By CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — Temporary, reduce speed-limit caution signs will be placed near the intersection of Sturgeon Mountain Road and Zion Line.
This is a recommendation from the Township of Whitewater Region public works committee, which met last night, to council.
The issue was brought to the committee by Mel Langton, owner of M & L Enterprises, with wife Lynne.
In a letter to council, Mr. Langton said large trucks and farm equipment are entering and leaving Sturgeon Mountain Road and Zion Line intersection on a regular basis in both directions. Due to high speed and volume of traffic on the Zion Line, signage with speed reduction is necessary for traffic safety.
Mayor Hal Johnson said the intersection at Zion Line and Sturgeon Mountain Road has always been a bad intersection. He noted along with M & L trucks and clients using that intersection, there are also many trucks from McGregor Concrete.
“I think this is well worth looking into,” he said. “It might save some lives in the future.”
Councillor Daryl McLaughlin agreed with the mayor, but he thinks other intersections will then be requested, such as Kerr Line and Grants Settlement Road, to have cautionary signs.
“I agree with looking into the costs, I don’t have a problem with that, but once we start to do these things, I think we have to be very cautious because we are going to get a pile of requests,” he said.
Councillor Charlene Jackson agreed with Coun. McLaughlin.
“I also agree that that intersection is a tough intersection,” she said. “But, I think by putting up caution signage, it’s not going to slow down anybody and it’s going to be just a sign that people see as they go by.
“It’s not going to deter people from going faster than they already go on the Zion Line,” she said, adding, “I’ve never come across a vehicle that has pulled out from Sturgeon Mountain Road and I travel the Zion Line quite a bit. The ones pulling out are aware to watch out for the people coming over the Zion Line hill.”
Coun. Jackson doesn’t believe there’s been that much of an increase in traffic in that area, because there hasn’t been much development.
“We already have a caution sign to watch for trucks further on up the Zion Line, closer to McGregor’s Concrete,” she said. “You can have signs as much as you like, it’s not going to slow the traffic down — unless you put a stop sign in and I’m not in favour at all of a stop sign there.”
Councillor Dave Mackay noted M & L Enterprises has created a large drying facility and storage bin, weigh-scale business on one corner of the Sturgeon Mountain / Zion Line intersection. While most of the trucks do turn right off Sturgeon Mountain Road and travel up the Zion Line towards Cobden, it was noted the trucks use up the full width of the road to turn, not just their own lane.
Mayor Johnson said there isn’t one tractor trains that can enter or leave a secondary road in Ontario without going to the other side of the road to make a turn.
“If you watch them, you would have to adjust every intersection in Ontario,” he said.
Reeve Terry Millar agreed, admitting tractor trailers travelling in and out of the McEwen facility on Turcotte Road use the full width of the road.
“I don’t know what the cost of a caution sign is, but this equipment needs all the help it can get,” he said. “I for one, in my own person experience, when I see caution signs, I don’t speed up, I look for problems like that, that’s what they’re there for.
“If they’re inexpensive, I say at least do that much.”
Councillor Chris Olmstead said anything council can do to improve public safety is good, noting there is no fool-proof method.
As for not installing signs because other requests will come in, is not a reason, he said.
He recalled a sign he sees whenever he goes to St. Jacob’s.
“The most effective sign I’ve ever seen is when I go to St. Jacob’s,” Coun. Olmstead said, adding, “The entrance sign says ‘Welcome to St. Jacob’s, Please drive as if your kid lives here.’ I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody go over 60 kilometres an hour in that area.
Coun. Jackson questioned if it’s just a road sign wanted or amber signs. She also wanted to know if this is a year-long danger or just during certain parts of the year.
Mr. Langton said he looked at different options, such as signs with flashing lights when trucks are entering the intersection and someone suggested a flashing light across the whole intersection with a sign.
Mr. Langton noted in the past six years, there have been four accidents at this intersection, one including a school bus and another with a tractor trailer. He noted on the afternoon of Oct. 5, there were at least 20 McGregor trucks that made that turn.
When he begins harvest, his trucks will be in and our daily.
“I can’t make that turn, in either driveway, without taking the entire road,” Mr. Langton said.
Coun. Jackson said that’s information council needs before it can make a decision. Just getting a request without background information can’t justify a decision.
“Obviously your brother-in-law, Mayor Johnson, he is aware of the situation,” she said. “I’m not. I travel the road in the morning and at night. I’ve travelled it on Saturdays. I’m not there from 8:15 until 4:30 at night, I’m not travelling that road from Monday to Friday.
“I’ve never seen any vehicles there.
“The question becomes, is it a time period,” Coun. Jackson continued. “My concern about flashing amber is usually it runs off solar and due to the trees there, you are not going to get solar on top of the hill.”
Mr. Langton noted there are between 700 to 800 vehicles a day on the Zion Line, noting it has become a major artery, with most people travelling 100-plus kilometres an hour, even though posted signs say 80 kilometres an hour.
“You pull out with farm equipment, or a truck, it doesn’t matter, you are at risk that whole time,” he said. “It’s only going to take someone not paying attention – we’ve already had four accidents, luckily no fatalities.
“We’ve had lots of near-misses and if you ask McGregor’s, they’ll tell you the same thing,” Mr. Langton continued, adding, “This is kind of a special case. (Public works manager) Bill Misener told me to make the request, because this is more than just sticking up a sign that is smaller than a stop sign. No one would pay attention to it.”
Coun. Jackson said staff should investigate what would work there and at what cost.
“I think it’s going to be a huge cost,” she said. “(Another option is to) reduce the speed limit starting 100 to 200 metres back (from the hill) to 60 kilometres an hour, but again, that’s a hard thing to do unless you police it.”
She questioned if there could be a flag person located at the top of the hill when a truck is pulling in or out.
When said that would be tough to do, she added, “It’s tough, I know, but it may have to come down to that.”
Even if the speed limit is reduced, it takes years for drivers to adjust to the new speed limit, she said.
Reeve Millar said this should be investigated before big money is spent. However, he added, “He’s in his problem right now. I want to know how much these signs cost. It is safety, and you don’t have to go out and spend thousands of dollars. Get some signs out to slow people down the best you can.
“I wouldn’t delay on this for the sake of a couple signs,” Reeve Millar said.
Treasurer Marsha Hawthorne noted the LED signs go for $4,000 to $7,000 a light, and just a sign itself, would be less than $150.
Mayor Johnson suggested in the short term, while the costs are being investigated, Mr. Misener could put up orange cautionary signs reducing the speed to 40 kilometre an hour.
While used mostly during construction, he said these signs can be put up anywhere.
“It’s really visible,” he said. “40 kilometres an hour for going up and down the hill. It would be short-term and work for now.”
The committee agreed to still investigate the cost and installation of caution signage, but to also put up temporary caution signs reducing the speed limit.
