New road signage will soon be found on Whoop-Up Drive.
On Monday, Lethbridge City Council voted 5 to 2 in favour of adding both digital signs and weather sensors along the popular commuter road in the city.
During extreme weather conditions the boards will notify drivers of reduced speeds and safety warnings.
In a matter of minutes the driving conditions on Whoop-Up Drive can change, creating a nightmare for commuters.
Treacherous conditions have prompted city council to vote in favor of new signage along the busy roadway, something Lethbridge Regional Police Department Staff Sgt. Zealand Leavitt agrees with.“This will inform drivers of the conditions, if it’s icy, slushy or has poor visibility. It will inform the driver.”
The city will purchase two new trailer signs to display information on extreme weather and changing road conditions, telling those behind the wheel to slow down.
Along with the trailer signs, there will be nine electronic speed signs indicating the posted speed.
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“They will look the same as the current speed signs but will be digital, so they can be changed remotely by computer or cell phone. This will be much easier than manually changing the signs, sending out crews in bad weather and putting them in danger,” adds Staff Sgt. Leavitt.
Councillor Blaine Hyggen voted against the purchase, he said the $200,000 dollar price tag could have been spent on different technology that could be used more efficiently.
“Everyone has a cell phone these days, text updates could be used for sharing information. It would be easy to use and less expensive, and we could use the system for more than just weather. If there is a fire or a scene scenario we could notify the public,” adds Hyggen.
On average about 45,000 vehicles use Whoop-Up Drive every day. Between 2008 and 2012 there were over 500 collisions just on that route, with the majority occurring during extreme weather conditions.
“Anything we can do to reduce collisions is a good thing, it will only help,” says Staff Sgt. Leavitt.
Lethbridge residents seem divided about the purchase.
With a large college and university based population, not all residents are accustomed to Lethbridge driving conditions, while others say it’s common sense.
But, whether you’re for or against the signs, one thing is for sure, unpredictable winter driving conditions won’t be going away anytime soon.
A timeframe as to when the signage will be posted has not been given.
City councillor Jeffery Coffman also voted against the purchase.
Joe Mauro was absent from Monday’s meeting.
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