By CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — There were 120 road signs in Whitewater Region Township that did not meet the Ministry of Transportation reflectivity standard.
Two of those were stop signs and were replaced right away, public works manager Bill Misener said at the public works committee meeting Wednesday morning.
He said usually half the signs don’t pass the test, so this township is in good shape.
“We actually fared out better than I thought,” he said. “Out of 700-and-some signs, we had about 120 that didn’t pass.”
The township has been replacing signs throughout the years, and that’s why there are as few as there are to be replaced, Mr. Misener said.
The money is in the budget for the signs, he said.
“We’re under budget with signs,” he said. “We’ll still be under budget after replacing those ones that have to be replaced right away and possibly the warning signs as well,” he said.
There are three standards: fail, warning and pass, he added.
What he’s not sure of is which standard he will have to use, engineer grade or high intensity reflectivity, when it’s time to purchase the signs. Explaining, Mr. Misener said the new signs on Hwy. 17 near Arnprior have high intensity reflectivity and when drivers see them, it’s almost like the sign jumps out at the driver, which is a cause for concern.
So, the MTO could be going back to the engineer grade, he said. He’ll have to find out what the outcome of the debate is before purchasing new signs.
With minimum maintenance standards, reflectivity tests are done every 16 months, Mr. Misener. It’s expected this test will again be done about September, he noted. The cost is about $8,000 each time the test is done.
He said he’s not sure why all the signs that failed did, but it could be age or because standards have changed. He noted the MTO uses a camera-like tool to measure the reflectivity. Years ago, it was someone over the age of 60 who would drive the roads between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. who would decide if the signs were reflective enough, he said bringing laughter from the chambers.
There’s now a reflective meter that can be used, he said.
The signs cost between $20 to $60 each, he noted.
“It’s part of our regular maintenance,” Mr. Misener said. “It’s the cost of doing business.”
However, Councillor Joey Trimm noted the biggest cost is labour, which isn’t calculated in.
Mr. Misener said it’s less expensive to contract out the testing, rather than purchase the meter and have a township employee do the testing.
