“Well, the city really thought this one through!” Those words shouted from a man driving a Dodge RAM pickup truck summed up the thoughts of many frustrated drivers stuck on Warman Road Tuesday. The congestion, which went blocks in both directions at points of the day, was because of new traffic lights being tested at the Hazen Street and 5th Avenue intersections. One intersection had a flashing red light forcing drivers to treat it like a four-way stop; the other was flashing yellow, forcing drivers to slow through the area. As part of several changes for Link, the new bus rapid transit program set to launch in 2028, the city has changed intersections, added lights and beefed-up bus infrastructure across the city. The new Warman Road lights are situated near the concrete Link platforms, and are meant to make the road safer for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, the city says. However, many motorists used to driving along the 60km/h speed-limit stretch of road uninhibited are not approving the changes. “Be easier to take (a) sleeping bag and stay at work overnight,” one comment on the city’s Facebook page announcing the traffic signal test said. “Yay! More poorly synchronized traffic signals! ‘Saskatoon Slows!’” another comment said. Unlike the sarcastic shout from the Dodge RAM driver, the city has spent plenty of time thinking about the changes aimed at slowing vehicles down and improving safety. Calls for additional cycling and pedestrian infrastructure have been ongoing since the death of Natasha Fox on May 24, 2023, when she was struck and killed by a cement truck while riding her bike on Wiggins Avenue near College Drive. Her husband, Tod Fox, has appeared at city council meetings and transportation committee meetings imploring the city to increase its focus on cycling safety. “I’m not asking for miracles, I’m just asking for action,” Fox said during a March 4, 2025 transportation committee meeting. “I am here as a voice for the community saying we want more. There should be more done, and we should not wait for someone to die for it to be done.” While Link will move three new transit lines of buses across the city in two years, the traffic lights on Warman Road were fully functioning as of Tuesday afternoon. Transit routes 30 and 35 will begin their new service along Warman Road on May 31. However, residents using that intersection daily wondered about the impact the changes will have. Cody Peters is concerned about Warman Road northbound, which only has two lanes until a third turning lane is added after Hazen Street. He says no additional driving lanes were added to accommodate Link, and if buses will be stopping there often, these traffic lights will do little to allow neighbourhood traffic to get onto Warman as drivers typically blend into the third lane to access Circle Drive. “I don’t think it’ll change anything because people don’t treat that as a turning lane when it in fact goes from two lanes to three lanes,” he said. “It’s assumed when you’re coming from Hazen, that it is a lane for you to merge onto, but it’s not treated like that by other motorists going north on Warman.” Angie Mantyka, who also lives nearby, feels the rollout of the traffic light could have been better as the city sets its sights on an improved transit system. “I think people could have gone with turning on the lights. Everybody knows what to do at a light. But this, I think, is frustrating a lot of people,” she said. An email from the city to CTV News says more changes to improve pedestrian and cycling safety will be seen on College Drive as construction there will add a multi-use pathway on the north side and south side between Clarence Avenue to Preston Avenue, and an additional pathway on the south side from Cumberland Avenue to Preston Avenue. Wider and improved crosswalks will be added as the pedestrian overpass at the Stadium Parkade will be removed and replaced with a street-level cross, adding an additional stop for traffic, as well.
