WHEREAS emergency agencies respond to accidents or other incidents on provincial highways;AND WHEREAS certain provincial highways have limited access from township roads, range roads or numbered exit ramps;AND WHEREAS the exact location of these emergencies may not be known to persons requesting assistance;AND WHEREAS valuable time may be lost by responding agencies in determining the exact location of an emergency incident;AND WHEREAS other authorities provide mileage markers on highways and number off/on ramps which aid in identifying geographic locations;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties request the Government of Alberta to provide appropriate location signage on highways under their jurisdiction which currently do not have adequate identification markers.

At a recent meeting of Capital Region fire chiefs, it was noted that emergency crews experience some difficulty and delays when responding to incidents on certain provincial highways. Highway 2, for example, has limited access to the highway and there are few identifying markers such as township road signs or numbered exit off ramps.As a result, motorists who may be reporting an emergency, and who are unfamiliar with the highway, may be unable to specify where the incident is located. Emergency calls which state that an incident is “north of Wetaskiwin” or “south of Edmonton” are common, leading to confusion as to which emergency crews should be dispatched and delays in attempting to locate the incident.The draft resolution was requested by the Capital Region fire chiefs to be forwarded to AAMDC since the issue relates mainly to highways passing through rural areas.MILEAGE MARKER GROUP, D10 SERIES (from the Pennsylvania Code, the state of Pennsylvanias official publication of rules and regulations) 211.901. Mileage Marker, D10-1.(a) Justification. The Mileage marker, D10-1, shall be authorized for use on a highway to assist the motorist in estimating his/her progress, to provide a means for identifying the location of emergency incidents and to aid in highway maintenance and servicing. Zero mileage shall begin at the south and west state lines and at junctions where routes begin. The mileage numbering shall be continuous for each route, except when overlaps occur. With overlapped routes, continuity shall be established for only one of the routes. On the route without mileage marker continuity, the first mileage marker beyond the overlap shall indicate the total distance traveled on that route.(b) Placement. For divided highways, mileage measurements shall be made on northbound and eastbound roadways. The mileage marker for southbound and westbound roadways shall be placed directly opposite. When a mileage marker cannot be placed in its correct location, it may be moved in either direction as much as 50 feet. If it cannot be placed within 50 feet of its correct location, it should be omitted. Mileage markers shall be placed so that the bottom of the marker is four feet above the near roadway edge. They shall be placed not less than two feet or more than six feet outside the outer edge of the shoulder. They should be placed in the same line as delineators.

The AAMDC has no resolutions currently in effect with respect to this resolution.