Street-study results ignored by the city

I read a recent letter to the editor with great interest regarding the intersection at Ninth Street and Lorne Avenue. In the letter, the writer discusses the need for a traffic-count analysis after the changes.

In our neighbourhood’s case, the street study results for the intersection of Kingsmere Boulevard and Waterbury Road were either ignored or misinterpreted and a completely unnecessary four-way stop showed up one day.

The results in the 2016 neighbourhood traffic review were as follows:

Peak hour count: 425 (far less than the threshold of 600 for a four-way stop);

Average daily traffic: 4,670 (far less than the threshold of 6,000);

Collisions in past 12 months: one;

Average speed: 44 km/h (posted speed is 50);

The decision matrix in Appendix E of the review states, “A four-way stop is not warranted at this intersection but it is recommended to enhance efficiency.” What? I am an accountant and love efficiency, but this is absolutely ridiculous. A useless four-way stop actually decreases efficiency.

In summer, cars often just coast through the stop. Crime is down because of the police cars giving out tickets. In winter, the intersection becomes an icy death trap any time there is snowfall or severe cold. For a quiet corner, it sure got ugly due to the city’s actions.

So please excuse my doubts that a traffic-count study will be properly analyzed on the highly controversial Ninth Street and Lorne Avenue intersection.

Kelly Friesen, Saskatoon