FORT ASSINIBOINE – Woodlands County Council is recommending cancelling a request to Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors to change the Highway 661 and Township Road 620A intersection traffic control.
The request deals with the intersection at the east end of Fort Assiniboine where Highway 661 comes down the hill and intersects with the main street along the river. After roadwork, Alberta Transportation moved the stop sign from Township Road 620A to the north-south leg of Highway 661.
Discussion of public feedback on the change during a March meeting prompted council to request Alberta Transportation revert to the previous traffic controls.
But in the Oct. 9 council meeting, Woodlands County infrastructure manager Paul Macaraeg presented arguments for cancelling the request and why the existing signage should remain.
Interim CAO Paul Benedetto supported that position, saying changing the intersection from the province's preferred configuration could create liability risks.
“The important consideration is that the way it is set up right now meets the typical safety standards used by Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors,” Benedetto said. “If we put in a request that alters that standard, and if there was a future motor vehicle accident there, it exposes us some potential liability to being named in a lawsuit.”
“From liability management perspective, we are in the best position to respect that Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors …should govern the postage of signs.”
Discussion was focused around whether this was a "speeding through town problem” or a traffic sign placement challenge.
“There is a lot of speed issues with trucks not stopping there and speeding through town," Coun. Devin Williams of Fort Assiniboine said. "That was the original reason people are coming to me and saying that they wanted this change.”
“Maybe, then, it is an enforcement problem rather than a signage problem,” said Peter Kuelken, councillor for Goose Lake/Freeman River. “I think we need to have messaging for our residents that addresses the speeding problem.”
