections have been redesigned with angular shapes to improve pedestrian safety. Moving the stop sign along Rosedale enhances visibility at the crossroads. Although I see advantages in this project overall. However... I do have some reservations about making adjustments to those two right turns; one from Pleasant Valley onto Rosedale and the other from Rosedale, onto Okanagan.

Councilor Jesse Valstar mentioned that he and Councilor Neil Todd took a drive and navigated all 16 turns at the two intersections in a truck with a trailer during the busy school rush hour traffic; he noted that "approximately one third of them seemed a bit tighter, than what I had expected."

Councilor Steven Drapala advised that making changes to the intersections should be considered after consulting with the traffic consultant for feedback first. Ackerman agreed with this approach. Noted that it is important for the staff to seek recommendations from a traffic engineer before making any modifications, to the existing intersection setups.

Councilor Ryan Nitchie expressed his appreciation for the citys efforts, in enhancing safety at intersections by mentioning a tragic event from the early 2000s when a pedestrian lost their life after being hit on Pleasant Valley Road; stop signs were then installed following this incident.

"He expressed his belief that we shouldn't wait for another unfortunate event to occur before making improvements, in traffic safety measures " he remarked thoughtfully "We should be able to make modifications during this trial period to uphold safety at intersections... While also accommodating smooth traffic movement."

The council decided to have the staff and traffic engineer conduct a review to explore the possibility of expanding the turning radii at the two intersections during winter months. Then report their findings back to the council members for consideration with only Counsellor Drapala expressing opposition, to the motion.