Our intersection woes

[I wrote this post for the benefit of my neighbours]

If you're looking for suggestions to present to the city, this is what I recommend you consider:

The two primary issues plaguing our intersection at Mackay Rd / 19 Ave / 42 St are excessive speed and not obeying the stop signs at the intersection.

Most people who have ever been directly involved in the discussion about the intersection are fearful of future incidents causing more property damage and putting pedestrian and cyclist lives at risk.

Since the stop signs are being ignored at a rate as high or higher than 50% (based on my random counts), the intersection is at high risk. Excessive speed have already created four property damage incidents, two at 4225, one at 4223 and now one at 4221 19 Ave NW.

The police have not put many resources into monitoring the intersection and the surrounding area because they lose interest once they see how few vehicles use the intersection per hour. It's not worth their time. The formula has always been zero injuries + zero fatalities + lack of volume = no issue.

There are a number of solutions that can be applied here.

• Enforce the speed and stop signs on a regular basis. This has yet to happen and there is no indication it ever will.
• Install speed bumps in strategic places to slow traffic using physical measures. This could work, but is rough on suspensions even when not speeding. Speed bumps also get damaged over time from snow plow events. Mackay Road is plowed in winter for the benefit of the busses.
• Install speed tables at all current and future crosswalk points along Mackay in front of the FFCA charter school, and at the crosswalk points at the intersection. Speed tables are where the crosswalk essentially remains at the height of the sidewalk as it crosses the road with gentle slopes on each side. This is gentler on suspensions, but still gives a shock to the driver when they don't slow down for it. Speed tables are typically made of a material that looks very different from the asphalt (such as paving bricks) and are signed just like speed bumps, so they are warned in advance.

For what it's worth, speed tables is my preferred solution. They are the chosen solution through much of Europe and if you ever watch a YouTube video of speed tables at crosswalks, you'll see why they work so well. Here is a video showing them in action. Here's another video demonstrating the concept of incorporating speed tables into a continuous sidewalk design.

It is important that everyone participate in letting the City know, via the police, 311 - especially every time there's an incident, the MCA, our councillor, and the roads department. They're won't take this seriously if there is only one or two complaints.