SUNDRE- Although successfully challenging a traffic citation cost him more than the $233 ticket itself, a Sundre resident was compelled to act out of principle.
Earlier this summer, Frank Crouch was issued a fine for failure to obey a traffic control device after entering the Main Avenue mini-roundabout on 4th Street at the same time as a local Fish and Wildlife officer.
“We didn’t have a collision,” he said.
“We both pulled into the roundabout at the same time and came to a stop.”
Crouch said the charge was eventually dismissed on Friday, Nov. 8 in Didsbury court following several court appearances, which was confirmed by the province’s Resolution and Court Administration Services Contact Centre.
“I just wanted to say my piece, but I didn’t even get a chance to speak,” he said.
Originally from the U.K., Crouch is not opposed to mini-roundabouts — he even rather prefers them. But he expressed concern that uncertainty seems to remain regarding how motorists are expected to lawfully navigate through the traffic calming measures.
Going through the process of challenging the traffic citation did not yield any further clarity from authorities, he said, adding there seems to be an absence of rules pertaining specifically to mini-roundabouts.
“There’s no kind of precedent rules being set for these roundabouts,” he said.
“That’s what they were basically telling me.”
Stuart Richardson, an Alberta Transportation infrastructure manager who helped develop plans for Sundre’s mini-roundabouts, said the traffic calming devices should be handled no differently than their larger counterparts, which are increasingly found throughout the province.
“All roundabouts should be treated similarly,” said Richardson, referring to the general rule of thumb of yielding to any motorist on the left who is in the circle.
There are no specific regulations pertaining to mini roundabouts. All roundabouts, regardless of their size, should be treated the same, he said.
The mini-roundabouts in Sundre are the first and to date only ones to be installed on a provincial highway in Alberta, but there are many in Calgary, he said.
But due to the nature of their much smaller size, mini-roundabouts are not the same as regular roundabouts, said Crouch.
“Mini-roundabouts are so much different from big roundabouts,” he said, adding some vehicles are so large their length spans all the way through and beyond the traffic control device.
Crouch said he also understands motorists should yield to drivers on the left who are already in the circle, and added his concern pertains more to what people who approach the mini-roundabouts at the same time should do.
“If both are approaching at the same time, someone has to give way,” he said.
At an uncontrolled intersection, the driver to the right has the right-of-way, he said.
“But these aren’t uncontrolled intersections,” he added.
“It’s bad planning from a government to put in traffic control devices without having proper rules and regulations to use them. In my opinion that’s just ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, plans for the Main Avenue-Highway 27 corridor overlay project have not changed since Alberta Transportation announced earlier this year that the mini-roundabouts would become a permanent fixture. However, Richardson said specific details on what the final design will look like have not been determined.
“We’re waiting for the project to come under the provincial construction program,” he said, expressing uncertainty in terms of timelines.
“All we can say at this point is that it’s not in a three-year window.”
A local resident, vehicle repair shop owner and volunteer firefighter, Crouch has called Sundre home for about 10 years, and said the mini-roundabouts are a great idea.
“I can see how they have improved the town, in my opinion,” he said, adding traffic largely seems to flow well.
“I haven’t heard of any vehicles being seriously damaged due to this, apart from bad driving,” he said.
“I’ve used roundabouts all my life in England and they work so very well,” he said, adding there is a much higher volume of traffic in the U.K.
“It would be nice to see permanent structures in,” he said, expressing no fondness for the current, temporary fixtures that have harsh edges and are prone to being dislodged or broken.
“It’ll be nice when that road is completely redone and refinished.”
By that point, Crouch hopes there will be clear signage indicating how motorists should be expected to proceed past the mini-roundabouts without leaving room for uncertainty.
“They would work really well if everyone was on the same page.”
