REFORM to 4 SECOND AMBER TRAFFIC LIGHT TIMES
Matt Allard
Matt Allard *Note this is my personal page & not City-funded and does not reflect official City of Wpg policy.
Today at Public Works Committee, I moved a motion asking for the public service to report back on Winnipeg’s “four second amber” timing at traffic lights. See the text of the motion below. Some time ago, I met with traffic reform advocate Chris Sweryda who my office has maintained a dialogue with for the past couple of years, and have worked together before to bring forward proposals for reform on issues such as alleged missing traffic signage, low mounted lights for pedestrian corridors, and now this. I believe this is a good time to take this issue on given the City’s steady progress on the related matter of advance warning flashing lights in high speed areas. The text of my motion below:
WHEREAS the City of Winnipeg employs 4 second amber lights on all signalized intersections;
AND WHEREAS some traffic safety advocates have argued that 4 second amber light times on high speed roads provide inadequate time for drivers travelling at the speed limit a certain distance from the intersection to safely either proceed through or brake;
AND WHEREAS amber light times longer than 4 seconds on higher-speed approaches appear to be the standard in most other municipalities across North America;
AND WHEREAS the City of Winnipeg public service has provided a report recommending the expansion of advanced warning flashers, which mitigate this road safety issue but do not address the core issue here;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the public service produce a report on amber light times for the City of Winnipeg on high speed routes with recommendations as appropriate
I can't imagine the risk going up with longer amber times. Seems like a total no brainer... Glad you're on it!!? To be honest, I thought there were studies done to hmshow that it was much safer to increase amber times but red light camera tickets plummet...? If you ever want to see a badly engineered part of our roadways, look where the police enforcement goes. When Nairn was 50 km/hr, police used to wait at the bottom of the overpass frequently. When the limit went to 60, you would think the safety would have gone down and we would need more enforcement, no? Well, the cops stopped sitting there bc it wasn't profitable. Now they wait on Provencher which is engineered for faster speeds and aftificially kept lower.? The police also wait at intersections to give tickets when signage isn't clear. If an area is actually dangerous, it should be engineered to automatically fix the problem (speed bumps are more effective than cameras) but ticket revenue goes down and costs go up.? Personally I would rather have an intuitive infrastructure program (like the one you're suggesting) than a money-grab policy. This program is in the people's best interest.
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4 年Great start, Matt. Let's hope the study shows we need more than 4 seconds in high speed areas. Thank you for bringing this forward. With the approach to intersections being quite slippery during the winter - extended ambers will give drivers more warning and ultimately save lives.