M.D. approves traffic control rearrange

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By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

Municipal District of Taber administration is looking to rearrange traffic control devices at the intersection of Township Road 10-4 and Range Road 14-0.

During council’s regular meeting on April 14, the request was brought to council’s attention and administration detailed what they proposed should be done.

“With the growth of industry in the aforementioned area, Township Road 10-4 has become a high traffic roadway for heavy machinery and industrial traffic. Notification from the roadway users of this increase and change in traffic patterns as well as a change in sightlines has led to a review of the traffic control at the intersection of Township Road 10-4 and Range Road 14-0,” reads administration’s report. “The 2015 orthoimage of the area identifies sightline obstructions that verifies the historic requirement for traffic control at the intersection of Township Road 10-4 and Range Road 14-0. Grain bins and heavy machinery on the corner of SW-30-10-13-W4 and bales on the corner of NW-19-10-13-W4 previously hindered sightlines when travelling through this intersection.”

Administration also stated the agricultural industry was the primary users of these roadways which has increased the traffic further.

“We received a request from a local business in that area about the traffic control devices, how they would function much better in a different direction. Currently, it is stopping traffic on the township road in the east/west direction and what the landowner had proposed is a change to control traffic in the north/south direction,” said Craig Pittman, director of infrastructure. “When we look at our road classification system, it is a class two road running east/west and a class three running north/south. We are seeing more traffic and heavier traffic running east/west than north/south.”

The M.D.’s road classification system has five different levels.

Classification one roadways have the highest traffic volume, are most important for economic and social activity and have thorough connectivity with grading frequency set for every two weeks and gravelling once a year.

Classification two has high traffic volume with thorough connectivity with grading every three weeks and gravelling every two years.

Classification three has moderate volume, some connectivity and would be graded every six weeks and gravelled every five years.

Classification four is low volume traffic with limited roadway connectivity and would be graded every 18 weeks and gravelled every eight years.

Classification five roadways are unmaintained road allowances and would not be graded or gravelled by the M.D of Taber.

Materials for the job include two repurposed RA-1 ‘Stop’ signs, two new WB-1 ‘Stop Ahead’ signs, and new signposts estimated to cost $250 with labour and mileage for the installation estimated at $250.

Residents north and south of the intersection will need to stop before moving into the intersection now and Township Road 10-4 road users may experience increased quality of the roadway surface due to minimal acceleration/deceleration of vehicles which create washboard.

“Rewinding a bit, what is the reason for the traffic control in the first place? Historically, there has been some sightline issues there. Some bins, some hay storage, and other things that impeded sightlines. Those have now been cleaned up and with the investigation that we did, the recommendation is to change traffic control with public notification from east/west to north/south,” added Pittman.

A motion to direct administration to relocate traffic control devices at the intersection of Township Road 10-4 and Range Road 14-0 as outlined in Attachment “C” was carried unanimously.

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