Several members of the community have voiced their concerns to city council over the dangers posed by the broken traffic lights at a busy downtown intersection
The traffic lights at the intersection of Third Avenue and Fulton Street, located in front of city hall, have been flashing red for several months. With the lights flashing red, Prince Rupert residents have been treating the intersection as a four-way stop.
With the light flashing red, some pedestrians are uncertain of when to cross, said city councillor Gurvinder Randhawa.
“A few community members approached me and they said something should be done about these lights. For the pedestrians there’s some very close calls that have happened to them, they start walking and people didn’t stop and almost hit them. So they say some safety concern should be done there.”
While some drivers in Prince Rupert have welcomed the use of the intersection as a four-way stop, but without any indication of when to cross, the intersection could be dangerous for pedestrians. installing pedestrian indication lights would be one of the best options, said councillor Wade Niesh.
“I think most people are actually are happy with that being a four-way stop, but a thought for the city would be to look at what the cost would be of installing warning devices for crossings pedestrians because that might be something that can be a lot cheaper than replacing the lights.”
Traffic through the intersection is usually heavier during the 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. hours, which is increased due to construction, said mayor Herb Pond.
“The only time it gets and it a little bit tight is around the 4 p.m. hour and it’s because all of the traffic’s been cycled up Third Avenue as a result of the work on the roundabout. We’re just seeing an unusual amount of traffic is coming up that road.”
