City to get first solar-powered crosswalk
The lengthy daylight many enjoy through the summer will serve a new purpose this year for those crossing Fourth Avenue between the Yukon Inn and the Tags gas bar.
The lengthy daylight many enjoy through the summer will serve a new purpose this year for those crossing Fourth Avenue between the Yukon Inn and the Tags gas bar.
In May, city crews will begin installing its first solar-powered crosswalk there.
"This project will first and foremost improve safety for seniors, persons with disabilities and other pedestrians at a crossing that has become increasingly busy,” Mayor Bev Buckway said in a statement Wednesday.
"The city is constantly examining ways to use resources (sustainably) and to make alternative transportation safer and easier, and this project allows us to do both.”
Beginning next month, construction will include installation of the solar panels, battery packs and LED lights that are designed to save energy.
"This crosswalk will have its own independent power source, meaning it will still be operational in the event of a power outage,” said George Farrow, the city's senior engineering technologist.
"The project will also provide us with valuable data that we can use when considering future solar-powered projects.”
The city will spend $15,000 on the equipment for the crosswalk and another $10,000 installing it.
Comments (16)
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Arn Anderson on May 7, 2011 at 1:40 am
Reading most of these comments concerned with taxes is really really sad. 25000 is a drop in the bucket and the sad thing is, thats what MOST of you can only comprehend because its as much as you would only see in a lifetime. Real waste comes from the multi million dollar projects, our CoW councillors can't even fathom such money, let alone use it correctly.
Time for the blue collar workers to wake up. A 25000 dollar project is heavily scrurtinzed with dollars and cents checked twice while million dollar projects virtually remain unchecked. The more money involved, the more money that is wasted.
As I said, build the thing because it will work harder and have usefulness than most CoW workers.
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Pierre S on May 3, 2011 at 5:08 pm
This is hilarious. Look at comments
http://twitter.com/#!/notBevBuckway
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Jason V on May 3, 2011 at 11:21 am
Excellent! More taxes. I didn't really need that tax return all to myself anyway...
The costs of this crosswalk light versus the cost of a Bylaw officer during a power outage cannot be compared. The Bylaw officer's wage has already been budgeted and therefore their time is at no additional cost to the taxpayer to direct traffic.
I agree with Francias and let them build yet another roundabout. After all those have proven to be safe. Oh wait, drivers here don't know how to enter or exit the circle safely either.
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weasel_3002 on May 3, 2011 at 3:56 am
well, at least it's cheaper than what it cost to save Trevor the dog. a better investment than that anyways.
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shenya on May 2, 2011 at 8:14 am
Whatever way you want it to be...Remember. Its the pedestrian who pay dearly at the end. Drivers..pay heed. Our lives are very important to us.
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Kailey Irwin on May 1, 2011 at 11:55 am
Considering the amount of times I've almost been hit by a car at a cross walk I think our main objective should be teaching drivers in this town to actually stop when they see a pedestrian waiting to cross at a cross walk,one with or without street lights. I agree j-walking is an issue as well but that should be the pedestrians own risk and judgment, cross walks should be considered safe.
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Francias pillman on Apr 30, 2011 at 7:21 am
Why should anyone support this? When the city keeps raising taxes, I'm sorry, but this is not a priority. Why don't you just build a roundabout? We all know you fantasize about having one on every street corner. Why can't turning light be put at the instersection of 2nd Ave and Main? Where is the RCMP? Ticketing these people who hold up a lot of people. Newsflash, if you can't turn within at least 30 seconds, GO TO THE NEXT INTERSECTION. Are you people that confused? You sit there, knowing full well that you don't have a chance of turning, till the light turns red, which causes you to be another hazard on the road. You people have brains right? USE THEM.
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Arn Anderson on Apr 29, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Nothing wrong with this, I support it. 25000 is nothing compared to other wastes.
Just think whiners, something that actually is from the city that works compared to the CoW workers who stand around and watch one person work.
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JC on Apr 29, 2011 at 8:28 am
If it proves more efficient and saves money in the future, lets go for it. The yuppie environmentalists should be all over this, but so far only one out of five comments (not counting mine) show support for this program.
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Max Mack on Apr 29, 2011 at 8:09 am
A lighted cross-walk is probably needed at the Yukon Inn. This is a fairly high-risk crossing, especially with the amount of foot traffic crossing a pedestrian-confusing 2-way turn lane.
I question, however, the prudence of installing a solar-powered crosswalk given the very low efficiency of solar power (particularly in a northern context) and the relatively high capital and maintenance costs. To add insult to injury, I suspect the cross-walk will probably also be hooked into the conventional power grid.
Even if CoW received federal or territorial funding to pay for this project, they will undoubtedly pass the full cost onto taxpayers.
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ES on Apr 29, 2011 at 6:20 am
Wow! What is next> I know ......pretty soon CoW will harness our flatulence. We can put a machine on every street corner that you fart into. They can use this flatulence to power the massive buses running around town with no passengers in them.
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Barb on Apr 29, 2011 at 3:35 am
We yukoners need to get into the times.. This is a great idea, and it has proven to work down south, especially in large cities like edmonton etc. When the power goes out, we wont need bylaw to stand there for hours and flag us through. Lets do the rest of the intersections too.
Its time we think larger, than think in the past, like we do
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Roser W Bertvice on Apr 29, 2011 at 3:00 am
The cheapest alternative is for drivers to watch, be respectful and let pedestrians cross the street instead of ignoring them while they wait for sometimes 5 minutes for that one nice person to stop....then the other traffic sometimes doesn't even stop....they think 'why is this moron stopped?' and speed out to pass while almost blindly hitting someone... reminds me of a joke...why didn't the chicken cross the road?????
he didn't wanna become a sandwich!!!!
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Francias pillman on Apr 28, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Persons with disabilities? Why would certain demographics even be mentioned in this situation? I'm surprised she didn't say women and children. While you are at it, how about we make the cross walk for visible minorities only. Give me a break.
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Yukon Bambi on Apr 28, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Only in Whitehorse would a city raise taxes again so they can spend $25,000 on a high tech cross walk. Elsewhere in the world they use some paint on the street and two signs, total cost for a cross walk outside of Whitehorse $250 max.
These city pet projects have to stop!
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Josey Wales on Apr 28, 2011 at 8:24 am
OK...now it seems to be official.
City Hall & all those whom "think" for us in that building of intellect(for those rusty knives...sarcasm indeed)...clearly DO have a bong they hit prior to starting the hard toil of working so so hard for us citizens ( again..yup...sarcasm).
Gee, why I wonder are taxes so out of control here?
How much energy might "we" have saved if we NEVER visited such a idea?
Batteries...lead free?
Maybe have a $2000.00 fine, except unlike others...actually enforce it...
For all those morons whom don't get what a cross-walk does?
Has the city ordered stainless steel solar powered graders, with in cab coffee makers & vibrating seat...or seats yet?
I say seats because to comply with safety @ WCB soon grader operators will be required to buddy up...ya know for safety!
After the new pier and special interest group facility is erected on the river front, when I wonder does the mono-rail plans surface?
new mega city hall perhaps?
Back to the bong thing...they must have one...somewhere?
Gee, I hope they do have a bong...at least they would have an "excuse" for thinking of more creative ways to...PISS our TAXES down the drain.
Hey Buckway...pull your scissors out of retirement and look right in your own government "machine" to start trimming the excesses we really do not need.
Such as a re-branding initiative that a five year old would know...is completely unnecessary in a time of MASSIVE civic tax hikes...many years in a row!
And if Ms Mayor you & your crew are unable to find any internal trimming to do?
You can still use those scissors...AFTER we aggressively TOSS you to the curb...next time more that a 1000 or so feel like going all the way across the hood..to vote.
Yup, sarcasm for the last point too!
VOTE FOLKS....more importantly...
VOTE THESE FOOLS.....OFF the CoW "Gravy train!