Councillor calls for lights at interchange after fatal motorcycle crash
A Calgary city councillor is calling for the installation of traffic lights at the Stoney Trail and Country Hills Boulevard N.E. interchange after a Friday evening collision in the area killed a motorcyclist.
Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal called the overpass “troublesome,” saying it's prone to severe accidents. He said several residents have approached him about improving safety and those calls only increased after the recent tragedy.
Calgary police responded to the area for reports of a collision between a motorcycle and a van around 7:46 p.m. Friday. Police said a van that was stopped at the intersection began to turn left into the westbound lane of Country Hills Boulevard and collided with an eastbound motorcycle, resulting in the death of the motorcyclist, a man in his early 30s.
“I'm not speaking only as a Ward 5 councillor. I'm also speaking as a resident, as a commuter who takes that route many times,” he said. “I've been hearing it since the day I got elected: `Raj, we need to find a solution for this.' Unfortunately, they were also telling me, `Are we only going to wake up when we have someone lose their life here?', which happened two days ago.”
Dhaliwal said the issue boils down to the stop signs present when turning left from Stoney Trail onto Country Hills Boulevard, specifically for those coming off of Stoney northbound heading west onto Country Hills. He called the current design “flawed” and said lights are a necessary safety improvement for the overpass.
However, upon raising the issue with the city, Dhaliwal said administration told him the intersection is in provincial jurisdiction and Alberta Transportation has determined, through a study earlier this year, that no traffic lights are required.
“What (the province has) told us right now, is that they might do another study and based on that study, they might take action as needed or as appropriate,” said Dhaliwal. “Human lives shouldn't be contingent upon studies or data points. What we need to do is listen to humans who are telling us, `It's not safe, it's not safe.'”
Dhaliwal said he will continue to work with the province to find a resolution.
Haydn Place, the acting chief of staff for Transportation Minister Prasad Panda, said: “We want to reassure Albertans that safety on our highways is a top priority for Alberta Transportation.
“If the study's recommendations indicate that improvements are warranted, Alberta Transportation will ensure the contractor implements them as soon as possible,” he said.