Township Weighs Pedestrian Safety at Busy Intersection

Councilors to Discuss Right-Turn Slip Lanes at 208 St and 88 Ave

The Township of Langley Council will vote today on four potential improvements to the right-turn slip lanes at the intersection of 208 Street and 88 Avenue, a decision that could significantly impact pedestrian and cyclist safety in the community.

The proposed options highlight a critical challenge facing urban planners: balancing traffic efficiency with the safety of those walking or cycling near busy roadways.

Slip lanes – specialized right-turn lanes that allow vehicles to merge without stopping – have long been designed to keep traffic moving quickly, but transportation experts increasingly recognize them as potentially dangerous for pedestrians.

Four Options Up for Discussion

The four options under consideration range from minor modifications to a complete redesign of the intersection:

• Option 1 involves installing mountable aprons on all approaches

• Option 2 would reconstruct all four right-turn islands using "Smart Channels" with a high-entry angle design

• Option 3 proposes reconstructing only the northbound and eastbound right-turn islands while converting other turns to 90-degree configurations

• Option 4 would completely convert the intersection to 90-degree right turns on all approaches

Below is a table with the various impacts and costs of each option, as laid out in a report by the Township.

The cost estimate is based on $50,000 per pole relocation. However, due to the presence of three-phase BC Hydro wires on both 208 Street and 88 Avenue, undergrounding may be required, resulting in significantly higher costs.

What Do Safety Experts Say?

Transportation experts overwhelmingly agree that slip lanes pose a significant risk to pedestrians and cyclists. As Steve Davis from Strong Towns argues in a 2019 article, slip lanes exist primarily to prioritize vehicle speed over safety, increasing the distance pedestrians must cross and placing them in areas where they are difficult for drivers to see.

Slip lanes encourage high-speed turning movements and reduce driver attentiveness at intersections. A major concern is that slip lanes allow vehicles to continue moving at near-full speed while pedestrians cross, increasing the likelihood of severe or fatal collisions. The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acknowledges this danger, referring to slip lanes as a “negative facility” for pedestrians.

In Arlington, Virginia, a slip lane removal project led to safer crossing conditions by forcing vehicles to slow down, improving pedestrian visibility, and shortening crossing distances.

This approach aligns with modern traffic safety principles, which emphasize slowing down vehicle speeds in urban and suburban environments to reduce pedestrian fatalities.

Conclusion

Option 4, which fully eliminates slip lanes and replaces them with 90-degree turns, would provide the most comprehensive safety improvements at the 208 Street and 88 Avenue intersection.

While other options, such as Smart Channels (Option 2), can offer incremental improvements, they do not fully eliminate the risks associated with slip lanes. If Council opts for a partial redesign, additional measures such as pedestrian-activated crossing signals could help mitigate the risks but would not address the fundamental issue of vehicles making high-speed turns near pedestrian crossings.

Safety advocates continue to push for design choices that prioritize people over speed. Eliminating slip lanes is one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal, ensuring that urban infrastructure supports safe, accessible mobility for all road users.

Residents interested in influencing the decision are encouraged to contact Township Council members before the beginning of the Council meeting at 1:30pm. It remains unclear whether Councilor vanPopta will participate, as the provincial legislative session began last week.

The vote represents an intriguing moment for Langley's transportation infrastructure, potentially setting a precedent for how the community approaches road design and pedestrian safety in future projects.

References and Resources:

Township Council Set to Vote on Sliplanes

At today’s Regular Council Meeting

Strong Towns Langley SubstackJames Hansen

Slip Lanes Would Never Exist if We Prioritized Safety Over Speed

Slip lanes are the quintessential embodiment of what happens when speed is the #1 priority and safety becomes secondary. They are incredibly dangerous for pedestrians. Yet states and communities keep building them. Why?

Strong TownsStephen Lee Davis