Kitimat council wants to see safety improvements to the entrance to Cablecar from Highway 37S.
Councillor Mary Murphy moved for the staff to review the Cablecar entrance and for council to lobby the government to change the entrance to allow for an entrance and exit merge lane to improve traffic flow and address safety concerns.
Murphy recalled a fatal accident from years ago at that intersection which led to a turning lane and a light to be installed.
She said the way it’s still set up is that cars pulling onto the highway are slowing down traffic and causing a safety problem.
Murphy had tried to get the speed limit reduced from the snowflake sign onwards but was unsuccessful in that past attempt.
Acting mayor Corinne Scott agreed there’s a hazard in that location and with the speed limit in place people have to signal way in advance to avoid traffic congestion in the absence of a slow down turning lane.
Mario Feldhoff supported the motion and also suggest that the administration dust off old council motions that relate to this issue as the intersection has been a centre for discussion in the past.
Director of Engineering Tim Gleig said that they have sent letters in the past to the Ministry of Transportation and added that it’s typically a technical matter on when new lanes are put in, based on the amount of traffic.