Consultant report recommends easing traffic flow in Iqaluit

The city’s engineering department wants to make traffic flow more easily through Iqaluit’s busy intersections.

At this week’s city council meeting, the engineering department presented recommendations based on an intersection study completed by Dillon Consulting.

Dillon studied five intersections, including the one at Four Corners, the hospital, NorthMart, Joamie school and the one between the Navigator and Discovery hotels.

For the Four Corners, which is generally seen at the busiest traffic area in town, the consultants suggest the city put bylaw officers there at lunch time to direct traffic. They caution, however, against putting in traffic lights because the short periods of traffic congestion don’t justify the high cost of installing lights.

The study also indicates that the four stop signs at the hospital intersection should stay in place. There had been some question among city councillors about whether the stop sign that heads to Apex Road is really necessary, and suggested installing a yield sign there instead. But the consultants say removing the stop sign could create a safety hazard for pedestrians.

There appears to be a problem with pedestrian safety at the NorthMart intersection. Traffic is high because of the number of people entering the grocery store and Nakasuk School on the other side of the road. The consultants recommend the city install crosswalk marks across Ring Road.

As for the intersection near Joamie school, the consultants suggest more pedestrian-traffic safety education for school children is needed. They also recommend installing permanent crosswalks in the school and playground area. It would also help if “school zone” and “drive slowly” signs were posted, they said.

Matthew Hough, the city’s engineering director, said Dillon’s findings are just recommendations and it’s up to council if it wants to act on them.