Better directional signage could be coming to the North Service Road to help motorists merge more safely onto Highway 1 when attempting to drive west.
The Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure contacted city administration in April about installing enhanced signage to encourage vehicles heading south on Ninth Avenue Northwest to turn west onto the service road and use the on-ramp to access Highway 1 westbound, a city council report explained.
The ministry indicated that southbound vehicles on Ninth Avenue Northwest were not using the on-ramp. Instead, they were travelling south to the Highway 1 and Ninth Avenue Northwest intersection and then performing a southbound to westbound turn at a stop sign when there is no acceleration lane.
Directing these vehicles to the on-ramp access where vehicle acceleration is possible would provide better traffic flow and safety, the ministry added.
City hall’s department of engineering services asked the ministry to provide a site plan and signage details for consideration. On Aug. 31, the ministry provided the information and said it could pay for and install the sign if the municipality approved it, the report said.
The Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure has inspected the area and advised that the sign would be under the municipality’s jurisdiction, while the ministry would be responsible for the west end of the on-ramp to the west end of the railway tracks.
The ministry plans to install the signs using its resources, although an installation date has not been confirmed yet, the council report added.
A similar motion to install enhanced directional signage on the North Service Road before and after the Ninth Avenue Northwest and Highway 1 intersection came to city council on Dec. 16, 2019. However, council voted to refer the issue to administration pending a report about jurisdictional and funding issues.
Council discussion
During the Nov. 23 regular meeting, city council voted unanimously to receive and file the report.
“It’s really good to see that they’re going to do this, and hopefully that will make it work a little better, especially considering all the semis that have been crossing over,” said Coun. Crystal Froese. “That will make it a little bit safer intersection, although there’s more that can be done in that area.”
This particular sign being proposed is not going to solve how people access the highway safely, said Coun. Doug Blanc, who worked for the Ministry of Highways for years. Instead, he suggested that a sign needs to be installed in that area forcing motorists to use the service road.
City hall has been communicating with the province about this area and signage in general in the community, said Mayor Fraser Tolmie. Another area that needs better signage is the entrance to Manitoba Street from the east, especially since that part of the municipality is changing, while the potential for business growth is there.
Tolmie said that he agreed with Blanc, noting his family was driving on the highway recently when they met a semi-truck coming at them in the wrong lane. This shows it’s not just signage that’s the problem, but that motorists need to pay attention.
“We need to ensure we are doing our part and that drivers are doing their part,” he added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Dec. 7.
