The recommended work program prepared for the Lacombe Transportation Study included the task of undertaking a Traffic Control Device Audit. This was an additional exercise proposed by Bunt & Associates intended to provide the Town with additional recommendations to improve and streamline the management of traffic control devices throughout the area. The recommendations outlined here do have relevance to the emerging issues discussed in the previous section, and this is noted more clearly in the summary of short term recommendations discussed later in this report.
The specific purpose for this exercise was to identify locations within the Town where changes in traffic control devices are needed because:
· The existing device may be inappropriate in its current application.
· The device may need to be updated due to new approved devices.
· There may be some requirement for updating due to maintenance conditions or installation problems.
The traffic control device audit included a review of the following general types of control devices:
· Traffic signals.
· Traffic signs.
· Road markings.
The basis for recommended changes is the 1998 edition of the Manual of Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCD), as published by the Transportation Association of Canada. Other reference documents may be used as to the application of traffic control devices.
This aspect of the work program is part of a data collection program in that the road network comprised of arterials and collectors are driven, existing devices observed, and where some conditions warrants notice, a record is made of the location and the device, and a photo is taken. The data collection was taken on May 14, 2002.
It should be noted that the street network is comprised of elements under the jurisdiction of the Province of Alberta and the Town of Lacombe. In this audit, the devices included in this report have been subdivided by type, as described above, and not by road authority. Those on the provincial highway are relatively straightforward to define for the following reasons:
· All traffic signals in the town are on provincial highways.
· The locations will clearly define the main road involved.
This chapter outlines the nature of concern regarding specific traffic control devices, illustrates the issue by use of photos taken during the field investigation, and then identifies a recommended improvement.