As expected, North Battleford city council passed a resolution to designate 100th Street as an arterial roadway in the city at Monday night’s meeting.
That same resolution also called for curb crossing access to properties to be restricted, unless the application by a property owner for access is approved by administration based on applicable standards and specifications of the transportation master plan. The vote was unanimous.
The resolution stemmed from last week’s planning committee meeting where councillors discussed the upcoming UPAR work happening this year on the 1100 block of 100th Street, as well as 12th Avenue from 99th to 100th.
Since that meeting, Mayor Ryan Bater acknowledged, “there’s been a lot of talk” about the project, which includes putting in a bulb-out at the corner of 11th Avenue and 100th Street next to the Capitol Theatre.
Currently, a lane exists beside the theatre that people use to make right turns to go toward Battleford. Director of Planning and Development Jennifer Niesink once again pointed out it is not a proper turning lane, but a parking lane.
Installing the bulb-out is meant to meet a safety concern, she said, as she cited the need to protect pedestrians at that location.
As for the closure of access to parking lots, Niesink emphasized the goal was to close off “unsafe parking lots” where there is not enough room for vehicles to safely back out of a spot and get out, or parking lots where vehicles have to back out over a sidewalk into 100th Street traffic to get out.
“What we are asking is for property owners who have a parking lot provide a plan to show they have a functioning safe parking lot, and those ones will be allowed to remain open,” said Niesink.
Council voiced support for the changes, with Councillor Greg Lightfoot citing the need to follow national standards.
“If we don’t follow those kind of standards and make safe practices within the city with regards to traffic flow, parking, those type of things, we could be in a situation where we could be found liable,” said Lightfoot.
Mayor Ryan Bater also voiced support for putting in the bulb-out at that location, citing the number of children and adults going in and out of the Capitol Theatre at that corner.
There will be notices sent out to affected residents and businesses about what is happening; those will go out this week. As well, an information session will be held Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in room 107 of the Don Ross Centre, which will include a presentation about what is happening with that portion of the street.
