Salmon Arm council rejects request for crossing lights near Fifth Avenue 50Plus Activity Centre

Photo: Luc Rempel

Citing costs and the low speed of traffic in the area, Salmon Arm city council turned down a request from the Fifth Avenue 50Plus Activity Centre for flashing lights to be installed at the crosswalk in front of the centre.

Council reviewed a letter from Anita Neudorf, president of the board of the 50Plus Activity Centre, at a Jan. 27 meeting.

In her letter, Neudorf requested flashing lights for the crosswalk in front of the centre to allow seniors with mobility issues more time to safely cross the road. She cited an increase in traffic on Fifth Avenue due to the annual winter closure of Shoemaker Hill as one of the reasons for the request.

“There's no question, in the winter when Shoemaker Hill is closed, there's a lot more traffic,” said Coun. Kevin Flynn. “But I'm not sure that we just do those lights.”

Robert Niewenhuizen, director of engineering and public works, said a study from the city and ICBC identified 26 crosswalks that had potential for the installation of "rapid, rectangular flashing beacons."

“Currently, we have 16 crossing lights at existing crosswalks, and this particular location was reviewed, but it was warranted very low because of the sight lines," he said.

Niewenhuizen also noted the presence of street parking on both sides of the street also slows traffic in that section.

“There's a three-way stop at Fifth Street South East, and then there's another four-way stop at Shuswap Street South, so it wasn't ranked very high in the priorities,” he added.

Niewenhuizen said crossing lights are quite expensive, costing about $30,000 per set with an estimated lifespan of 20 years.

With an operational and maintenance cost of roughly $1,000 per year, he said "we're not looking at adding too many more.”

Flynn thanked Niewenhuizen for the detailed explanation, and asked city staff to send a reply to the Activity Centre with this information.