The City of Steinbach has begun a pilot project with its first solar crosswalk. The solar crosswalk, located on Loewen Boulevard where Maplewood Street intersects Loewen by Maplewood Manor, was completed Monday.
Mayor Chris Goertzen, together with Bill Unger, a resident of the area, tested out the new crosswalk earlier this week. Unger repeatedly expressed his pleasure at having the safety of this particular crosswalk enhanced as he frequently walks in the area.
“Pedestrian safety is important to Council and we are pleased to see this pilot project move forward,” said Mayor Goertzen. “We believe it will not only be a cost efficient way to implement lit crosswalks, but it may also improve safety at crossings that would have been cost prohibitive to improve. If this project proves successful, I believe Council will look at this new system in various places throughout the city.”
“This type of crosswalk was considerably easier to install as it did not involve any underground electrical components or major concrete anchors,” said Public Works Department Head, Randy Reimer. “These particular units have been tested in Canada and have been said to work well in our winter climate.”
Reimer also stated that the solar crosswalk could turn out to be a good option for additional areas in town where there are higher traffic volumes.
The crosswalk poles were installed in fall 2011 and the lights were installed at the beginning of this week. Total cost for the crosswalk was $9,500.
