New overhead pedestrian crossing lights could soon be added to the intersection of Souris Avenue North and Edward Street.
Acting on a recommendation from the city’s traffic control committee, the Estevan board of police commissioners approved the new lights during a meeting on June 27. Estevan city council still needs to approve the measure, but if it does, the lights would be purchased for $88,000, and would be included in the 2019 city budget.
Police Chief Paul Ladouceur said the lights are needed due to the high volume of pedestrian traffic.
Three options were considered for the area. The others were to have similar lighting to the mid-block crossings on Fourth Street in downtown Estevan, and the other was to have standing green traffic lights, similar to those on King Street, in which the lights would change to red if a pedestrian pushes a button.
But the police board ultimately opted for overhead crossing lights activated when a pedestrian pushes a button.
“It’s not like downtown where people tend to go a little bit slower anyhow,” said Ladouceur.
The north end of Estevan has seen an increase in construction and population in recent years, he said, which has meant more vehicle traffic on Souris Avenue North.
“It’s a main entranceway to the city, obviously, and with that comes a lot of traffic, and we’ve had public concern about having a safe place for people to cross the street,” said the police chief. “If we are going to be putting in a crosswalk at that location, the recommendation of the traffic committee is it needs to be a proper, safe crosswalk.”
It’s not enough just to paint the crosswalk lines on the road, he said.
“These are long-term investments. It seems like a lot of money, but that’s something that’s in place for the next 20 years, and really when you break it out over that period of time, it’s a small price to pay for public safety,” said Ladouceur.
When asked by the Mercury, Ladouceur said the proximity of the Pure Energy Early Learning Centre and Estevan Day Care Co-operative was also a factor in the location of the lights.
“Any time we can increase public safety, and especially children’s safety, then I think there’s usually a good buy-in to that,” said Ladouceur.
Edward Street was always the preferred location for the crosswalk, he said, rather than Wellock Road or other intersections in north Estevan.
