Estevan city council members went on the search for some lobbying assistance on Monday night during their regular open business session.
Coun. Greg Hoffort provided a motion that called for the installation of traffic lights to control the vehicles that will be passing through the intersections being built as part of the local truck bypass currently under construction.
Coun. Dennis Moore, who sits on the Southeast Transportation Committee, the group that is being approached to advance the City's proposal, said during their recent meeting, it was noted that two bridges on the approaches to Roche Percee have been replaced this spring and a repaving project for Highway 39 between Estevan and Macoun is in the works. He noted however, that when he attended the next meeting, slated for July 22, he would hear about how a lot of work completed last year and this spring has probably been washed away by recent floods.
"A lot of work has been done quietly, and priorities are set, but I expect changes will have to be made now," Moore said.
Hoffort said he felt the proposed truck bypass intersections are going to be too dangerous to be governed solely by stop signs. He said the preferred solution of interchanges on the route have been dismissed by the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, but traffic volume increases on the bypass will eventually dictate what type of safety features will be introduced over time.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said the highway developers were clear in their desire to have the bypass traffic gain the right-of-way and stop signs are currently the order of the day.
"We've already had the discussions, but we can certainly bring it up again," he added.
Hoffort said he felt it was worthwhile to try to garner the support of the regional transportation group for the enhanced safety feature.
In other traffic-related matters, council approved the revival of a local Traffic Control Committee after several years of absence. The committee will be chaired by former City employee Pam Currie.
One of the first orders on their agenda, said Police Chief Paul Ladouceur will be implementation of new school speed zone signs with an accompanying increase in fines for violators.
The traffic committee has already considered options such as speed bumps. Ladouceur said they become an issue when it comes to snow plowing and removal, and observances over the years indicate that while drivers do slow down while passing over speed bumps, many have a tendency to accelerate very rapidly right after clearing the bump, making its effectiveness suspect.
The police chief also noted that in spite of fielding several complaints regarding speeding vehicles, there wasn't a whole lot of evidence to support them. He noted, however, that slower moving drivers or people who are stationary, tend to see objects travelling past them as moving faster than they really are. At the same time, the need to beef up enforcement of speed zones near schools, complete with new speed signs, was a recommendation he forwarded and supported full force.
