City council opts for redo on Riversdale closure input

Homeowners and residents who live on a block of Avenue F in the Riversdale neighbourhood will have to wait for a solution to their traffic woes.

Coun. Hilary Gough, who represents Riversdale, convinced city council on Monday to conduct a second survey of houses along the block of Avenue F located just south of 21st Street.

A city report stemming from a neighbourhood traffic review proposed a four-way stop for the intersection of 21st Street and Avenue F.

City hall only received four responses from 23 homes surveyed on support for erecting a barricade preventing southbound traffic from entering Avenue F from 21st Street, the report says.

“We don’t have all the answers about how this is going to work here,” Gough said at Monday’s city council meeting.

She suggested the poor response rate could be related to whether property owners or renters were contacted.

Coun. Bev Dubois asked Gough whether she was looking for an outcome other than the four-way stop; Gough replied that she just wanted to ensure consultation was thorough.

Coun. Darren Hill voted against the second survey.

Concerns about the intersection date back to 2007. A resident of the block south of 21st Street said in a city report that the block does not have sufficient space for two-way traffic and parking on both sides of the street.

The four-way stop signs are estimated to cost $500, while curb extensions intended to slow down traffic are expected to cost about $90,000.