A recommendation from the Cranbrook in Motion Committee that was accepted by council at the end of April still concerns one Cranbrook resident.
In the weeks since council followed accepted the recommendations, Brian Kostiuk has been trying to bring people to his side of the street, which is that the intersection of 17th Avenue and Baker Street, outside the F.W. Green Clinic, is in need of another crosswalk. Kostiuk feels that the current layout makes access to the southern side of the street problematic for those confined to wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
However, back at the April 28 meeting, council voted in favour of the recommendation that the committee brought forward which was "that no additional crosswalk be provided at the 17th Avenue South and Baker Street intersection."
Coun. Gerry Warner was the only one who opposed it. "The more crosswalks the safer we are," said Coun. Warner.
Pallesen noted at the meeting that the committee originally received the request to look at the intersection because it had looked at it in the past. The committee has now received an ICBC Traffic Control Review Street Sign and Road Marking Manual.
"This is where we have an engineering company and ICBC come in and look at every single intersection and road sign and set of lights to make sure that they are compliant with B.C. standards," Pallesen said. "They've given us this guideline and we're trying really hard to follow the guideline so there is a standardization for the entire city."
She said the standardization would be done over the next few years as they come up for renewal.
"That way we don't have one set of rules for one intersection and another for another," she said. "That's why this road was turned down."
Diana J. Scott also agreed that there should be no additional crosswalk. She said they already have a crosswalk going in each direction of the road and to have two in each direction would not make sense. She said it would also impede traffic.
Coun. Sharon Cross noted that just down the road, on 14th Avenue and Baker, there are two sets of crosswalks going across the street.
Pallesen said it likely would not be removed, but won't be maintained. Depending on whether an exception would be made for the school zone, the intersection would be brought in line with the others in the future.
Mayor Wayne Stetski also agreed, saying that the city needs to finish the sidewalk on the school side of the street, which would encourage the use of the current crosswalk.