City of Lethbridge eyes safety goal of 0 traffic fatalities

The City of Lethbridge is making strides towards a goal of zero transportation-related deaths by the year 2040.

Ahmed Ali, transportation engineering manager with the City of Lethbridge, presented his findings in the Transportation Safety Plan to the Civic Works Standing Policy Committee Thursday.

Ali said current statistics show around one collision results in injury each day, around two collisions result in severe injury each month and –more critically– every year around two collisions result in death.

The plan includes suggested partnerships with the Alberta Motor Association and other groups, as well as extensive community engagement which already began in October 2019.

Suggestions made to improve transportation safety were created as responses to main issues pinpointed in community feedback which included:

• distracted driving, walking and cycling
• speeding and aggressive driving
• road intersection design
• weather conditions

Ali said some suggested options for the next five years include reducing residential speed limits, implementing more roundabouts in residential intersections, creating protected turning phases for left-turning traffic and creating designated bike boulevards and lanes.

The plan could result in long-term savings for the city, considering the current frequency of collisions costs the city approximately $130 million each year, according to Ali’s findings.

Ali says he would like to see this Transportation Safety Plan implemented into the next capital and operating budget deliberations.