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The following is an open letter from the Dovercourt Community League regarding the Yellowhead Conversion
October 16, 2018 Hi Councillor Esslinger and Yellowhead Planning Committee, I am writing this open letter to you on behalf of the Dovercourt Community League and some of the concerns we have about the Yellowhead Trail changes which will be happening over the next several years. I would like to thank the Yellowhead Planning Group for hosting the discussion last summer, I think some excellent points were made and that it was helpful to many in attendance. Having said that I think it is important to review some of the more critical issues we as a community have regarding some of the proposed changes and upgrades which will be a result of the changes to the Yellowhead. I do not suggest that my list is complete and am sure there are many other suggestions and concerns for people in Dovercourt, Sherbrook and other Communities and I would invite any citizen with concerns beyond my list to contact the appropriate City Councillor and /or the Yellowhead Planning Committee. From several discussions including the town hall meeting, I believe the biggest concerns for Dovercourt revolves around the inevitable increase in traffic cutting through our neighbourhood and our residents’ ability to safely navigate out of the neighbourhood. I am sure no one will challenge the fact that St Albert Trail and 118 Ave will become drastically busier in what is already a heavily used and congested route. To review a few concerns/proposals raised during the Yellowhead committee discussion (You led): **The curbs along 118 Ave from 135 St to 139 (and beyond) could be defined as negative curbs- they are non-existent and where present not sufficient to provide any safety- they need to be high square curbs. This is not a “nice to do” rather it must be addressed. **There is a great concern about exiting Dovercourt. - need full lights at 118 Ave & 139 St (Dovercourt Ave) -need full lights at St Albert Trail and 139 St OR 122 Ave -might be good to have staggered lights (like at fire halls) at southbound 142 St @124ave & northbound entrance142 @124 Ave – to allow turning into Dovercourt and/or getting onto 142 St **Possibly put jog outs at 124 Ave entrance to dissuade cutting through or close access to St Albert Trail entirely **post and enforce a 40 km speed limit for all of our streets and a 20 km limit in alleys **put proper lights at 118 and ST Albert Trail- it is a terribly inefficient “roundabout”/lights- not sure what to call it except backed up traffic north to the Yellowhead already. Without improving the flow at that intersection Dovercourt will become even more of a “corner cutting” route for anyone wishing to go from St Albert Trail west on 118. Make more lanes, proper turning lanes and get traffic moving through. As I stated earlier this is by no means an exhaustive list of concerns, but does hit many of the immediate concerns for the effects within and directly on Dovercourt. I welcome anyone to contact Councillor Esslinger with additional concerns. The Yellowhead will be changed, now is when we must try to anticipate the effects of those changes and act. Once done it will probably be too late and busy to address. Thank you for taking the time to review this. I welcome any correspondence and we will share both this letter and any replies on our webpage and excerpts in our newsletter. Geoff Galbraith President Dovercourt Community League |
Response from Councillor Esslinger's Office to DCL Letter
October 22, 2018 Response to Dovercourt Community League Letter Question 1 The curbs along 118 Ave from 135 St to 139 (and beyond) could be defined as negative curbs- they are non-existent and where present not sufficient to provide any safety- they need to be high square curbs. Response 118 Avenue (between 135 Street and 139 Street) has received an asphalt overlay several times over the years, with the latest taken place in 2009. Very little of the existing asphalt is removed during the overlay process, which results in an increase in the elevation of the roadway. Overtime, if several overlays have been placed (as with 118 Avenue) the road height may eventually match the curb height. From a functional perspective the road is performing and in good riding condition, however we recognize it may not have the desired look. Based on current network conditions, funding levels and city-wide priorities, there is no provision for rehabilitating of the roadway or reconstructing of the concrete curbs in this area in the upcoming capital budget (2019-2022). This location will continue to be monitored and assessed in terms of it priority leading up to future capital budget. In the interim, Roadway Infrastructure Maintenance staff will continue via maintenance activities address any localized road, sidewalk or curb/gutter issues until renewal takes place. Question 2 There is a great concern about exiting Dovercourt. . ● need full lights at 118 Ave & 139 St (Dovercourt Ave) ● need full lights at St Albert Trail and 139 St OR 122 Ave ● might be good to have staggered lights (like at fire halls) at southbound 142 St @124ave & northbound entrance 142 @124 Ave – to allow turning into Dovercourt and/or getting onto 142 St ● Possibly put jog outs at 124 Ave entrance to dissuade cutting through or close access to St Albert Trail entirely Response Currently there are no plans to upgrade the existing pedestrian activated signals along St. Albert Trail and 118 Avenue to full (fixed) signals. Switching the pedestrian traffic signal operation to a regular fixed time activation would create more opportunities for vehicle drivers leaving the Dovercourt Neighborhood, however the trade-off would be that this type of operation would also increase the attractiveness of commuters to access through the neighborhood (shortcutting). Further, having these pedestrian traffic signals operate on fixed time would impact vehicle traffic flow on 118 Avenue and St. Albert Trail. Impacts to vehicle traffic flow on 118 Avenue and St.Albert Trail is also likely to attract commuters to access through the neighbourhood compounding the risk of additional potential shortcutting. Question 3 Please post and enforce a 40 km speed limit for all of our streets and a 20 km limit in alleys Response 40 Km/h Residential speed limits are going to be looked at by Council in Spring of 2019 as an option for neighbourhoods around the City. There are a few location in Edmonton that currently have 40 Km/H speed limits as they were being used for the pilot program. Alleys around the City all have the speed limit of 20 km/h although they are not signed. If a community is looking to put up signs in their back alley, speed management team will provide them with laminated speed limit signs that can be posted on poles in the alley. Please contact Dennis Tetreault with the City’s Traffic Safety Team at 780-496-5034 or via email at dennis.tetreault@edmonton.ca to request laminated signs. Question 4 Put proper lights at 118 and ST Albert Trail- it is a terribly inefficient “roundabout”/lights- not sure what to call it except backed up traffic north to the Yellowhead already. Without improving the flow at that intersection Dovercourt will become even more of a “corner cutting” route for anyone wishing to go from St Albert Trail west on 118. Make more lanes, proper turning lanes and get traffic moving through. Response The intersection of St. Albert Trail and 118 Avenue was last rehabilitated in 2010. As part of the most recent work, operational improvements were made to the lane configuration to improve traffic flows across the intersection. As work advances on the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion Program, in particular in the areas of 127 Street / Yellowhead Trail and 142 Street / Yellowhead Trail, further evaluation will be completed to analyze the impacts on adjacent road networks resulting from changes to the Yellowhead Trail corridor. |
