After receiving ongoing complaints of speeding of 45 St. between 54 Ave. and 55 Ave., the Town of Castor is doing something about it.
Council made a decision on Sept. 26 to convert the corner of 45 St. and 55 Ave. into a three-way stop as a way of ensuring people slowdown through the neighbourhood on their way in and out of town.
Unfortunately, the town doing so is not without calculated risk.
Because 45 St. is also Secondary Highway 861, technically the road is owned by the province. Administration approached Alberta Transportation about the speeding on the roadway and was informed that the province would not support stop signs as speed control devices.
According to chief administrative officer Christopher Robblee, proceeding with the stop signs could result in anything from an email demanding the removal of the signs from Alberta Transportation to significant fines from the province, if they bother to intervene.
During his update on the stop signs, Robblee did note that recently Coronation found themselves in a similiar situation where they had approached Alberta Transportation for permission to place stop signs near the hospital, which was also denied.
Speaking with Coronation Mayor Ron Checkel on Sept. 27, Checkel said that the information presented to Castor’s council was inaccurate.
Because the roads in Coronation near the hospital belong to the town and are not secondary highways, Alberta Transportation was not involved in the decision to place the stop signs near the Coronation Hospital and Care Centre.
The three-way stop sign was in place at the intersection of 45 Street and 55 Avenue in Castor as of Fri, Oct. 7.