Queens County to study safety at three-way stop in Liverpool
Region of Queens councillors are looking for ways to improve safety at the intersection at Main and Market streets in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
Councillors at the Region of Queens want something done to address pedestrian safety at the three-way stop in downtown Liverpool.
The intersection at Main and Market streets has seen its share of collisions and close calls.
On Monday, a 79-year-old woman was hit in the crosswalk and taken to South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater. RCMP said her injuries were not life-threatening. A driver was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.
The incident reignited concern in the community about the safety of that intersection and others in town.
At its meeting on Tuesday, council voted to have staff review previous studies and reports and come back with recommendations to make the three-way stop safer.
“I understand the frustrations,” Mayor Darlene Norman said Wednesday in an interview.
“Over my years of driving, I have been on both sides of that coin,” as a pedestrian and as a motorist.
According to minutes from a July 2019 meeting, the previous council had rejected the idea of crosswalk lights. It would have cost $27,000.
Then-CAO Chris McNeill told councillors that it was staff’s opinion that installing lights “will not improve safety or eliminate pedestrians’ inattention when crossing the intersection”.
Instead, councillors at the time decided to post a “no left turn” sign for post office parking, remove any trees or shrubbery obstructing visibility, and asking the Queens District RCMP to step up enforcement, including traffic stops during peak hours.
A 2015 study by Insight Traffic Engineering recommended changing some signage, moving the stop sign and crosswalk from the western approach on Main Street, and moving the sidewalk shrubbery and furniture.
The study concluded that existing traffic control wasn’t an issue.
Leanne Arnott, owner of nearby Five Girls Baking, said this week after the most recent incident that pedestrian-controlled lights should be installed.
“In other cities where I have lived with pedestrian-controlled crosswalks they seem to have been very effective and very useful and I think that in this situation that would be a good thing to have here.”
Arnott said she’s happy that council is going to address the issue, but that they should also involve the community in their discussions.
Norman said Wednesday that councillors have heard many ideas — from full traffic lights to having orange flags available at each corner for pedestrians to carry as they cross.
She said they will consider all options and wait for staff to come back with a report.
“Council places public safety first. I do not believe this council would ever make a decision not to do something because of the cost.”
She said she personally supports installing accessible pedestrian signals, which include lights and sound when a pedestrian chooses to cross. But it is ultimately council’s decision.
Still, Norman said, it’s the responsibility of pedestrians and motorists to be careful in all intersections.
“So while council can do everything in its power, be it installation of traffic lights, basically it boils down to pedestrians and those driving the vehicles using safety as a No. 1 factor when going through intersections.”
Norman said they’ve heard from residents about other areas in Liverpool where safety is a problem, such as the intersection at Queens Place Drive.
And in November, residents of Main and School streets submitted a petition to council, urging the region to lower speed limits in the area and to create a four-way stop at the intersection.
Councillors also asked staff to study those and other areas that need attention.
Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com
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