Last week at North Battleford city council, Councillor Kelli Saemann brought up concerns about safety on Territorial Drive between Sobeys and the Co-op.
Saemann wanted to know when lights would be installed in an area that can be described as a tragedy waiting to happen.
The response was all about money. She was told if the City goes ahead with installation without permission from the province then the municipality would be stuck with the entire cost of $400,000. If permission is granted from the province the City pays only one quarter of that.
She was also told about traffic volume "tipping points" that would trigger a contract clause requiring the owner of the Sobeys/Tim Hortons parking lot to pay the costs if traffic gets to a certain level.
So, waiting for either of those two factors to come into play certainly makes financial sense. But does it make sense in best serving the needs of the taxpayers? Is a $300,000 saving going to have much meaning to the family and friends of someone who is injured or who dies at that intersection?
Instead of number crunching and lobbying the provincial government in vain, civic officials should take a little trip down memory lane. A crosswalk light was installed across Territorial Drive at the Kildeer Park entrance only after a child died crossing there.
During January's budget deliberations new turning lights at the Territorial Drive/100th Street intersection were approved and in last week's discussion the hope was expressed that move will improve the traffic issues. And that is the emphasis, "traffic." A more extensive overhaul that would have improved safety for pedestrians was scrapped. Again, no provincial funding is available, so pedestrians must fend for themselves.
And let's not forget about the intersection at Highway 16 Bypass and Poundmaker Road, especially at the turn into the Humpty's Restaurant and Petro-Canada station. And what about that Cannonball Run across Territorial Drive at the intersection with South Railway Avenue?
Add to that the new Battlefords Tourism information centre location at another blind and dangerous intersection and safety doesn't seem to be increasing, but is steadily declining.
Common sense dictates the City can't afford to do all these things on their own, but a proactive approach, perhaps tossing in a little corporate responsibility, would dictate that ways and means should be found to fix these problems, one at a time, with or without provincial assistance.
