Cold Lake, AB – Cold Lake City Council voted to install additional traffic calming measures on 1 Avenue, just west of Kinosoo Beach and voted down a suggestion to fence the Kinosoo Beach playground.

The two items were proposed as measures to increase road safety in front of the beach, which is increasingly seeing large crowds in the summer months. New, movable curbs were raised as an option to narrow the roadway as people leave the 30 kilometre an hour zone by the beach to slow the increase in speed that residents have noticed as motorists pass the last speed bump on 1 Avenue.

“We’ve heard from residents in the area that there is a significant increase in speed once people pass the speed bumps and the 30 kilometre an hour zone in front of the beach,” Mayor Craig Copeland said. “And so, we’ve asked our administration to look at creating pinch points using movable traffic-calming curbs. This should incentivise a more gradual increase in the speed of traffic as vehicles leave the beach’s 30 kilometre an hour zone heading west.”

Installing fencing around the playground at Kinosoo Beach was also discussed in relation to speeding concerns. Council debated whether it would provide additional safety for children on the playground who might run out towards the roadway. The cost for fencing was estimated to be between $16,500 and $23,000, depending on various options and configurations. The cost of the traffic calming measures was quoted at about $8,000.

In the end, Council heard that the 30 kilometre an hour speed limit and the distance of the playground to the street were well within safety guidelines. Council also debated whether fencing the playground structure would make the amenity more difficult to access, especially for people with disabilities.

“We felt that we would start with the traffic calming measures because we could always revisit the issue of the playground,” Copeland said. “As things stand, the playground is safe and is well within the standards we need to meet, and the standards set elsewhere throughout the community. If we are going to fence a park in a 30 kilometre an hour zone, it would likely warrant a look at similar playgrounds across the community so that we are consistent in our approach.”

The traffic calming measures on 1 Avenue will be installed west of Kinosoo Beach this year and will be monitored to see the effect on traffic and speeds in the area.

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