Steinbach city council has agreed to ask Manitoba Infrastructure to consider traffic signals at the corner of Highway #52 and Industrial Road. Councillor Michael Zwaagstra made the motion Tuesday night after city council received the annual Traffic Count Study. He says it shows this intersection has exceeded the minimum number of vehicles required for signal installation for three consecutive years.

"We saw quite clearly that, at the intersection of Industrial Road and Highway #52, the traffic counts clearly warrant signalization. In fact, the traffic counts have warranted that for the last three years. The numbers show that it actually exceeds that warrant so we've put in a request to the province to consider signalization of that intersection."

Mayor Chris Goertzen says Manitoba Infrastructure requires evidence of a prolonged pattern of high traffic volumes before it will consider signals.

"The province makes its decision on evidence and so we have clear evidence with these traffic counts that we do. We've done our homework and so we're going to make our request moving forward."

Council also agreed to ask the Highway Traffic Board to extend the 50 kilometre per hour speed zone on Highway #52 to an area west of Industrial Road. Councillor Earl Funk notes this is a safety improvement that could be done fairly quickly.

"In order to get the signalization there, it could take some time, but reducing the speed limited could be done much more quickly. I think that could be an immediate fix to help mitigate some of the accidents that happen there."

The Traffic Count Study also prompted councillor Susan Penner to move that the city ask Manitoba Infrastructure to install crosswalks on Highway #12 near the Millwork/Stonebridge intersection and near the Woodhaven/Friesen intersection.

"In terms of Millwork/Stonebridge, there's a school right there (Steinbach Christian), so there's a lot of student traffic potentially crossing there. And, at Friesen/Woodhaven, that's a corridor where we have senior's housing where they need to be able to cross safely to be able to access the downtown core."

City council was unanimous in approving the motions.