There will be no new raised medians built along 208 Street.

At Monday night’s meeting, Langley City council did not support engineering staff’s request for a raised median between 48 and 47 Avenues on 208 Street.

After an unusually long four-hour meeting, that included numerous heated public hearings on various topics, council was to vote on whether or not to build a median.

The motion never got on the table because no member of council would move it. However, council unanimously supported Councillor Gayle Martin’s motion to extend the median at 48 Avenue. It will go north of Newlands Drive, to prevent left turns into Newlands Drive.

Council did vote in favour of repaving 208 Street between 44 and 48 Avenues.

Mayor Peter Fassbender asked for a provision to the paving, making sure a conduit is put in the road to allow for a signal light at Grade, should it be put in at a later time.

“That way we won’t have to rip up the road if a light goes in there,” he said.

Council also voted in favour of staff undertaking a comprehensive review of the dangerous Grade Crescent intersection. ICBC will be involved in that review to make suggestions and possibly provide some funds.

Councillor Jack Arnold voted against the review, citing 15 years of City staff opposing a light at that intersection.

“We don’t need another review. Staff have been against a light for 15 years.

“How do people in New West and North Van get around then with all those hills and lights?” Arnold questioned.

Staff have consistently held the position that the grade on 208 Street is too steep to allow a signal light at the intersection.

“Why waste money on another consultation?”

Councillor Dave Hall echoed Arnold’s words, adding that another school year will begin with no protection for H.D. Stafford students walking to school on Grade Crescent without a light or proper crosswalk.

“We have identified Grade as a safety risk. Another school year is coming and the present risk is still out there.

“Medians are fluff and expensive. Spend it on signalization,” Hall said.

Head engineer Gary Vlieg said medians are good design practice and even if a light went in at Grade, staff would still recommend to council that a median be put in between 48 and 47 Avenues to “channel traffic.”

Had the median been put in, at least 10 homes would have been severely impacted, causing them to only have right in/out access to their driveways. Council’s decision was a victory for impacted homeowner Gary Dawe, who let out a ‘yes’ from the chamber seats after the decision was made.

He presented a 160-signature petition opposing the medians. Several other residents along 208 Street also spoke out against the median.

In the review of what to do at Grade Crescent, staff plan to look at a light, a roundabout and even the highly contested one lane in each direction idea, as well as the right in/out only option. A proposal will be brought to council in the fall or spring 2010. A review of the speed limit on 208 will be part of the proposal.

Vlieg said there are no plans to close 46A Avenue, only the extended median to prohibit left turns.

There have been 38 crashes in five years at Grade Crescent. Of those, 20 involved injuries.

The crash rate is eight times higher than the provincial average for intersections.