I have an update about the traffic lights at the intersection of the Cloverdale Bypass and 57th Avenue.
Someone made a decision to paint lines on 57th Avenue on the west side of the Cloverdale Bypass making a left hand turn lane and the curb lane for through traffic and right hand turns. The problem with this is that the sensor that activates the lights is now only where the left hand turn lane is. Area residents know where the sensor is. It was covered over a few months ago when the road was resurfaced following the construction of Brick Yard Station. Not a problem because everyone knew it was there and stopped there.
At least it was not a problem until someone - probably in the engineering department who sits at a desk at Surrey's city hall and unfamiliar with the intersection - decided to paint lines here making the place where the sensor is left hand turn only.
Why they decided to do that I have no idea. This is not a high traffic area.
However this is a problem for a driver who wants to go east across the Cloverdale Bypass. They'll sit there for a long time waiting for a driver to get in the left hand turn lane or someone travelling west on 57th to activate the lights from the other side of the road.
Last week I watched a driver wait for about 5 minutes. It was 10:30 at night. No oncoming traffic. Nobody in the left hand lane. The driver finally ran the red light to cross the Bypass.
An accident waiting to happen.
I guess the city has finally received enough complaints from area residents.
I thought the least expensive solution would be to change the line painting and make the curb right turn only and the centre lane for through and left hand traffic.
But no the city went the more expensive route. Today I drove past and saw a crew digging up the street to put sensor on the curb side lane. Tonight I checked and both lanes have sensors.
Now they just have to put in a pedestrian activated light on the Brick Yard Station side and that intersection will by much safer.
Showing posts with label lights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lights. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Cloverdale Intersection Cloverdale Bypass and 57th Avenue
Those who live in the vicinity of Cloverdale's new mall the Brick Yard Station on the corner of Highway 10 and the Cloverdale Bypass know that its best accessible off 57th Avenue.
During the construction the crew resurfaced a section of 57th Avenue west of the Cloverdale Bypass. In doing so they resurfaced over the motion sensor that activates the traffic lights for westbound 57th Avenue traffic. Those of us who have been in Cloverdale a long time know the sensor is near the centre line at the stop line. If we stop there at a red light, and it is a long red light because of the primary highway traffic, we know where the sensor is located even though we can no longer see it, stop over it, and the lights will change in a minute or so. There is hardly any traffic travelling in either direction on 57th Avenue at the Cloverdale Bypass which is why the sensors were put in years ago meaning a car has to stop on top of it and wait for the light to change.
Oddly enough some drivers who are not familiar with the area of the covered sensor park in the centre of the road or close to the curb and have no chance of getting the traffic lights to change. All they can do is hope a driver will come along the opposite direction westbound on 57th and activate the lights from that side. The sensor on that side of the road is visible, not resurfaced after the construction.
On Sunday night, October 28, 2012, a line painting crew showed up at the intersection. On Monday I saw the results. There is a line down the middle of the eastbound lane on 57th Avenue at the Cloverdale Bypass intersection. On the left side of the line is a left hand turn arrow.
I did not know the lines had been painted on the road. I was walking my dogs and as I was walking past the Cloverdale Legion I noticed way up there that a car had stopped against the curb at the intersection. I thought that was a weird place to stop because there is no hope of setting off the traffic lights that far off the sensor. A couple of minutes later I reached the intersection. The car is still there but now four other cars are behind it waiting to either go straight through the lights or turn right. I push the pedestrian light and immediately the lights change.
When I reached the other side I noticed the line painting had been done. Very odd. If someone is in the curb lane waiting to go straight across the Bypass and continue eastbound along 57th Avenue that puts them in a collision course to run up on the sidewalk when they reach the other side of the intersection. Or at the very least run into some of the cars parked next to GWG Tool Rentals. Cars have to change lanes in the intersection to get back on track.
Today I was walking in the area and watched a car stopped in the curb lane hoping to go straight across the road. Not going to happen unless a car turning left shows up in the newly painted left hand turn lane or oncoming traffic shows up on the other side of 57th to activate the sensor and lights. No such luck. Its just not that busy an intersection, though I would say a car usually shows up at least once every ten minutes. I stayed in front of Starbucks wondering how long its going to take before the driver figures out the lights aren't going to change. Eventually two other cars get in line behind the car stopped at the curb. I took the above picture at the 3 minute mark. At 5 minutes the first car finally gets tired of waiting and turns right toward Highway 10. The other two cars turn right too.
It appears that someone at Surrey City Hall needs to either have a sensor put in the curb lane so through traffic can get the lights to change or repaint the lines so there is no left hand turn lane. This street hardly has any traffic so a left hand turn lane is not needed. That lane could do just fine for both through and left hand turn traffic. The line painting option would be the least expensive way to go rather than tearing up the road to install a sensor.
I think its just a matter of time before someone gets impatient because the lights won't change and proceeds anyway and causes an accident.
During the construction the crew resurfaced a section of 57th Avenue west of the Cloverdale Bypass. In doing so they resurfaced over the motion sensor that activates the traffic lights for westbound 57th Avenue traffic. Those of us who have been in Cloverdale a long time know the sensor is near the centre line at the stop line. If we stop there at a red light, and it is a long red light because of the primary highway traffic, we know where the sensor is located even though we can no longer see it, stop over it, and the lights will change in a minute or so. There is hardly any traffic travelling in either direction on 57th Avenue at the Cloverdale Bypass which is why the sensors were put in years ago meaning a car has to stop on top of it and wait for the light to change.
Oddly enough some drivers who are not familiar with the area of the covered sensor park in the centre of the road or close to the curb and have no chance of getting the traffic lights to change. All they can do is hope a driver will come along the opposite direction westbound on 57th and activate the lights from that side. The sensor on that side of the road is visible, not resurfaced after the construction.
On Sunday night, October 28, 2012, a line painting crew showed up at the intersection. On Monday I saw the results. There is a line down the middle of the eastbound lane on 57th Avenue at the Cloverdale Bypass intersection. On the left side of the line is a left hand turn arrow.
I did not know the lines had been painted on the road. I was walking my dogs and as I was walking past the Cloverdale Legion I noticed way up there that a car had stopped against the curb at the intersection. I thought that was a weird place to stop because there is no hope of setting off the traffic lights that far off the sensor. A couple of minutes later I reached the intersection. The car is still there but now four other cars are behind it waiting to either go straight through the lights or turn right. I push the pedestrian light and immediately the lights change.
When I reached the other side I noticed the line painting had been done. Very odd. If someone is in the curb lane waiting to go straight across the Bypass and continue eastbound along 57th Avenue that puts them in a collision course to run up on the sidewalk when they reach the other side of the intersection. Or at the very least run into some of the cars parked next to GWG Tool Rentals. Cars have to change lanes in the intersection to get back on track.
Today I was walking in the area and watched a car stopped in the curb lane hoping to go straight across the road. Not going to happen unless a car turning left shows up in the newly painted left hand turn lane or oncoming traffic shows up on the other side of 57th to activate the sensor and lights. No such luck. Its just not that busy an intersection, though I would say a car usually shows up at least once every ten minutes. I stayed in front of Starbucks wondering how long its going to take before the driver figures out the lights aren't going to change. Eventually two other cars get in line behind the car stopped at the curb. I took the above picture at the 3 minute mark. At 5 minutes the first car finally gets tired of waiting and turns right toward Highway 10. The other two cars turn right too.
It appears that someone at Surrey City Hall needs to either have a sensor put in the curb lane so through traffic can get the lights to change or repaint the lines so there is no left hand turn lane. This street hardly has any traffic so a left hand turn lane is not needed. That lane could do just fine for both through and left hand turn traffic. The line painting option would be the least expensive way to go rather than tearing up the road to install a sensor.
I think its just a matter of time before someone gets impatient because the lights won't change and proceeds anyway and causes an accident.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Christmas decorating in downtown Cloverdale
The city crews have started putting up Christmas decorations around Cloverdale. No fun feat for them given the heavy rains and wind we've experienced recently.
There is a string of lights at each end of 176th Street, one closer to Highway 10 and one string closer to 58th Avenue that were put up a couple of weeks ago. The one closest to 58th is only half working. Hope they get that fixed soon.
Some lights are up and they've started putting up wreaths. I don't see the Christmas tree on top of the Dale Building yet. The Christmas parade is only 10 days away so I hope they get the decorating done soon. They usually do a good job and its nice to walk downtown in the evenings and admire the Christmas lights. That is when its not raining.....
There is a string of lights at each end of 176th Street, one closer to Highway 10 and one string closer to 58th Avenue that were put up a couple of weeks ago. The one closest to 58th is only half working. Hope they get that fixed soon.
Some lights are up and they've started putting up wreaths. I don't see the Christmas tree on top of the Dale Building yet. The Christmas parade is only 10 days away so I hope they get the decorating done soon. They usually do a good job and its nice to walk downtown in the evenings and admire the Christmas lights. That is when its not raining.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)