Discussions

Is it any different than other intersections with two Stop signs? Wait for break in traffic, until it is safe to proceed? At least, visibility is better than many other spots.

Cut down the hill until it’s level in that area and install streetlights.  
 
Unfortunately like other intersections, you’ll need several serious accidents to take place first.

Traffic lights are a terrible idea.  
 
The best option would be to turn Braecrest north joining with the frontage road that goes by Kelleher’s.

Traffic lights is a really bad idea Ive live by this intersection for years now and I’ve witnessed quite a few serious accidents, and some have even taken people’s lives, this is something that needs to be fixed, we are having meetings about this intersection but have not come up with a proper solution yet : ( so I need help putting together a solution that will help fix this problem.. it’s not fun hearing screams from people that have been seriously hurt....

I saw a map about 5 years ago that I was sure was a master plan by Manitoba highway department for that street to basically push all traffic from breacrest North on the service roads and use the lights that already exist .  
 
Funny thing is manitoba infastructure has never indicated that such a map ever existed. The map also showed the maps for cloverleaf onto the trans canada off of 18th st .  
 
Edited by Oh Canada, 2018-12-16 22:29:18

..does the traffic go,,,,,,there is only room for 3 vehicals at those lights. plus that is the exit to 18 for the businesses and Monterey Estates already. Jammed up worse than it is. Put lights at the interectiom. Other places do it with large hills.

I thought about this on the weekend and was wondering if this might help. There is a set of lights north of the intersection for the turn off at Kelleher Ford and another set to the south at the Corral Centre. The idea came to me of having both those sets of lights turning RED at the same time for a few minutes thus slowing down the flow of traffic during that time so some of the vehicles wanting to exit onto 18th street could do so.  
 
I realize that there would still be some lighter traffic traveling up and down the street from people turning onto 18th street while there light is green but traffic driving north and south would be halted for that time while the light is red resulting in the flow being reduced considerably during that time.  
 
Just an idea and maybe I''m overlooking something, feel free to chime in constructively.  
 
Edited by Cruiser, 2018-12-17 09:04:09

Not having been aware of any particular problem with this intersection I bow to the knowledge of others. I agree that it’s occasionally difficult to get out but a solution does present itself to me. Put a roundabout or traffic circle in place. In this instance it should be a mini roundabout, essentially a slightly raised dome of concrete painted white. Which at least makes it visible at night - assuming it’s not covered in snow! Using this style allows semi trucks to run the trailer wheels over the concrete without damage to either, buses too can negotiate their way around. The roundabout requires less maintainence and no running costs associated with traffic lights. It allows traffic to enter and leave in accordance with the laws of the road, it allows free movement at times other than rush hours. It doesn’t cause you to stop and wait cos the lights red at 0200 when there’s not another vehicle on the road for 50 miles! It slows traffic down certainly, but it doesn’t mean you HAVE to stop! If there’s nothing coming your way, you may proceed. Roundabouts work well in the rest of the world, quite why North Americans are so anti them has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Oh, I speak from experience by the way, having been a trucker for over 40 years and at last count driven in 37 different countries!

Well it would be pretty difficult to have semis trying to navigate a round about on a major highway (street). A good majority can't even navigate the normal streets without tearing down traffic lights etc.  
 
However, I will also admit I had no idea this intersection was a major problem and I have been driving in and around Brandon for 40 years! Yes I know there is occasion accidents, even some severe but we have that at pretty much all intersections in Brandon, with or without lights. I will admit that some days its a annoying at all the traffic and having to wait for what seems like forever but it has never been a problem to cross. Maybe we need to teach people to be better drivers??

Aside from the round about, more cost effective measure is to make a dedicated centre merge lane. If nobody is turning onto Braecrest (coming from the north) and no traffic coming from the south, you can just merge into the left lane and they have a dedicated lane where southbound traffic MUST yield to you turning in. (see photo). I have seen these "left turn merge-in" lanes in BC a lot. Usually a secondary and busy road can turn onto a highway safely when they have this dedicated lane.  
For the most part, you are mainly yielding to traffic on left. Straight through traffic on right - they are forced to allow this merge and there is no stopping necessary in middle of road or median. It flows.

Having driven semi's for a very long time I can say with the benefit of experience that negotiating a roundabout is not a problem - always assuming its correctly built. I am not encouraging a design such as those already built in Brandon. The design I was thinking of is essentially just an open area with a raised dome indicating that it is a roundabout. Traffic obeys the rule of always "Yield to traffic already within the roundabout".  
I almost liked the idea of the central merge lane southbound mooted. But westward exiting traffic must still cross two northbound lanes, as do southbound eastward turning lanes. With the roundabout this crossing of traffic moving at 70 kph is avoided and the consequent risk factor is negated.

Any roundabouts that accommodate large truck traffic will never be mini. The maintenance for what you describe would be astronomical. Besides, having such a thing on a sloped hill generates a host of new issues. It's never a good idea to have a large vehicle with a high centre of gravity such as a bus or truck negotiate through a traffic circle that's on a hill.

Make it a right turn only from Brae onto 18th NB.  
 
Make a better and longer merge lane.  
 
Put a U-turn light on 18th North at the set of lights, with a no right turn on red coming from the service road.

A longer and better merge lane on 18th st would be a good place to start. Braecrest north should join with the frontage road that goes by Kelleher’s. If nothing else, ban left turns at the intersection.

This would be the cheapest and most practical solution.

I suspect that this will be the eventual solution. A number of us have suggested it the couple times per year that this thread happens.

With traffic lights is this...during bad road conditions like winter, semi trailer units will never get going again if they''ve stopped for the light while going north. This will also affect other vehicles like school buses too...just in case someone says ban semis.  
 
Edited by RickR, 2018-12-17 23:21:59

That will just cause more congestion at the lights by Kelleher!

So close off the west end of B, turning north would link to the service road, but still be able to turn east onto B from 18th NB ?

This is actually not a bad idea. It would require some modifications at the intersection to allow larger vehicals to turn around but southbound 18th could use an extra lane there anyway. However semis would probably have to use a different route, and it doesnt address left turns onto 18th from the west.

I agree with Blue_Guru that there should be no left turns from Braecrest. I live in the area and have always turned north, turned at the lights into either the old Fountain Tire lot or Peavy Mart lot, and then used these lights to head south on 18th Street. This is called "Planning Your Drive" as part of the defensive driving courses I have completed.

What about the option of moving the speed limits? Move the 70 northbound past the intersection, and bring the 60 up from the southbound side to just past the lights by Kellehers. Sure it's only a 10km speed difference, but that should slow down traffic enough for brae. cross traffic to make the left turn south. At least till a more permanent option can be implemented, I think this is the quickest fix.

Now, I may have missed something in the discussion, but I don't think that I saw this next idea mentioned. Why not slow down both north and south lanes of traffic in this stretch by reducing the speed limit? This should give more time for those turning and in the case of accidents, reduce them and reduce severity of injuries when they do occur.  
 
This would actually be the least costly to implement and maintain and keep traffic moving.

I’m unsure why you say the maintenance of a roundabout would be astronomical? Once constructed the only maintenance is road surface replacement and line painting, which applies in any case. I think too that my use of the word "mini" has misled you. This does not refer to the size of the entire roundabout, only the centrepiece which one drives around. In many cases this is simply a white circle painted on the road which allows longer vehicles to drive over it, with the rear axles. I have to disagree with the idea that high centre of gravity vehicles are going to tip over because of the slope of the hill. Many newer semis have anti rollover protection fitted as standard, cutting the power and applying brakes when this scenario is detected.

Agree with most that changes are needed there. While lowering the speed limit might sound like a solution it could make things worse. A road will only move so many cars at a certain speed. Higher speed moves more cars. If you lower the speed there may actually be less spaces to get across traffic. Extending the service road is the idea I like best. Most costly to implement. Making south bound 2 lanes as well as a merge lane would solve a lot of the problems though.

an underpass for Braecrest to go below 18th, and merge from the far sides? There's lots of room to dig and shore in-situ, shouldn't be expensive, and needs not accommodate large/long trucks. Those few trucks with local destinations could easily be routed to use right-turns to get on/off Braecrest. Anyone who has been to Leduc Alberta knows how handy going under the busy larger road works-out to be.

exactly is the root issue that causes theses accidents? Visibility? Driver impatience?

That would be remote option if it wasn't for that new apartment that's beside Grand Valley Church wasn't built. I don't think there's enough room for an exit ramp off 18th st now.

Why not put a road through Monterey estates like by the north hill in and have it come up to that service road by peavy Mart. I know they said they didn’t want a road through there before. But the area is a safety concern. I think it should be looked st again.