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Council over rules staff report

43rd Avenue and 20th Street four-way stop to stay

Oct 13, 2020 | 4:44 PM

Vernon council has overruled a staff report and will make a temporary four-way stop on 43rd Avenue and 20th Street permanent.

“There is overwhelming support in the neighborhood over 90 per cent of people who contacted me want it to stay,” Councillor Akbal Mund said.

Transportation staff strongly recommended that council wait for a more detailed report once Pleasant Valley Road construction is completed at the end of the month or early November. The four-way was installed as part of a construction detour.

A report to council indicated that under national guidelines an unwarranted four-way would likely result in additional rear-end collisions. The guidelines and previous studies indicate when there isn’t equal traffic flow on both routes that motorists tend to do rolling stops or ignore the stop signs altogether.

“I think we should leave the temporary stop in place for six months and look at the data after PV Road re-opens,” Coun. Dalvir Nahal said.

According to a 2019 ICBC study of the intersection, there were 34 accidents in the previous five years, including a pedestrian and a cyclist.

There was also a fatality in 2006 when a vehicle ran the 20th Street stop sign slamming into a taxi on 43rd Avenue. Sight lines, fence and hedge heights were all adjusted at that time.

“I think it will make the area safer. People really speed on 43rd. This will also address that” Coun. Brian Quiring said. “There is a lot going on in that neighbourhood. Harwood School is there, the Alliance Church and Seaton students use that route.”

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