Motorists raise concerns about new stop sign at rural Alberta intersection

A new four-way stop sign at a highway intersection in the community of Balzac is raising concerns from the public, as drivers travelling at speeds of upwards of 100 km/h have been blasting through the signs.

Some drivers say there isn’t enough warning before the traffic stop installed on Wednesday at the intersection of Highway 566 and Range Road 11 (8 Street) in Rocky View County.

“There definitely could be fatalities there,” motorist Harvey Roofer said.

“With someone doing 100 km/h heading into the intersection, for sure someone could die.”

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Alberta Transportation said the new stop sign was installed as a way to “manage traffic flow and address safety concerns” as the department works to upgrade the intersection.

“There are plans to upgrade the intersection with a double wide roundabout as part of the Balzac interchange upgrade, but funding is not yet available,” spokesperson Wayne Wood said in an emailed statement.

Alberta Transportation said temporary “NEW” signs were installed ahead of the stop sign installation, however those warning signs don’t have lights on them.

“You can see around us there’s no stop lights, streetlights, nothing at night time when it gets dark,” Roofer said.

“There’s no lights on top of the stop signs, there’s no turn lanes, there’s no rumble strips, there’s nothing.”

WATCH: Alberta drivers say recently installed stop signs on a highway near Balzac have made for a very dangerous intersection, as drivers unaware of the new stop signs are blowing past them. As Christa Dao explains, motorists say more warning is needed.

1:33 Alberta drivers raise concerns about a new 4-way stop on highway near Balzac

The government said plans are in place to install flashing lights and rumble strips in the coming weeks.

“In the meantime, Alberta Transportation and RCMP are monitoring the intersection in terms of compliance, collision reduction and feedback from residents,” Wood said.

In addition to the safety concerns, drivers are also sounding the alarm about tickets they’ve received after failing to stop at the new stop sign.

One driver received said she got a $400 ticket for speeding through the intersection on Thursday morning while driving toward Calgary with her children.

“I continued on and sure enough as soon as I passed 8 Street here, all of a sudden I see her lights go on and I right away said to the kids, ‘Oh my gosh there’s a stop sign there now!'” longtime Airdrie resident Kelly Crispens said.

“There was nothing to tell me that there was a sign that I saw coming down this road.”

Airdrie RCMP said in a release the stop sign became effective immediately after it was installed, “with no amnesty period.”

“The Airdrie RCMP did not install the stop sign but, do support its placement due to the potential for enhanced motorist safety at that high volume traffic intersection,” the release reads.

“Airdrie RCMP also have to respond to calls for service from the public and sometimes that includes complaints from the public about people not stopping at stop signs.”

Alberta Transportation said the 100 km/h speed limit on the highway is consistent with “all other provincial highways that intersect with a range road, including those with stop signage.”

— With files from Christa Dao