Latest news with #intersectionSafety
CBS News
a day ago
- Automotive
- CBS News
City of Lodi discusses how to make Turner Road, California Street intersection safer
A Lodi intersection that residents call dangerous is one step closer to being safer. The intersection of Turner Road and California Street has seen a series of crashes, and now, the community wants to see change. Homeowners along Turner Road say they are fed up. A white SUV crashed into the side of Vintage Church at the intersection just three months ago. "If you did not know this, this was the third time a car has crashed into our building," said Timothy Stewart, a pastor at Vintage Church. Stewart is also helping spearhead this grassroots effort. "Following the most recent accident, we felt we should advocate for change at the California/Turner intersection," he said. Lodi's public works department says several changes have been made along Turner Road throughout the years, including, most recently, a speed check sign. Lodi police say Turner Road is heavily patrolled. It accounts for less than four miles or less than 2% of the roadways that the police force tries to mitigate. Neighbors want to see more done. Pedestrian safety and making parking easier are top of mind. The city just recently approved a budget, where there isn't much room for additional spending. It will be up to the city council to decide whether improvements to the intersection will move forward. "Once we figure out what the preferred project is, then we can come back to the council with a request for funds," said Public Works Director Charles Swimley Jr. The council did not make a decision Wednesday night, but the public works says there will be another community and council meeting in late July to figure out what can be done.
CTV News
a day ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Study finds ways to improve common Canadian intersections, including major one in west Edmonton
A major Edmonton intersection could use upgrades to improve safety for pedestrians who use it, says a study commissioned by an Alberta organization known for its roadside assistance program. The study done for the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), of which the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is a part, examined 20 intersections across the country, including Edmonton's crossroads at 87 Avenue and 149 Street. It found that the intersections, chosen for the study because they represent common busy intersections found across Canada, see more than one potentially fatal near-miss incident between vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists, and suggests ways to reduce the number of them. Included in the study were intersections in Calgary and Lethbridge. 'These representative intersections reveal a snapshot of just how common serious near misses can be – but also where small changes could make a big difference,' Ian Jack, the CAA's national vice president of public affairs, said in a media release. 'These are not isolated incidents — they're regular reminders of why we need to improve intersection safety across the country.' Video technology used through a partnership with Miovision, a software firm specializing in traffic control, found that one in 770 pedestrians and one in 500 cyclists were involved in near-misses that could cause injury or death. Video sensors continuously monitored the intersections over seven months from August 2024 to February this year. They observed more than seven-million pedestrian and cyclist crossings and collected 616,854 near-miss incidents. Six of the intersections were monitored via video over a three-day period, according to an AMA media release. The study suggests design features that can improve the safety of the intersections, including: Dedicated turn lanes; Walk signals that start ahead of a vehicle green light, and; An advance green light for turning vehicles. Dominic Schamuhn, the AMA's manager of advocacy, told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday while the study focused on just one city intersection, 'there are dozens of intersections just like that one across the city, and dozens more all across the province and across the country.' Schamuhn said the AMA has shared the full report with and given access to data from the study to municipalities. 'What we wanted to do is look at these intersections, take a cross section of them from across the country, but then also look at some of the improvements that can be made, so that municipalities can look at this study, look at their own intersections, and say, 'What is the problem here, and what are some of the options that we can use to improve safety for everyone?'' he said. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti
CBC
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Carberry-area residents rally against plan they say won't fix intersection where crash killed 17
Around 100 people rallied Thursday evening near the intersection north of Carberry where a crash killed 17 people two years ago, protesting one of the proposals to make the crossing safer. Semi-trailer trucks and farm vehicles lined the road beside the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5, as protesters called on the province to scrap plans for a restricted crossing U-turn at the site. The protest was held at the intersection where on June 15, 2023, a semi and a bus full of seniors from the Dauphin area collided, killing 17 and injuring eight. A month later, three people were injured at the intersection when a pickup truck collided with an SUV, causing both to hit a third vehicle. Jordan Dickson, who lives beside the intersection, said she's seen a lot of accidents and close calls. "It's really scary sometimes," Dickson said. "We're always watching out there for when the [emergency] lights go by." She wants the intersection to be safer but worries community needs aren't being heard. Following a safety review, the province presented three main possibilities — a widened intersection, a roundabout or a restricted crossing U-turn, known as an RCUT. Thursday's rally was organized to send a message that an RCUT isn't the answer, Dickson said. An RCUT forces drivers to turn right, merge into traffic and then make a U-turn, instead of crossing or turning left. An RCUT doesn't make sense in an area with a lot of farm equipment and heavy truck traffic, Dickson said. "It's a recipe for disaster," she said. WATCH | How an R-CUT would work at the intersection near Carberry: How an RCUT would work at Manitoba intersection where deadly crash happened 1 year ago Duration 0:13 A restricted crossing U-turn, also known as an RCUT, is one of three options being explored to overhaul a highway intersection near Carberry, Man., where a crash killed 17 people and injured eight others in June. She says an overpass is the best way to make the intersection safer, and it's disappointing the province isn't pursuing that. If an overpass isn't possible, she would like a wider median, which was one of the options in the province's safety report. The current median is so narrow, even two-passenger vehicles can't comfortably fit. Traffic often gets back up at the intersection, because drivers wait until all four lanes on Highway 1 are clear to cross, Dickson says. "It's a very busy highway," Dickson said. "There's lots of times that when [farm] equipment's trying to get through, either they're forced to take the service road and go to the intersections either a mile east or mile west, or traffic gets pretty backed up as they are waiting to get through." Overpass needed: farmer Deborah Steen, who helped organize the rally, said spring and fall are particularly bad, and the intersection can become "complete chaos" when farming equipment crowds the intersection. "I come through this intersection multiple times a day, and it's just a nightmare at times," Steen said. She worries the RCUT will confuse drivers and push traffic onto less safe back roads. Steen also says if an overpass isn't possible, the next safest option is widening the median. Carberry-area farmer Neil Adriaansen says the intersection has been an issue for decades, and locals have been hoping for an overpass since the mid-1960s. He crosses the intersection four to eight times a day, and the size of his vehicles means he often doesn't fit in the median. If the province moves ahead with an RCUT, he'll start using back roads to avoid it, he said. "I am not taking a chance on a foggy morning, trying to merge across three lanes, and then have to turn around and do it again on the other side. That's bizarre," Adriaansen said. "I'm sure there are places for RCUTS. This just isn't it." After the last public open house about the intersection's future, Adriaansen submitted a four-page letter to the province explaining why he didn't want to see an RCUT built. It's unsafe and inconvenient, penalizing traffic travelling north-south, he said. If an overpass isn't possible, he also would support a wider median, or stoplights. Dickson said the consultation process with the province has been frustrating, with many in the community feeling ignored. A petition against the RCUT has started and is gathering local opinions about safer options, along with signatures, Dickson said. Their goal is to amplify the voices of those who use the intersection every day, she said. "We obviously want a safe intersection. We've been asking for it for years now," Dickson said. A final round of engagement will take place this spring and an engagement report is expected from the province this summer regarding the future of the intersection.
