Alberta dilutes legislated traffic protections for roadside workers

The Alberta Motor Association says its roadside operators are disappointed with the province's decision to walk back some of the traffic safety provisions passed last year in Bill 5. 

The original version of the bill, which amended the Traffic Safety Act, required drivers in every lane going in the same direction to reduce their speed to 60 kilometres per hour when passing a roadside worker's vehicle with its flashing lights on. 

Drivers on two-lane highways were required to slow to 60 in both directions. 

On Tuesday, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen announced the speed limit change would come into effect on Sept. 1 but would only apply to drivers in the lane closest to the roadside worker. 

Jeff Kasbrick, vice-president of advocacy and operations with the AMA, said the change is disappointing. 

"This is not what had been promised to Alberta's essential tow operators, to first responders as well as to the roadside workers that are included in today's expanded framework," he said. 

The AMA had been a key part of the consultation process leading up to the bill. Kasbrick said Tuesday's change came as a surprise, particularly since the measures in the original bill appeared to have widespread support from the public, the towing industry and first responders.

He said the AMA's roadside workers are "heartbroken" by the change.

"It's a tough one to explain what feels like the inexplicable particularly when we had all of the makings of what was going to be a really good day in this province," Kasbrick said. 

'Not a hard concept'

At a news conference earlier on Tuesday, Dreeshen dismissed reporters' suggestions that he was making the highways unsafe for roadside workers by watering down the rules.

"All Albertan drivers are going to treat whomever is working at the side of the road with the same rules so that there isn't confusion," he said. "It's not a hard concept."

The old set of rules were set to come in effect in March but the government put them on pause in order to release a driver education campaign lasting two to three months. 

Instead, the education campaign is starting Tuesday, a little over three weeks before the rules are set to come in.

Dreeshen claimed it was dangerous for drivers in multiple lanes to slow down at the same time. 

Kasbrick said the majority of Canadian provinces already have that provision in law. He says having slower speed limits for all lanes would have allowed drivers to easily and safely move over to give roadside workers more space. 

"I hear far too often from our operators that it is a regular occurrence that they are hearing screeching brakes and tires at the side of the road or that they're hearing motorists slam on their horn," he said.

"And so these are very real and scary circumstances that they encounter on a regular basis that we were on the cusp of being able to address."