The 16 Avenue corridor through Langley has seen more than its fair share of carnage over the years.
Whether the result has been severe injuries or, in the worst cases, fatalities, many 16 Avenue crashes have come as a result of a driver trying to cross the busy and fast-moving corridor at an uncontrolled intersection.
South Langley residents who live near 16 Avenue — or cross the busy road on a regular basis —have been calling for improved safety measures for years.
To be fair, several have already been made.
In a letter written to the Times last August, a resident noted that a number of improvements have been added over the years, including the installation of left turn lanes.
While these have smoothed east-west flow, he noted, they’ve also had the unintended effect of creating “an increased level of risk to motorists attempting to cross 16 Avenue north and southbound, specifically at the major intersections that have no traffic control signals.”
Plans to link Highway 1 to 16 Avenue via a King Road connector in Abbotsford will only add to the problem if measures aren’t taken to slow vehicles and create breaks in the traffic.
The obvious answer would seem to be more traffic lights.
And it’s a measure Township council is pondering .
From a business perspective, of course it’s important to keep trucks moving, and many drivers choose the 16 Avenue route because it’s relatively unencumbered by stop signs and red lights.
Whether they are timed, or vehicle-activated, the signals will slow the flow of traffic along 16 Avenue, no question.
But when the trade-off is in potential lives saved, it’s not much of a contest.
