From: Kim the Traffic reporter
Hi Marty,
On my way to Assiniboine Ave for rush hour on Wednesday I took a look at the signage on both the north and south side of Broadway to see if notice had been given about the changes on Assiniboine. I could not locate one sign that informed motorists there would be no thru traffic to Main St. on Assiniboine. No notice that drivers will be forced to return to Broadway via Edmonton. I checked both Kennedy and Carlton. I don't recall seeing any signs southbound on Hargrave either.
As I stood on Assiniboine watching traffic head up Edmonton during rush hour traffic, I saw the frustration of drivers as they realized they would be stuck in traffic only to have to go back where they'd come from, Broadway. Some drivers ended up going the wrong way down the travel lane on Assiniboine, had another vehicle come along and an accident happened, traffic coming off Carlton would have been tied up for a significant amount of time.
One driver who was last in line on Edmonton turned his vehicle around bypassed the barricade to head east up Assiniboine to go up the through alley to Broadway. Another vehicle had turned on Assiniboine, which meant the first car had to hold up traffic to get turned around heading right back up Edmonton.
I noticed the #43 bus which had turned off Carlton, had to stop, a supervisor got out of the bus and moved the barricades in order for the bus to make the turn onto Edmonton. If those barricades had not been moved the bus would scraped them right into the holes which have been dug for the bump outs.
Another problem on Edmonton is people trying to park, further delays are being caused by people parallel parking which causes the line of traffic to halt until it is safe to proceed.
I've noted a few more problem areas to add to the list.
- When construction is completed, the north side of Assiniboine from the Midtown bridge to Kennedy will have parking. The problem is, vehicles coming off the through lanes from Broadway southbound to Assiniboine will have to edge past parked cars in order to see if there is oncoming traffic which could potentially cause an accident.
- Even with traffic as heavy as it has been on Edmonton, people are still stopping in the no parking/stopping zones on the east side of the street. This is also causing traffic to back up as other vehicles are forced to go around the parked car.
- One gentleman told me he had to pick up his child and there was not only no parking available, but that because of the traffic he couldn't even get to over to the west side even if there were a parking spot.
- How are people on the south side of Assiniboine, where the bike lane is going to be located, going to move? I've seen the parking lots, if one is available to the apartment building, they are tiny lots. It would be incredibly difficult to fit a large moving truck into those tight spots.
- On the south side of Assiniboine at Hargrave there is an apartment building, prior to construction there was a long no stopping section because the area was a three way stop to allow traffic to turn onto Hargrave. Large moving vehicles always parked at that stop sign because there was nowhere else for them to go, the lot was small and difficult for the truck to access. For the building that don't have parking lots, how are those people supposed to move into or out of the building? Not to mention in order to access those lots, the vehicles are going to have to cross the bike lane which could further tie up traffic while waiting for a clear moment to cross the bike path into the lot.
- Right now it is almost impossible for pedestrians to cross Assiniboine at Edmonton not only because of the construction, but also because of all the vehicles being forced to make that turn. Carlton faces a similar problem, turning vehicles along with through west bound traffic from Main St. Crossing east and west is as difficult trying to get around the turning cars and not everyone has been willing to stop.
- As I was handing out some flyers today, one young fellow said that he didn't need it, things would be better when the construction was completed and the bike lane was in place. The problem with that thought is, people will still have to follow the same pattern they are now. Things won't get any better. There will always be congestion in that area because of the Legislature. If an event is going on, it will be worse.
- I checked the Active Transportation website, interesting to note that the site has now been restored to what it had been. Included in this restoration is a copy of the current plans for Assiniboine. Problem is, at first glance the map is confusing because of the red arrows. I didn't see any notice that the red arrows indicated the new measures being taken. So traffic coming off Navy Way will be able to turn eastbound on Assiniboine to Main.
- When I've spoken with some of the residents of the area, many thought the map was a plan of the bike path, they didn't realize those arrows were meant for vehicle traffic. I picked up and dusted off a lot of jaws from the ground.
Even after construction this area will continue to see heavy congestion not only at rush hour but also throughout the day. I fail to see how traffic has been calmed in anyway, instead it appears to have been made worse. I'm not an engineer but even I figured that one out. One woman summed it up perfectly when after seeing the traffic jam in front her by saying "oh crap (note her word was a little more organic)".
