Traffic taming requested by citizen at Town council

Toni Lucas

Vanessa Haggan appeared as a delegation before Pincher Creek's Town Council during their regular meeting on Monday evening, March 24. She brought forward a number of concerns regarding Macleod Street, Maple Street, and Robertson Avenue to the east of the Recreation Center. Some of the issues she brought up included:

• Safety from traffic for  children in the area
• How traffic in the area flows and at what speed
• Blind corners
• Fencing and sidewalks (or the lack thereof)

"The speeding on the street has gotten out of hand," said Haggan.   She said that she lives in Cleland Trailer Park northeast of the Pincher Creek Aquatic Centre. "Someone has actually hit the pole in front of my landlord's house, which is directly beside mine. It's super scary. If that guy had come the other way, he would have ended up coming into our house. Since the stop sign has been taken out on Main, the speeding actually gotten worse, because people don't have to stop to take the corner (from Main Street turning north onto Robertson Avenue)."

"I did not realize that it is a busy at it was until I had moved in," said Haggan, who says there is speeding, fish-tailing, and dangerous driving in an area filled with kids. "People are trying to get around the stop light, right?" she said, talking about the light at Main Street and Highway 6. "And I totally understand that, it takes forever. But there's got to be consideration for the people on that street. We have elderly, dog walkers, and children."

"I went around and I have petitioned. I have 31 signatures, all 30 of them are agreeing with this become a 30 (km) street. The one said that he's okay with 40.  I think that if we do get it down to a 30 street, maybe that will cut out some of the traffic."  Haggan said that she believes a lot of the traffic that travels that block does not live in the area. "A lot of people are going this way to skip the light. I'm so worried about our children."

"I have the biggest issue with the skate park and bike park right there and there is no signage saying that this is a playground area. That is a playground area. The soccer field is full of kids in the summer. I can hear them laughing and giggling with their coaches. I am deathly afraid for the kids that do live on our street, and the ones that come," she said, mentioning the kids that are frequently in the area to use the recreational facilities of the bike park, skate park, soccer field, aquatic center and library.

She said that along the play area near her home there is no sidewalk, and that for one stretch there is only minimal fencing that will not significantly delay children or animals from running into traffic. She additionally pointed out that there is a blind corner at Maple Street, saying that added to the possibilities of an accident in the area.  "It's scary. If you are not going with the traffic, if you're trying to turn to go to Main, you have to put the pedal to the metal to get around there and not get hit by oncoming traffic."

"Would most of this traffic disappear if the lights were actually changed so it's a reasonable length of waiting time?" asked Councillor Mark Barber, who said that he has recently experienced a long wait time at the traffic light. Haggan indicated that she believed that this would help but not solve the problems.

"All I'm asking for is bring it down, bring the speed limit down. Put some sort of signage up."

"Light time delay lengths have been pretty good," said Mayor Don Anderberg. He also acknowledged there were some serious concerns with the corner next to Haggan's home.  "You have identified quite a few issues on this little stretch of street."