The Delta Police Department (DPD) is working with the provincial government to address traffic safety concerns at the busy intersection of Highway 17 and 56 Street.
That’s what the city’s Transportation Advisory Committee was recently told during a recent meeting where a traffic along the 56 Street was discussed.
Deputy Police Chief Harj Sidhu told the advisory committee that 56 Street at Highway 17 is a high-collision corridor with 13 accidents recorded since January 2023.
He said the DPD have been consulting with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in an effort to increase safety for road users.
One of the accidents occurred last August when four people were sent to hospital following a three-vehicle collision.
Another occurred last spring when a two-vehicle collision resulted in critical injuries to a person, while another a few weeks later involved a single-car crash where a vehicle hit a pole and flipped onto its roof.
The topic was raised during the committee’s discussion on a resident’s request to the city that the traffic signals along 56 Street be automatically synchronized, specifically between 12 Avenue and Highway 17, to reduce traffic congestion, vehicle emissions and vehicles running red lights.
The committee was advised that the city reviewed the traffic lights along 56 Street in 2022 to bring signal times in line with Vision Zero principles and Delta’s Mobility and Accessibility Committee’s recommendations.
As a result, pedestrian clearance times were increased at all intersections along 56 Street, however, Highway 17 is a provincial roadway and out of the city’s jurisdiction.
As far as further synchronization changes to the corridor, the committee was told that it can be challenging in high-pedestrian areas.
The city has coordinated traffic signals along 56 Street between 12 and 19 avenues, during peak hours, while a plan is in the works to install a traffic signal at 14B Avenue. The proposed new signal is part of the city’s 2024 capital budget.
