To Saskatoon City Council

I am reviving the work of a movement that was first brought to council’s attention back in 2005, with the suggestion of a left turn signal for 22nd Street and Avenue W, specifically for safer northbound access to Avenue W from the eastbound lanes of 22nd.

As 22nd Street continues to experience higher traffic volume with recent developments westward, it is time to seriously look at installing a left turn signal for motorists wanting access to Avenue W going northbound from the eastbound lanes, similar to the southbound access from the westbound lanes of the intersection.

The intersection of 22nd Street and Avenue W is considered an essential one  on Saskatoon’s west side with the Westgate Plaza on the northwest corner, along with Mount Royal Collegiate and the Riversdale Kiwanis Park being located further north of the intersection.

While a left turn signal for westbound traffic on 22nd to go south on Avenue W is present, there is no such option for eastbound traffic on 22nd to go north and thus motorists are forced to yield to oncoming traffic, which could lead to long waits if the westbound traffic is heavy.

Avenue W is a major thoroughfare from the southern terminus at 11th Street in the Holiday Park Industrial Area to 31st Street in Mount Royal, before turning into Edmonton Avenue. This particular road serves as an alternate route for motorists wanting to access both Circle Drive and 33rd Street (Ave. W was bisected in the 1970’s for the Circle Drive West construction), and has two other signalized intersections along the roadway at 20th Street and a pedestrian actuated one at Rusholme Road which makes the need for a left turn signal for traffic wanting to go north from the eastbound lanes of 22nd all the more important.

As the city continues to grow and traffic volumes along Avenue W having the potential to increase, the time is right to have a left turn signal going from eastbound 22nd Street to northbound Avenue W installed as a way to prevent a fatal collision and make it easier to access when traffic volumes along 22nd begin to get heavier in the future.

Please show your support by signing as we will try to make the intersection safer and easier to access for Saskatoon motorists in the future.