The City held its ‘come and go’ Transportation Master Plan open house at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Tuesday night. 

KGS Group is the City’s consultant on the plan, and they were available to answer questions and give attendees an overview of the results of studies and surveys conducted to date. 

Transportation network areas being explored by KGS Group include safety issues, modes of travel, and potential changes to infrastructure and transit schedules to support the ways in which Moose Javians want to move around the city.  

One surprising finding from respondents who completed the first survey was a desire to shift from cars to cycling or public transit. Three-quarters said that their current mode of travel is alone by car, but many would like other options.  

“Almost half of the people that responded said they would like to shift how they currently travel over to other modes – and I’ve actually never seen what they call a ‘latent demand’ like that being so high. You know, usually you would see transit being maybe in the 10-15 per cent [range], and we’re seeing it in the order of 25 or more per cent that want to take transit,” said Bruce Belmore, Department Head of Transportation with KGS Group. 

The second survey currently available online seeks to get more details on how an expanded public transit system should function in order to meet respondents’ needs. “We want to elevate the role of public transit in Moose Jaw. It’s something that we heard through survey one, that people want. Part of it is for new Canadians to get access to jobs that may be across the city, and they may not own a car, plus it may be a senior who is looking to get groceries during the day,” said Belmore.  

Recommendations have also been developed around safety for school routes. KGS Group assessed the school sites around Moose Jaw, actively viewing the flow of traffic and pedestrians during school days at different times, and they spoke with school boards and staff to provide a two-page sheet for each site.  

“The City is actually in the process of implementing [the recommendations]. Between this year and next year, you should see lots of good changes. Things like accessible ramps at corners so that someone in a wheelchair can get across the street safely […] zebra crossings, so those dash stripes as opposed to two parallel lines running across the street, is another cue that it's a school site. They're quite often used for those locations, high visibility signage around the schools that are used,” said Belmore. 

Lowering speeds in school zones from 40 km/h to 30 km/h is also a safety consideration under review. 

Intersections around the city have also been assessed, with one in particular being Thatcher Drive and 9th Ave NE. Changing the area to traffic signals or a roundabout is under consideration to improve safety and traffic flow.  

“There are significant delays at that location, and we also know that behind the Tim Hortons that there’s quite a bit of development that’s coming, and a four-way stop only lasts so long. It’s one of the kind of the lower levels of traffic control. So higher levels would be traffic signals or roundabouts, and both operate similarly for being able to move traffic – both signals and roundabouts. Roundabouts are proven to be much safer,” said Belmore.  

The timeline for changes based on the Transportation Master Plan will include short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions. Ramps, signage, and paint markings in school zones are intended in the short term, and longer-term solutions are expected for replacement of traffic signal equipment at different intersections. 

Mayor Clive Tolley was asked if there was a particular intersection that he thought should be changed, and he mentioned traffic lights at 9th Ave NW and the Transcanada Highway. 

“I’d like to see the traffic on the Transcanada Highway actually stop for the safety of people going north and south across our 9th Avenue access to our North Service Road. People in the provincial government Department of Highways don’t always agree with me on that, but there is an opportunity to give them some feedback as well. But I think that’s one of the areas that’s been a dangerous intersection for many years, and that’s one of my main interests is to get that changed to make it safer for everybody,” said Tolley.  

While there were 502 respondents and 1500 individual responses during the first survey, KGS Group has a second survey available online until November 6th to get more insight into findings from the first survey and how to best meet public needs and wants.  

“It’s very important to a study like this that we understand what needs to change and what the public desires for change, so I highly encourage them to look at the second survey, because we’re already seeing some really amazing results out of the first one, and the second survey we’re hoping to again get more guidance on the solutions that we look at,” said Belmore.

You can find the second survey here. More information about all of the City’s plans can be found here.  

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