Allison Enns spoke at Melfort's Regular Council Meeting on Monday, April 15. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Safety Around Schools

Melfort citizen asks City for four-way stop near Brunswick School

Apr 16, 2019 | 3:01 PM

After a series of close calls at a busy intersection in town, a local resident decided to speak up.

Allison Enns, a Melfort resident who lives on Bemister Avenue East has advocated for a four-way stop at the intersection of Scotia Street and Bemister Avenue for the last two years.

“Traffic doesn’t yield,” Enns told northeastNOW. She pointed out the irony that prior to meeting with City Manager Ryan Danberg, Fire Chief Jason Everitt, and Director of Works and Utilities Gerald Gilmore, she had another one of those close calls as a pedestrian.

“A car sped past me going probably 50 km/h while I was standing in the crosswalk, on the road, wearing a red jacket,” she said. “If they didn’t see me, there’s no chance they would see a five-year-old pedestrian.”

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The intersection near Brunswick Elementary School, currently has yield signs for traffic north and southbound on Scotia Street. At the intersection one block east, there is a four-way stop patrolled at busy times during the school day.

For traffic going west or east on Bemister Avenue, there is no yield or stop sign in either direction. There is a painted crosswalk on the east part of the intersection. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW)

For traffic going north or south on Scotia St, there is a yield sign in both directions. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

Enns said while the intersection is still a big issue, the city has been very helpful and accommodating.

“It’s not every day that you’re excited to see police officers patrolling your neighborhood,” she said. “And everyone’s been excited. It’s been an ongoing concern for people that live there. They’ve already taken into consideration some other things like some trees coming down to improve visibility. It’s just so nice to have some support on the issue.”

Even though there’s new crosswalk lines and better visibility, Enns is still pushing for the four-way stop.

“We need traffic to yield, and we also need them to slow down,” Enns said. “We need it to stop in all directions. Previous attempts have been trying to send the students in certain directions in that intersection, and you can’t tell kids where they’re going to go; they’re going to go in the path of least resistance. They go where they are going to go.

“We want all four sides painted and marked, and we want traffic to stop and look around before they proceed.”

According to Mayor Rick Lang, the city hired a Traffic Safety Expert to study all four intersections surrounding Brunswick Elementary School, including the one Enns is focused on.

Lang said city administrators will determine the best course of action based on the study’s results.

“We don’t make solutions based on what our opinions are,” Lang told northeastNOW. “We make solutions based on expert opinion is because frankly, none of us know the answer.”

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6