MAPLE RIDGE – New Democrat MLA Lisa Beare is celebrating the completion of lighting improvements on Lougheed Highway. New street lights along a particularly dark section of this busy corridor are improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in Maple Ridge.
“This dark stretch of highway was a safety hazard for the people of Maple Ridge for decades and upgrades were long overdue,“ said the MLA for Maple Ridge. “I’m so proud that our government listened to the concerns of our community and took action to light up Lougheed!”
The new street lights were installed along the two-kilometre stretch between Laity Street and 220th Street, and have been fully operational since May 30th. The total project cost was $1.8 million, with ICBC contributing approximately $95,000.
Beare said people who live and work in Maple Ridge had been calling for lighting upgrades on Lougheed Highway for years, and that prior to the upgrades this section of highway had no lighting, except at Laity Street and 216th Street. From 2013 to 2017, there were 471 collisions on this section of highway. According to ICBC, eight of these crashes involved pedestrians and seven involved cyclists.
Research indicates illumination at urban intersections can reduce pedestrian-related night-time collisions by 42 per cent. Lighting on highways can reduce night-time vehicle collisions by 21 per cent.
Through an investment of $20.1 billion, the New Democrat government has delivered the biggest capital plan in B.C.’s history,and is investing $100 million on smaller infrastructure projects to make roads, highways, tunnels, and bridges safer for communities across the province.
Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018TRAN0195-002225