MOOSE JAW — Thatcher Drive is one of Moose Jaw’s busiest roads and can sometimes be a headache to navigate, so the new transportation master plan (TMP) is suggesting several ways to improve residents’ driving experiences.
City council received the document during its June 24 regular meeting. Bruce Belmore and Destiny Piper from consulting firm KGS Group gave a comprehensive overview of the new TMP since their firm worked with city hall to develop the document.
It cost the city $250,000 to have KGS create the new TMP.
Accessing the golf course
There is a median on Thatcher Drive that prevents left turns into and out of the Hillcrest Golf Course, while drivers must pass the site and make a U-turn west of Main Street when travelling westbound on Thatcher Drive, the report said.
Likewise, to leave the golf course and access Main Street, motorists must make a U-turn at the unsignalized Superstore entrance/exit.
To resolve traffic and safety concerns, the TMP recommends that city hall build a new roadway adjacent to the easement near the golf course parking lot and connect it to Thatcher Drive at a new traffic signal between the Superstore and Canadian Tire traffic signals — just east of the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation office.
The document added that the signal spacing is appropriate and will allow for proper traffic progression while the right-in/right-out intersection to the golf course would remain. Also, the city would have to conduct additional assessments to ensure an adequate right-of-way so the road can be made available north of the existing venue.
From four lanes to two
The second recommendation the TMP makes is for the city to transition Thatcher Drive from four lanes to two lanes earlier, starting near Blue Sage Drive.
During its investigations, KGS Group noticed that westbound vehicles on Thatcher Drive weaved between the inside and outside lanes, while if a vehicle turned left at Fourth Avenue Northwest,
traffic would weave to the outside lane to avoid being delayed and then quickly transition back to the inside lane.
“This location is also an important pedestrian crossing location,” the report said.
The TMP proposes changing the lane configuration between Blue Sage Drive and Fourth Avenue Northwest to provide clearer directions to drivers and to make it safer for pedestrians. This includes installing proper signage and median treatments to further control traffic through this transition point.
Piper described this recommendation as “a very simple, easy-to-install upgrade” to make.
Protecting students
KGS consultants observed that the intersection at Thatcher Drive West and 11th Avenue Northwest is important for students travelling to and from school, the report said.
Students will cross Thatcher Drive to reach the multi-use pathway on the south side of the road, although the sidewalks on 11th Avenue Northwest are incomplete and do not connect to the pedestrian crosswalk.
Therefore, the TMP recommends that the city extend all the sidewalks on 11th Avenue Northwest to Thatcher Drive and install accessible ramps. The pedestrian crosswalk signage should also be updated to meet guidelines and make the intersection safer for pedestrians.
The report added that the city should conduct further reviews about implementing these and other requirements for the Thatcher Drive corridor.
“I … like the fact that (KGS) has come forward with an idea about a Thatcher Drive signal and rerouting around north of the Hillcrest Golf Course,” said Mayor Clive Tolley. “The Golden Ticket building is extremely busy, as is the Co-op pharmacy and the medical centre that’s there.
“An alternative (route) north of the golf course, to me, makes a lot of sense.”
Another suggestion the TMP made was to t.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, July 8.
