Study finds ways to improve common Canadian intersections, including major one in west Edmonton

Data from the Alberta Motor Association shows an intersection in west Edmonton sees at least one potential fatal near-miss every day.

A major Edmonton intersection could use upgrades to improve safety for pedestrians who use it, says a study commissioned by an Alberta organization known for its roadside assistance program.

The study done for the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), of which the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is a part, examined 20 intersections across the country, including Edmonton’s crossroads at 87 Avenue and 149 Street.

It found that the intersections, chosen for the study because they represent common busy intersections found across Canada, see more than one potentially fatal near-miss incident between vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists, and suggests ways to reduce the number of them.

Included in the study were intersections in Calgary and Lethbridge.

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“These representative intersections reveal a snapshot of just how common serious near misses can be – but also where small changes could make a big difference,” Ian Jack, the CAA’s national vice president of public affairs, said in a media release. “These are not isolated incidents — they’re regular reminders of why we need to improve intersection safety across the country.”

Video technology used through a partnership with Miovision, a software firm specializing in traffic control, found that one in 770 pedestrians and one in 500 cyclists were involved in near-misses that could cause injury or death.

Video sensors continuously monitored the intersections over seven months from August 2024 to February this year. They observed more than seven-million pedestrian and cyclist crossings and collected 616,854 near-miss incidents. Six of the intersections were monitored via video over a three-day period, according to an AMA media release.

The study suggests design features that can improve the safety of the intersections, including:

• Dedicated turn lanes;
• Walk signals that start ahead of a vehicle green light, and;
• An advance green light for turning vehicles.

Dominic Schamuhn, the AMA’s manager of advocacy, told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday while the study focused on just one city intersection, “there are dozens of intersections just like that one across the city, and dozens more all across the province and across the country.”

Schamuhn said the AMA has shared the full report with and given access to data from the study to municipalities.

“What we wanted to do is look at these intersections, take a cross section of them from across the country, but then also look at some of the improvements that can be made, so that municipalities can look at this study, look at their own intersections, and say, ‘What is the problem here, and what are some of the options that we can use to improve safety for everyone?’” he said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti