A long-running request for a four-way stop in Nordale will get another look after Prince Albert city council stopped short of ordering one installed Monday.
Coun. Troy Parenteau initially asked council to install a four-way stop at Fifth Avenue and 12th Street Northwest, but changed his motion during debate to request an administration report instead.
Parenteau said Nordale residents have been asking for a four-way stop for roughly 20 years and have gone through the city’s review process several times.
“They’re looking for just one simple thing,” Parenteau said.
He said Fifth Avenue Northwest functions much like a collector street, carrying traffic from the highway and vehicles heading to the city’s waste management facility. The neighbourhood also has no sidewalks and the route is used by school buses.
Parenteau said speeding concerns have increased following road improvements this summer.
The issue was raised by residents earlier this summer after Fifth Avenue Northwest was resurfaced.
Nordale Community Club president Dale Anderson wrote to the city in July saying the smoother road could lead to increased speeds and suggested a four-way stop at 12th Street Northwest. Resident Kara Gray raised similar concerns in August, saying vehicles were travelling above the posted 40 km/h speed limit and that the neighbourhood lacked stop and yield signs.
Parenteau said previous traffic counts and speed measurements have not resulted in the intersection meeting the city’s normal criteria for a four-way stop. He argued Nordale is different from other parts of Prince Albert because it has no sidewalks or traffic controls.
Coun. Blake Edwards supported installing the stop and said the issue dates back to his first term on council.
“This is not a new topic,” Edwards said. “Residents came to council expressing the concerns, and there were valid concerns, and our policy said no, we don’t need it.”
Coun. Darren Solomon said he wanted more information before bypassing the city’s normal process.
“Information is power, and we need that information to make good decisions and choices,” Solomon said.
Coun. Dawn Kilmer also questioned what bypassing the guidelines would mean when similar requests come forward from other neighbourhoods.
Facing concerns about approving the stop without another report, Parenteau changed his motion.
“I do not want this issue just to die,” he said. “So I am willing to look at a report.”
Edwards supported the change, but said he expects the traffic numbers may again fall short of the normal criteria. He said the report should take Nordale’s country-residential character into account.
Administration said the report can be brought to Executive Committee in November, giving staff time to review previous council decisions and the policy as it applies to the intersection.
The amended motion passed unanimously.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
