Bridges and Traffic Congestion: the struggle on our roads is fixable

This summer has seen some frustrating situations in regards to transportation in Lethbridge. Compounded construction and maintenance on our two river-valley crossings, along with multiple collisions and damage to public infrastructure have reignited public discussion and debate over the merits of a third crossing. 

Transportation: moving between places through various methods including personal vehicles, walking, cycling, taking Public Transit, and other methods of micro-mobility. 

Long-term it is easy to see that a 3rd crossing will be required as the city continues to grow. The Transportation master plan passed in 2023 includes the long-term plans for a 3rd river crossing to the west side, with land already set aside for that future connection and further development. However, the feasibility studies conducted to manage traffic from the west side also point out that our current infrastructure operates at just a 50% capacity at the moment, and a new crossing will not be required to handle the additional population growth on the west side until at least 2050. 

So how do we ease the very real frustrations about our traffic congestion now? There are a few things we can do. 

First, we need more commercial development on our West side. Many of the trips over the river are generated because folks are needing to reach the robust commercial development east of the river. By enticing more commercial development in the west we can reduce the number of trips across the river and ease pressure on the roads. However, development should prioritize small commercial units affordable for local and start-up businesses and minimal parking over large international box stores and massive parking lots (not an economically productive use of land).   

For example, west Lethbridge lacks furniture stores, hotels and accommodation, lumber yards, clothing boutiques, a movie theatre, book stores, thrift or consignment stores, walk-in medical clinics, and office space; to name a few. This means that thousands of crossings a day are generated just to access these and other amenities on the North and South sides without considering the daily commute. By building out more commercial opportunities on the west side to serve the growing population, we can easily reduce the pressure on our crossings.

However, it must be considered that further commercial development toward the outskirts of the city could potentially have negative effects on our downtown and east-side businesses, particularly the local businesses, so carefully thought out development plans are required.  

In addition to responsible integrated commercial development, Lethbridge must invest in adequate public transit and micro-mobility infrastructure (yes, bike lanes) to encourage more drivers to skip using their cars altogether for local commuting needs. Not only will this save our households in the city more money in a shorter amount of time, (my household saves $7k every year by not having a 2nd vehicle), it will ensure the long-term viability of our transportation network and reduce traffic congestion and collisions.

By ensuring our public transit system is convenient, comfortable, fast, and affordable, we can help ensure our residents have the ability to easily move around in their community without the taxing personal investment of a private vehicle. Not only does this work for drivers: it particularly serves non-drivers as well such as children, the disabled, and seniors. This reduces pressure on guardians who often find themselves chauffeuring their dependents to various activities by providing an alternative safe, viable transportation option. Fortunately, adequately funding public transit and multi-modal infrastructure as detailed in the Transportation Master Plan and Cycling Master Plan (2017) will set Lethbridge up to continue to experience growth without adding the maximum additional pressure to our roadways.  

To achieve these goals we need fresh perspectives on City Council that will not only prioritize the policies and budgets that make these changes possible, but councillors who will champion these changes so we can ease the growing frustrations as quickly as possible. I look forward to the opportunity to serve my community by implementing recommendations made in the Master Plans already provided, so we actually implement the policies that previous councils have set up to be successful.