City council tries to learn from traffic mistakes on Metro Line

City council wants to avoid the mistakes made on the Metro LRT when it comes to the new valley line, which is set to begin construction in 2016.

Councillors said they want to get in front of any traffic issues, after they learned just days before it was set to open thatthe metro line could cause major backlogs.

"I was just absolutely stunned by that information next week," said Coun.Scott McKeen."It's a little hard to believe that we hadn't had that information earlier. It was too late."

It may already be too late to make sweeping changes to the valley line as well. The concept plan is finished, and going back to the drawing board would delay the project by at least a year.

Changing the design to tunnel underground or elevate the tracks would not only delay the project, it would make it much more expensive, administration told council.

"Stay the course," said Wayne Mandryk, LRT design and construction manager. "That would be my advice."

Councillors asked for a report that outlines all the traffic impacts expected along the valley line. That report is expected early next year.

"Which is still enough time if we want to make some scope changes," said Mayor Don Iveson. "We can negotiate those with the proponent that is selected (to build the line)."

McKeen said a better solution may be to improve roads that could accommodate extra traffic and ease the congestion.

"We have to look at traffic patterns at a broader scale," he said.

"I think we have to build it, see what it's like, do our best to drive traffic to other places."

The valley line is set to start running in 2020.

War of words continues

Meanwhile, otherproblems persist on the Metro LRT line.Iveson and the contractor that built and installedthe controversial signaling system exchanged heated words through the media.

A spokesperonfor the contractor, Thales Group, issued a statement congratulating the city on the soft launch of the line, but chastised the mayor for comments hemade about bugs in the signaling software.

"Thales has delivered a working product," wrote spokesperonEmmanuelleBleytou.

Iveson fired back, and pointed to a software glitch that caused a system-wide disruptionTuesday morning.

Iveson said he expects to get another update on the Metro line and how it has impacted trafficin the next few weeks.