The City of Delta is going to take a closer look at traffic safety along 47A Avenue in Ladner following another collision that apparently involved high speeds.
On Thursday morning, an eastbound car on 47A Avenue collided with a vehicle turning right onto 47A Avenue from Delta Street. The collision resulted in heavy damage to both cars and airbags deployed but, fortunately, nobody had to be taken away by ambulance.
On Sept. 28, a pickup truck travelling westbound on 47A crashed into a parked vehicle on the right side of the road by the same intersection, also causing very heavy damage to both vehicles.
On May 28, 2021, down the street at 47A Avenue at 51 Street, an eastbound car turning right onto 51 Street from 47A Avenue hit a pedestrian at the crosswalk. The injured woman was taken to hospital.
Following Thursday’s collision, City of Delta Engineering Director Steven Lan told the Optimist that the safety concerns, including speed on 47A Avenue, will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the city’s Transportation Technical Committee.
He also said an evaluation will be undertaken.
Meeting monthly, the committee discusses emerging transportation safety issues based on staff and community input.
Safety concerns, including vehicular speeds, at various residential streets, busy main roadways and intersections throughout the community are on the agenda.
The committee includes staff from engineering and community planning and development, as well as Delta Police, the school district and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Engineering staff usually further analyze the traffic issues and report back whether additional traffic calming measures for the sites are recommended.
Questions that could be raised after the latest incident on 47A Avenue include whether the intersection at Delta Street needs to be upgraded to include a full red light, or, should the vehicle speed limit along 47A Avenue, between Arthur Drive and River Road West, be reduced to 30 km/h? Are speed bumps even an option? Are there too many blind spots at the corners?
Based on the high traffic volumes, as well as proximity to Ladner Village and Delta Secondary School, changes could be coming to enhance pedestrian and vehicle safety in the area.
Residents last year also raised safety concerns regarding the pedestrian-activated crosswalk on Arthur Drive near the McKee Seniors’ Centre, as well as the intersection at Elliot Street and Ladner Trunk Road.
Meanwhile, the city is working on its own Vision Zero strategy. Already in place in other communities throughout North America, the strategy’s goal is to reduce serious traffic accidents and fatalities.
One of the key differences between Vision Zero and traditional approaches to road safety is that traffic collisions are considered preventable, viewing safety as a shared responsibility between system designers, policy makers and road users.
