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A proposal to install warning systems near underpasses to alert drivers during floods isn’t a high priority for the City of Saskatoon.
That’s according to Saskatoon transportation director Jay Magus, who made the comment during the city’s Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services Committee meeting on Tuesday.
A report to the committee on the massive flash flood that hit Saskatoon last June suggested the possibility of installing driver information systems at or near local underpasses to alert motorists when the routes are flooded or overcome with snow.
The report offered three possibilities, including installing a detection and warning system, installing an integrated warning system that could work with the city’s existing traffic management system, or installing a combination traffic camera and warning system.
The price tags of all three options were also included in the report as a potential budget item during 2024/2025 deliberations.
When Mayor Charlie Clark asked whether a driver warning system would be a good investment from a safety standpoint, Magus was clear in his response.
“If transportation was given a dollar to spend on safety, this would not be a high priority to our department to spend that dollar on,” he said.
Clark asked Magus to elaborate on his comments.
“It’s always on the onus of the driver to drive carefully, to drive safely,” Magus said.
“If they see a flooded underpass, you know the onus is on them to stop.”
During the flood in 2022, Magus said information got out quickly to drivers, and Saskatoon police officers closed some roads that had become impassable.
“We were right behind with barricades and things like that to close the road,” Magus added.
During budget deliberations in late November, city council approved a $300,000 weather information system.
Roadways Director Goran Saric said it would be primarily used during the winter months, and not for flooding.
The system requires $20,000 in maintenance each year, and will be installed in two locations this summer.