By Justine Kelsie

Controlled crosswalk to be built near new school in Arbour Hills

Apr 3, 2018 | 3:59 PM

A controlled crosswalk is set to be built near the new St. John Paul II Junior Senior Catholic High School. 

As per a request from Grande Prairie Catholic School District, the marked crosswalk across 132 Avenue at 108 Street is set to include rapid flashing beacons that would be turned on by the press of a button. Although the new safety controls won’t be ready for when the grade eights and nines move in at the end of the month, Transportation & Safety Engineer Robin Hutchinson says work will begin this summer.

“A new sidewalk will be installed on the north side of 132 Avenue. This will be installed by the developer. The developer has made a commitment to have it installed in time for the new school year,” said Hutchinson. 

The city follows the Transportation Association of Canada federal guidelines for designing and implementing crosswalks. According to an administrative report by Hutchinson, the number of pedestrians, number of vehicles, as well as speed on the road, come into play when choosing what type of crosswalk to install.

There is a chance the intersection could become fully signalized in the future when the Traffic Signal Warrant is met. The warrant was measured in January of this year and it sat at 49 while the recommended Signal Warrant threshold is 100. 

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“Based on recent growth, we would say the installation of signals is a long way out. However, the development of Arbour Hills, Royal Oaks, and with the new school, it is highly unlikely that the growth would be reduced. We have made a commitment that we will continue to monitor those traffic volumes.”

This crosswalk will be one of seven solar-powered controlled crosswalks installed this year in the city. This addition to the Arbour Hills neighbourhood will cost just under $15,000 to put in. 

On top of requesting the crosswalk and the signalization of the intersection, the Grande Prairie Catholic School District asked for a fully functioning traffic signal at 132 Avenue and Arbour Hills Boulevard. According to the report, the boulevard isn’t open to traffic yet which means there isn’t data to measure. City administration will be looking at the road once it is fully functional to the public.