Some Thorold residents are concerned about the 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.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, 80-year-old Thorold resident Don Ferguson gave a presentation to the Road Safety Committee, in which he urged the city to tackle the issue sooner rather than later.
“We have a lot of users depending on mobility aids, plus children in school — We have an urgent need today for signal lights at this corner,” he told committee members.
The City’s Manager of Engineering Sean Dunsmore explained that the city is looking to tackle the intersection further down the line, as part of a complete reconstruction of Pine St., from Hwy 58 all the way to Townline Rd.
“We will spend some time next year redesigning the entire corridor,” Dunsmore told committee members. “That may involve things like narrowing and dealing with parking in a slightly different way. All these things are open for discussion when we go through the design process for the entire road.”
The 2020 Thorold Transportation Master Plan already identified the intersection of Pine St. S and Sullivan Ave. as being in need of traffic lights, and that’s why Ferguson does not want to wait until the city reconstructs the whole street.
“Something needs to be done today,” he urged.
Once upon a time, there used to be traffic lights at the corner but they were taken out due to a lack of traffic.
“They were expensive to maintain and they made it to the end of their life span,” explained Dunsmore. “We decided the best approach was to remove them. Now things have changed. The [traffic] volume has increased and I believe it is warranted to put them back in.”
Dunsmore acknowledged that the McDonald’s restaurant, that local developer Serge Carpino is bringing to town, will probably exacerbate traffic issues.
“The zoning approval that happened not too long ago also reflected that need for traffic safety improvements on that intersection,” he said. “We’re taking some money from the developer to help us with those improvements."
It has been previously mentioned by City Hall staff that it could cost up to $500,000 to install traffic lights at the intersection, and this fact was repeated once again by Dunsmore at the committee meeting.
Councillor Henry D’Angela, who sits on the Road Safety Committee, thinks it is important that city council looks at the issue holistically.
“We need to look at complete picture,” he told committee members. “I think we need to push for more police presence in some of these areas and then also look at Pine St. as a Community Safety Zone.”
The issue is set to be discussed further during the 2024 City Budget Deliberations early next year.
That's when council will decide when and how to tackle the issue, and whether or not it will be part of the reconstruction of Pine St.
