Pedestrian safety in downtown Lacombe will be reviewed as part of a Transportation Master Plan that was given the green light on Monday.
City council asked that consultants take a look at existing crossings along 50th Avenue from 49A Avenue to Hwy 2A and come up with recommendations to “improve pedestrian safety and comfort within the area.”
A speed study along Hwy 12 east of the C&E Trail has also been added to the $90,000 master plan that will be undertaken by Stantec Consulting.
Since council did not want the cost of the master plan to change, consultants cut back on the number of traffic counts planned at intersections. Peak morning and afternoon traffic counts will also be done at four intersections, instead of the original six.
The new master plan updates a 2007 version and will provide council with specific thresholds to determine when roads need widening or traffic signals added. Predictions of where future traffic issues may arise is also part of the analysis.
Council approved hiring Stantec to do the study, which is expected to be completed by July. Before the final report, a public open house will be held to gather local input.
Stantec is also involved in another project to update the city’s offsite levy bylaw.
Offsite levies are paid by developers to cover some of the costs of infrastructure needed to support new development.
For instance, in Lacombe and in most municipalities, developers must cover the cost of the major collector roads needed to serve their projects.
Among changes made to the bylaw is the adding of storm water upgrades to the levy schedule. Previously, developers were not required to contribute to storm water sewers.
However, flooding problems in recent years have shown that the system did not have enough capacity so major upgrades have been undertaken.
In the future, developers will be required to pay for upgrades to the storm water system needed because of new developments.
Council gave approval to go ahead with a draft offsite levy bylaw on Monday.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com