The Municipal District of Lesser Slave River is racing to fix safety and traffic bottlenecks at the Smith rodeo grounds ahead of the upcoming fall fair.
During the July 29 Committee of the Whole meeting, council debated over how to safely manage the massive influx of trucks, horse trailers, and pedestrians expected to arrive at the Smith Complex this September.
The annual Smith-Hondo Fall Fair and Rodeo, hosted by the local agricultural society (SHARA), is one of the biggest events in the area. Held over the Labour Day weekend, it draws hundreds of people for bench shows, parades, and chuckwagon races.
However, that large crowd creates a nightmare for local traffic control.
At the meeting, the administration presented a request from SHARA to install a new gate on the west side of the chuckwagon track. Currently, everyone attending the rodeo has to use a single main entrance.
Chief administrative officer (CAO) Kevin Gannon noted that the M.D. has to look at the situation from a legal liability and emergency management perspective, which sometimes differs from how event organizers see things.
“When I look at this from an administration side, I look at emergency entrances and exits. I look at the safety and security of facilities,” the CAO said.
He added that the main road and the access hill become completely congested during the rodeo weekend. Relying on a single entrance point makes it incredibly difficult for emergency vehicles to get in if a crisis occurs.
“In order to have that gate in that front area where it’s proposed, you’re still going to have to have traffic management,” the CAO said.
Another major choke point blocking the flow of traffic is the local dump station. Administration noted that a nearby fire hydrant prevents large horse trailers from turning around easily.
“I do still feel personally there is a problem with having the dump station there,” the CAO said. “It’s okay when you don’t have an event, but it may come down to a point, that you may need to close that down when you have an event.”
Councillors agreed that forcing pedestrians to walk through the exact same gate as heavy trucks and horse trailers is a massive safety risk. They debated moving foot traffic to a completely separate walking trail to clear up the main entrance.
To get the heavy vehicle traffic out of the main gate, administration suggested putting up temporary fencing and routing the performers and their horse trailers through the M.D. public works yard or the nearby transfer station. This would finally give the event a dedicated secondary exit.
Because the rodeo takes place in September, the M.D. has very little time to finalize the new traffic flow map.
Council passed a unanimous motion directing administration to come up with the best plan to divert heavy traffic either through the works yard or the transfer station. The finalized plan will be brought back to the next regular council meeting for official approval so the M.D. can get the gates and fences prepared in time for the chuckwagon races.
Armaan Khanna
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter