The City of Lethbridge says it has seen many drivers disobeying traffic control in construction zones and is reminding residents of the importance of construction safety.
“We at the City of Lethbridge with our crews have experienced issues where drivers drive through barricaded construction zones, ignore cones, ignore signs, ignore the flagger person and we even had incidents where people drive into zones where our electric department works on hot wires,” says Juliane Ruck, Transportation Operations Manager.
She says it is important during the summer for people to plan their routes around construction and give themselves extra time to commute. The city website has information on active and planned construction and a What’s in the Works map, which shows road projects for the year.
The city says several cases where crews have been endangered, crews have called police or reported license plates.
“They are putting our workers at risk and themselves so we just wanted to communicate and remind everybody to be safe,” Ruck says. “Keep in mind all our workers are residents of the city as well and they work and live here and we want to protect them.”
Lethbridge Police Service Sergeant Daniel Lomness, who is in charge of the traffic response unit says the most common ticket given out in construction sights is for drivers going around barricades. This can get a fine of $162-243. He adds driving ten kilometres over the speed limit in a construction zone where workers are present can get a fine of $222.
“We all know summertime is construction time and especially for the roadways — just give yourself a little extra time to get where you need to go, expect that there’s construction. There is construction all over the city and just obey the traffic control devices and any direction of people giving traffic control,” says Lomness.