Everything That Goes Around, Comes Around… The Other Way
Prince George, B.C. – Take a trip up to Connaught Hill park lately? Well, it won’t be long before you will be required to change direction.
Work has started on Connaught Hill to reverse the flow of traffic.
The idea was suggested by a resident, and after taking a look at it, the City’s Engineering Services division agreed, a change was needed.
Right now, traffic on top of the hill moves clockwise, but in keeping with traffic circle flow, as of today, new directional signs will be installed, and traffic will be moving counter clockwise. That means taking a right at the top of the hill instead of left.
Not only will the change be in step with the way traffic circles flow, it will also increase the sightseeing vantage point for passengers in vehicles.
Comments
NOTE TO CITY … Next time a resident comes up with a wingnut idea tell them to pay for it themselves. As a taxpayer I am tired of funding these feel good schemes. This road has served P.G. for 50 years that I can remember. To compare this to a traffic circle is just a lame excuse to change something that did not have to be changed. Its a park not a busy intersection. The money could have been better spent…A light at 1st. and Queensway would be a big improvement..
Agreed! One of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Perhaps they can change the name to Traffic Circle Hill, as well.
Agreed. I guess the only benefit is that one will not need to stop and cross oncoming traffic (assume there ever is any) when exiting the park.
Awww… change is scary, me no like change!
ht tp://tinyurl.com/hskpqkb
I totally agree with giterdun……
I person says, “hey lets change the flow of traffic” and the City just goes ahead and does it.
I’ve asked the City a bunch of times to cut down the weeds on the sidewalks around this town before someone has to yell “timber” when one falls over. Not to mention they are a total eyesore. But nobody does that.
Let’s do things that really have an impact on making this City better.
Going one way in a park vs the other way does almost nothing to make the experience better.
What’s the saying, “lipstick on a pig”………
NOTE TO CITY…… please use City funds to make the PG a City we can all be proud of.
This is absolutely bananas. Why are they trying to change everything around Prince George. I wonder whats next on the list
“whats next on the list” ???? There is NO list… it is whatever comes to mind as the folks at City Hall come awake any random morning !
My goodness… if there was an actual list, everyone could see it and contribute accordingly ……. “change” only makes it SEEM like there is progress. Does not have to be real progress. There is a bottomless pit of money to be used. That’s why so much loot flowed into City Hall earlier this month !!!!!
“Fools and their money are soon separated” ??
V.
I was just back in PG for a visit and I actually drove up Connaught Hill and showed it to my son. Didn’t notice any problem with the clockwise route and it’s certainly nothing like a traffic circle, LOL.
As for getting better views, there were still lots of places for people to park their cars, and get out and walk in order to take them in. Doing that while sitting in a vehicle is suboptimal regardless of what direction you are driving.
This does seem like a rather bizarre change.
A better view? We would get a better view if they would take out a few trees here and there.
As a driver, I am on the outside of the loop at all times now and, if I have a passenger that person gets the uninterrupted view from the outside.
You want a better view? Park and get out to look. Take you camera and stay a while.
At some point in the distant past the City built this road, and made a decision to have the traffic go clockwise. City Engineering are now going to change it to counterclockwise.
Do they have any idea at all why it was set up as clockwise in the first place. Furthermore why would engineering wait 50 years for advice from a resident before they came to the conclusion that it needed to be changed. One would like to think that if in fact this change was necessary they would have come to that conclusion using their own brains, many years ago.
I too am infuriated at this latest stupid project! Honestly, where is the common sense? There are far more things that could be improved! These too highly-paid City staff should listen to the citizens here a bit more! It sure as heck doesn’t matter to 99% of us if we turn left or right at the top of Connaught Hill so we can enjoy the view! Dumb move, City of Prince George. Thanks for wasting more of our tax dollars!
In all my haste, I forgot to ask mow much this will cost.
Are they afraid to tell us?
Do they not care about what it will cost?
Who conducted the poll on this?
Where is the transparency on this project?
What is not being done with the staff time and money? How much staff time was actually already spent on looking at this project?
Total project cost to date for just considering it? $20,000?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Hopefully proper accounting will be done with cost codes entered for every aspect of the project. It should be as simple as opening a file and clicking print. At least that’s the way it works in the real world . Purchase orders and time sheets broken down to each bolt used and each hour spent.
Don’t forget they probably had to hire a consultant for $20 000
I usually understand that the City often has to make unpopular decisions and they take a lot of flack. Its part of the job. However, they aren’t doing themselves any favours by wasting time and money on this kind of crap. PG has many areas where invasive weeds, uncut grass and willows are taking over making the city look neglected. This is NOT or shouldn’t be a priority. If it works, don’t fix it. Come on CoPG, step up your game a little.
First Caller tells city employee its just like a traffic cirle:
Employee: “Hmmm, Park road equals traffic circle. We must go counter clockwise.
Second caller advises: “Clockwise is the same direction that Nascar races go.
Employee: “Oh Shit!”
Counter clockwise is the way runners go around the track.
Figures…. northern city NASCAR …. southern city track and field.
;-)
How do you figure NASCAR races go clockwise? They travel left to right and turn left. That is counterclockwise.
Once the changes are done drivers will be backing out of parking stalls on their blind side. This could potentially lead to accidents compared to the way it is now.
Kind of like every parking stall up and down third avenue? LOL
Yes . I don’t park on third avenue because I drive a vehicle that only has windows in the front doors and a windshield . If I can’t back into a parking stall or parallel park I find somewhere else to park. The last thing I need is back over a bicyclist or get run into by an impatient driver.
Wow even I agree with everyone above, this ranks as the #1 stupid thing the city has spent money on so far this year !
I predict #2 will be putting a park in by the WIDC for the druggies to take over and remove parking that is needed for the staff and people wanting to get to the service centre.
Looks like everybody woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.
Looks like people would like their tax dollars spent responsibly.
After driving the wrong way for 50 years, no wonder.
How can I ever undo all that bad driving.
I agree that the change and the time and money spent on it is not justified.
Here is an issue that would allow a view of the city from the Bypass along the Pine Centre. Log the area where some remedial work is being done right now so the city can be seen from the highway! This bank then ought to be planted with flowering shrubs much like 1st Avenue was done at the bridge.
Why hide the great panoramic view of the city?
Seems to me that when they first built the road it did not go all the way around, so cars would go clockwise on a two lane road, turn around at the halfway point and go back the way they came. Later when the made it into a traffic circle (so to speak) they just continued to go clockwise.
In any event, putting up a few signs and changing the direction should not cost us a lot of money.
Groan! Nobody’s ever happy. Let ’em park down below and walk!
Way back in the day, the City had a wooden water tower at the top of Connaught hill that supplied the water to the City. If you climbed to the top of the tower on a wooden ladder, (some 60 ft high) you would get an excellent view of the City.
Further back than that, there was an Olympic sized ski jump.
1. The traffic is flowing normally currently.
2. It is a sharp right turn for bigger vehicles if you change it, at the top of the hill.
3. The current little pullouts are lined up with the flow of traffic and angled for a left to right road.
Late ten eh traffic circle, new signs coming…….
Hey, they could have changed First Ave. to a one way street going west, that woulda been a hoot!
Comments for this article are closed.