IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A version of article was originally published by ThoroldToday on November 22.
The people have spoken and the city is listening. City council wants to tackle one of the most dangerous intersections in downtown Thorold.
"It seems like we’re getting a lot of letters and emails from seniors," said Councillor Carmen DeRose, during Tuesday's city council meeting.
As ThoroldToday reported, residents are concerned about traffic safety at the four-way stop at Pine St. S and Sullivan Ave.
With plans for a McDonald’s on the corner well underway, there are concerns that already existing traffic issues will just be exacerbated.
City council wants to come up with a permanent solution, but there are worries about the timeline and price tag of the project.
Installing traffic lights would cost anywhere between $500,000 and $600,000, and there is the question of the upcoming reconstruction of Pine St. which could affect their use.
“We can try to expedite it but there will be a budget implication as a result of it,” Councillor Jim Handley told his fellow council members.
While Thorold would be on the hook for the costs of the project, it is the Region who would execute it.
“They would design that intersection, including any repainting of the lanes that may need to be required so that the traffic signals work in an efficient, effective way,” said the City’s Manager of Engineering, Sean Dunsmore.
Coming up with a design would take the region six to eights months, said Dunsmore.
“The region have a queue for this,” he said. “We’re not the only ones asking for the traffic signals. Assuming their queue is a reasonable length we could probably have them in late 2024.”
Councillor Ken Sentance wants to know whether the city would be able to pay for the project with the development charges it receives from developers.
“There’s something called the ‘Benefit to Existing’ that has to be taken into account when putting in infrastructure,” answered the city’s Director of Finance, Maria Mauro. “This is also a corner where lights did exist so I really can’t comment without some clarification from [our development charges consultant.]”
When it comes to temporary solutions, there are several options on the table.
Councillor Carmen DeRose would like to see a permanent crossing guard at the intersection during business hours.
“I think temporarily right now that might be the safest solution,” he said. “Crossing guards are only working three hours a day. We need someone that is there 10 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m.]”
There are other traffic calming measures the city could also take, but not all of them are easily available.
“Currently we have two sets of temporary speed humps,” said Dunsmore. “One of them is deployed, the other is in the process of being removed. Everything else we certainly would have to order.”
The one thing all councillors agree on is that the city needs to come up with a solution sooner rather than later.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Councillor Henry D’Angela. “Just think of all the growth we’ve had in the last ten years in the downtown. That intersection is really busy. Traffic calming measures are really nice but when you have five cars at a four-way stop, who goes? It’s only going to get worse.”
Councillors have asked City Hall staff to put together a report exploring all options, which will be considered during the 2024 Budget Deliberations in early January.
