Skip to content

Town targets pedestrian safety

The rules of the road will soon change in Turner Valley in an effort to get drivers to slow down.
A safety patroller directs traffic in front of Turner Valley School on Oct. 20. Turner Valley Town council approved recommendations submitted by the Pedestrian Safety Task
A safety patroller directs traffic in front of Turner Valley School on Oct. 20. Turner Valley Town council approved recommendations submitted by the Pedestrian Safety Task Force to implement a lower speed limit of 40 km/h and add crosswalks, traffic signs and sidewalks on streets throughout the community.

The rules of the road will soon change in Turner Valley in an effort to get drivers to slow down.

Reduced speed limits, new crosswalks and more stop and yield signs are among recommendations Turner Valley Town council approved during its regular council meeting on Oct. 20.

The suggestions came from the Pedestrian Safety Task Force the Town implemented last spring to identify ways to improve pedestrian safety.

“We are all pretty damn proud of this thing,” said Turner Valley Mayor Kelly Tuck of the document presented to council. “It’s about keeping our pedestrians’ safe.”

The task force’s report outlines 15 intersections requiring crosswalks, the addition of yield and four-way stop signs along Hubert Street, Edgar Avenue and George Street and building sidewalks along John Street, Robert Street, George Street, Edgar Avenue and Royal Avenue.

The report also calls for expanding the pathway that connects the Friendship Trail between Black Diamond and Turner Valley west to the four-way stop on Highway 22 and along Decalta Road to Imperial Drive; improving pedestrian mobility by repairing damaged curbs and making them wheelchair accessible; improving visibility of pedestrians by trimming of trees and bushes; and repainting yellow lines curbs to deter parking near intersections.

When the work will take place will depend on the town’s budget, said Tuck, adding those with low costs such as signage to advertise a new speed limit of 40 km/h throughout town from the current 50 km/h could be implemented as early as this year. More costly projects like adding sidewalks and pathways will have to be budgeted in future years.

Tuck said the task force, of which she is a member, was formed after a young girl was struck by a vehicle while biking to school last year. The child was not injured seriously.

Council also received a letter with signatures from parents in the neighbour concerned about their children’s safety walking to and from school the same year.

The task force was formed consisting of council members and the public, who consulted with protective services, the Foothills School Division, the RCMP and Town administration before drafting up the recommendations, said Tuck.

Part of the consultation included asking Turner Valley School parents to draw the routes their children take to school on a map so the task force could create preferred walking routes with crosswalks, sidewalks and appropriate signage.

School principal James Holladay said there is also a need for more crosswalks near the school, as the crosswalk in front of the school is often ignored by motorists.

“It’s right in front where a lot of parking is happening,” he said. “It’s a concern with the Grade 6 patrols. They are having a few issues with parents parking too close to the crosswalks and they can’t do their job as good as they can.”

Holladay said he is glad pedestrian safety is being addressed in Turner Valley. He added about half of the school’s approximately 200 students walk or bike to school.

“It sounds like a good thing to be talking about and moving forward,” he said. “Anything that increases student safety is important and worth talking about.”

Turner Valley RCMP Cpl. Terry Hamelin said the number of complaints the detachment receives regarding accidents between pedestrians and motorists is very few, adding the last one reported was last year’s incident.

“We don’t get a high number of vehicle versus pedestrians,” he said. “The community peace officers do a great job (patrolling) the school zones. They are always there.”

Quinn Page-Smith said her children were just seconds away from where the young girl was when she was struck by a vehicle last year. She reiterated the need to slow down traffic on streets by installing street signs and speed bumps.

Page-Smith, a member of the task force, is also glad to see the report address the need for more sidewalks and crosswalks, improved visibility of pedestrians and the implementation of wheelchair-accessible curbs – particularly important for the mom of three who has been in a wheelchair since she was involved in a vehicle accident in her teens.

“We live in the small community and part of the beauty of that is we don’t have to use our vehicles,” she said. “We can get out in the fresh air and be safe.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks