If you’ve taken the 215 Street exit at rush hour on Stony Plain Road, you already know the problem.
There is one lane, and even a city councillor says there should be two. Some drivers move onto the edge of the road to make that second lane in spite of two signs clearly telling commuters "driving on the shoulder prohibited."
“You stay away from this area," one driver told CTV News Edmonton. "It's gridlock, it's nuts.”
Truck drivers have built their own exit ramp. A repetitive rut in the ditch shows where trucks have been off-roading to beat the congestion.
Ward 1 Coun. Andrew Knack is well-aware of the problem.
“I’ve heard about that for a number of years, which is why I first brought it up with council during budget discussions last year,” he told CTV News Edmonton.
Knack says the need for another lane is an issue that comes up continually with people who live west of Anthony Henday Drive, but they may need to continue waiting in line.
The Ward 1 councillor says about a half billion dollars in road widening is needed across the city.
“What our administration came back with was a suggestion to say, because you have such a large amount of work to do citywide, which includes this particular location... we need to get some done sooner rather than later.”
Knack says there might be an interim solution with some targeted improvement as soon as January.
Until then, he hopes many will consider the potential problems that could be created by continuing to clog the shoulder of that particular exit, including being in the only path that emergency vehicles might use.
According to Edmonton police, the fine for passing a vehicle in the parked lane is $233.
