Wye Road jug handle
Published May 2, 2008
Congestion at the Sherwood Drive-Wye Road intersection has reached a critical point and must be addressed in view of the many new developments planned for Wye Road and points East. As reported recently in this newspaper, Strathcona County Engineering is planning a jughandle road configuration to improve safety and traffic flows in all directions. This would be part of a larger five-year plan to upgrade Wye Road. Construction of the Eastern section encompassing Wallace Drive and crossing Wye Road at Ash Street would be completed in the 2008 budget year, together with widening of a portion of Wye Road.
Public response to this proposal has been mixed. Some businesses and some residents have expressed vehement opposition because of what they see as a complex traffic flow that increases distances, travel time and reduces commercial exposure. Then there is the enormous cost, much of which will be born by us, the residents and ratepayers.
This whole sorry situation is classic example of the outcomes of poor or non-existent planning. Years ago, a number of bad decisions were made by the Councils of the day. All of these decisions had fully predictable negative outcomes that are now being realised. The commercial development where Wal-Mart is sited should never have been approved in its current configuration. Among other refinements, a service road should have been provided along the South side of Wye Road. Unfortunately, some thought the immediate need for the development more important than to provide for the rational future viability of the community. As is often the case, expediency and short term thinking won the day. A delicious irony is that many of those who strongly advocated for the development either no longer live in Strathcona or never did live here, leaving the mess for the rest of us to deal with.
I have never been enthusiastic about the pace of development in this area or with tinkering with the road system to the potential detriment of the the residents, yet I must grudgingly admit that Engineering have come up with what seems a reasonable and necessary solution given the constraints. It is, as they would admit, far from perfect; however, no one qualified to have an opinion has so far proposed anything better.
In a perfect world, good planning and good political decisions would obviate the need for jughandles or similar band-aid solutions. We do not, however, inhabit such a world and are condemned to live with the mistakes of our predecessors. The lesson to be drawn from this is that there is no substitute for careful, thoughtful long term planning. Unfortunately, it is lesson that we are remarkably slow, or unwilling - to learn.
Alan Dunn
Councillor, Ward 6
780-464-8206
dunn@strathcona.ab.ca
Last updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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