A southside councillor says confusing traffic signals are contributing to crashes and close calls between cars and the new LRT. The Valley Line Southeast, which runs 13 kilometres from downtown to Mill Woods, has been operating for nearly three years. Multiple vehicles have collided with trains in that span. Ward Karhiio Coun. Keren Tang says her constituents – drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike – blame lights and signals for confusion at intersections. “I saw this morning, pedestrians kind of looking in all ways, drivers are looking in all ways – who’s going, who’s not going. Then somebody invariably puts their foot out even though it’s still a red light. And that’s where some of these potentials for collisions might happen,” she explained. As the city prepares to take over operation of the Valley Line from TransEd, Tang says it’s time to review how it’s working. Her proposed motion to city council on Tuesday would have city staff conduct a signal timing and optimization assessment for the southeast leg of the Valley Line. She says fixing potentially negative public opinion about LRT is vital because the new Valley Line West is anticipated to open in the coming years. “Whatever we learn from this experience will inform the West Line, as it’s approaching completion … I think if we want these low floor (systems) to be embraced, we have to make our overall transportation network more smooth.” Low floor transit lines are those embedded in driver lanes and intersections – which ultimately “turns people off” of public transportation, Tang argued. The motion was passed unanimously on Tuesday. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
