Estevan police Chief Paul Ladouceur would like to see uncontrolled intersections gradually phased out from Estevan.
In a report to Estevan city council at Monday night’s council meeting, the local traffic control committee recommended that council implement a three-year plan to remove all uncontrolled intersections in the city. Stop signs would be added to those intersections.
“I’ll get calls quite often from members of the public, or officers will (get calls) quite often, saying ‘What is the proper process for uncontrolled intersections?’” said Ladouceur.
Council tabled the motion, citing concerns with the projected three-year timeline, and the potential cost. Mayor Roy Ludwig said three years might be a little lofty.
“The signage is very expensive,” said Ludwig. “You have to get locates for every sign. So it could cost up to $1,000 per sign, and … I’m not sure how many uncontrolled intersections we have, but there are many of them.”
Ladouceur said uncontrolled intersections are legal, and many motorists have been taught how to approach them in driving school.
But the traffic committee still views the intersections as a public safety issue.
“We want to make sure people are safe, regardless of whether it’s an accident that’s enforceable or not,” said Ladouceur. “One of the things we discussed as a committee is we’re gaining size as a city, we’re getting bigger and we’re growing.
“Uncontrolled intersections, when the community wasn’t as populated and there wasn’t as much traffic … weren’t as big of a concern.”
Also, many of the transient people who come to work in Estevan aren’t familiar with the procedure involved with an uncontrolled intersection.
“When they don’t see a stop sign at an intersection, they automatically assume ‘I must have the right of way,’ and they keep proceeding through,” said Ladouceur.
The highest-traffic areas with uncontrolled intersections would be the first to have stop signs added, he said. Eventually, all intersections will be controlled.
Most of the uncontrolled intersections are concentrated in the southern half of the city and in the Hillside area. Ladouceur doesn’t know how many uncontrolled intersections currently exist in Estevan.
“As far as doing an inventory, that would be something that we would conduct once council advised if they do have an interest in proceeding with that plan,” said Ladouceur.
Adding a stop sign at an uncontrolled intersection in a quiet residential subdivision will make it safer for children playing and pedestrians walking.
“By controlling an intersection, you’re controlling the speed through those residential areas as well, because people are accelerating, but not long after, they have to stop again,” said Ladouceur.
It likely won’t cost much to control an intersection. There would be the expense of purchasing and installing stop signs, and painting stop lines on the street.
“Road markings themselves are not overly costly, but we also have to look at the fact that if we start controlling these intersections, we have to maintain them,” said Ladouceur.
They would also have to decide whether an intersection would have a two-way, a three-way or a four-way stop.
Yield signs could also be phased out as part of the plan. Ladouceur said the committee will evaluate whether intersections are better-served by stop signs than yield signs on a case-by-case basis.
“An intersection that has a stop sign is much safer than an intersection that has a yield sign,” said Ladouceur. Motorists are expected to slow down to a virtual stop at a yield sign to ensure there isn’t traffic approaching that would have the right of way.
“I think most people in this city, if they see a yield sign, they’re stopping and they’re checking and looking,” said Ladouceur. “But there are a lot who simply slow and coast on through.”
The cost of replacing a yield sign with a stop sign should be lower than the cost of adding a stop sign to an uncontrolled intersection, because the sign post from a yield sign is already in place.
Other communities are moving away from uncontrolled intersections and yield signs, he said, because of the safety issue.
The traffic committee’s recommendation represents the first stage in the process, Ladouceur said. They believe it will improve public safety and encourage responsible driving in the community, and it should reduce accidents, but they also recognize the need to have council’s approval.
