A pedestrian safety review near Victoria Hospital has led Prince Albert’s Executive Committee toward new parking restrictions rather than an immediate relocation of the existing crosswalk.
Committee members backed a two-hour parking zone on 25th Street West from 10th Avenue West to about 210 metres east of the intersection, along with a four-hour parking limit at the Alfred Jenkins Field House from Monday to Friday.
Capital Projects Manager Evan Hastings said the review found about 50 vehicles, and sometimes more, routinely parked along 25th Street West, primarily by people working at the hospital or on the hospital expansion.
The volume of parked vehicles has at times reduced the road to a single lane and created concerns about visibility and traffic movement.
Hastings said one nearby resident reported having to back down the street because there was not enough room for two vehicles to pass.
“One major thing that was noticed, though, when we were on site, was typically 50 vehicles, and sometimes even more, were parked on 25th Street West,” Hastings said.
The review stems from a motion brought forward by Coun. Darren Solomon in April. Solomon had raised concerns about pedestrian safety at 10th Avenue West and 25th Street after hearing from residents and nurses at Victoria Hospital who told him they had nearly been hit while crossing. Council unanimously directed administration to examine the location and operation of the pedestrian crossing.
Hastings said the existing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, installed on the north side of the intersection in 2022, is considered safe and meets appropriate standards.
However, development since then has changed how pedestrians move through the area. Sidewalk construction on the south side of 25th Street means some pedestrians travelling toward the hospital must cross to the north side to use the beacon before crossing back south.
Hastings said relocating the crossing would provide a more direct route, but SaskPower, SaskEnergy and water infrastructure, along with property-line constraints, would make the work difficult and potentially costly.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Capital Projects Manager Evan Hastings speaks to Prince Albert’s Executive Committee Monday about parking and pedestrian safety concerns near 25th Street West and Victoria Hospital.
Instead, administration recommended addressing the parking situation first.
Hastings said pedestrian traffic at the crossing has increased from roughly 30 people five years ago to close to 200, with much of the increase linked to people parking on 25th Street and walking to the hospital.
The two-hour limit is intended to discourage people from leaving vehicles there throughout the workday while continuing to allow short-term parking.
A similar issue has developed at the Alfred Jenkins Field House.
Hastings said about 20 to 25 vehicles are regularly parked there by people who then walk to the hospital rather than use paid hospital parking. He said the lot is approaching capacity during some events.
The original recommendation called for a four-hour limit at the Field House. Solomon later amended it to apply Monday to Friday after councillors raised concerns about tournaments and other events where legitimate facility users could be parked for longer periods.
Hastings said four hours was selected to give people enough time to attend recreation programs or several games without interfering with normal use of the facility.
“The goal of the four-hour timeline is to not punish regular users of the facility,” he said.
Bylaw officers are expected to begin with warnings and education rather than immediately issuing tickets. Hastings said officers could chalk tires and identify vehicles routinely left at the locations for the entire day.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky and Coun. Tony Head also questioned whether more discussion should take place with the Saskatchewan Health Authority about the underlying hospital parking issue. Hastings said the City had not held a parking-specific discussion with SHA, although hospital-related traffic had been considered through other planning work.
Hastings said the new signs are expected to be installed before snowfall, depending on the timing of utility locates.
The City plans to continue monitoring the area as the Victoria Hospital expansion moves toward completion. Once the hospital’s primary public access shifts to the north side, traffic, parking and pedestrian patterns are expected to change again, and administration plans to reassess whether further changes are needed.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
