Alex Wasylenko has never written a letter to city hall until now.
Concerns about the intersection on Smedley Street and 10th Avenue, where his house is situated, inspired him to write and request a four-way stop be put in place.
He’s lived there for 16 years, there have been many close calls, and there was an accident in November that resulted in a car plowing into Wasylenko’s fence.
“There are lots of people that I’ve noted don’t stop; they just take off. It’s driver error, but I’m concerned about the fact there are lots of children around here. The street below on Ninth and Smedley has a four-way stop and this one doesn’t for some reason,” he says, adding there’s no need for people to be whipping through the intersection, they should have to stop.
In a letter to council, dated April 25, Wasylenko outlines his concerns.
Many students are using 10th Avenue to drive to a convenience store nearby. As well, he notes, there are no stop signs along 10th Avenue so people tend to travel along it at a fair speed. There is also a lot of traffic turning off 11th Avenue, taking Smedley Street as the route. “I’m not quite sure why they go this way,” Wasylenko says, adding Smedley is also on a bus route.
Before writing the letter to mayor and council, he went around the neighbourhood to see if his neighbours agreed with the request and, as result, included a dozen signatures with the letter.
“If we had the four-way stop when that accident happened in November, it wouldn’t have happened because somebody would have stopped,” he says. “We are extremely concerned that one day someone’s life could be affected and by installing the four-way stop signs will certainly help in preventing a possible tragedy.”
Wasylenko’s request was handled at city council Tuesday, where council endorsed a recommendation by city staff that the four-way stop be put in place and people living in the vicinity be notified of the traffic pattern change.