Latest traffic study at downtown intersection not good enough, Liverpool resident says
A traffic study presented to Region of Queens council in July concluded that traffic lights are not needed at the Main and Market intersection in downtown Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
A Liverpool resident wants the Region of Queens to do a more comprehensive study of safety at a busy downtown intersection.
Paul Deveau says a recent look at traffic at Main and Market streets was insufficient.
“Is the current configuration of this intersection safe?” he told councillors during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
“A proper risk assessment survey conducted at this intersection would be done under the worst-case scenario, or optimum or peak usage, when both vehicle and pedestrian traffic are at their highest. It would look at not just volume, but the behaviour of the traffic, such as the percentage of the vehicles not coming to a complete stop or a rolling stop, but also look at pedestrians, and if they’re stopping or looking before crossing.”
The three-way stop is one of the most heavily travelled intersections in Liverpool. And it’s seen its share of collisions and near-misses.
It’s viewed by many as one of the most dangerous areas for pedestrians in downtown Liverpool.
Councillors voted this past February to spend $24,000 on the traffic study after a crosswalk collision in January 2024 sent a 79-year-old woman to hospital.
An earlier study was done in 2015. No significant changes were made at that time.
Consultants CBCL presented their findings to councillors on July 8. They concluded that the intersection could handle current traffic volumes without extra measures like traffic lights.
Paul Deveau spoke to regional council on Tuesday about the Main and Market intersection. (YouTube)
Deveau, who ran as a candidate in the 2024 municipal elections, said he looked at similar studies done in 50 other Canadian municipalities and they were all conducted in either early spring or late fall. He questioned why this study was conducted in February.
He said that on July 7, as he was sitting outside Main and Mersey Dining Room and Coffee Bar on Main Street, he counted 232 vehicles in about 25 minutes travelling toward the three-way stop. That was higher than the 119 total morning trips observed by the consultants and the 148 total afternoon trips.
“Why do an assessment on traffic in one of the slowest months of the year?” he told councillors.
“It only looked at the traffic volume with the assumption that the people using that intersection would behave in a manner that is predictable and by the letter of the law. This council already knows that they do not. So my question to the council is this, will the council conduct a comprehensive risk assessment on that intersection or stick with the bare minimum and use the current half-measure results to make a decision?”
Mayor Scott Christian said after the meeting that in response to Deveau’s concerns, he’s going to ask for an update on the intersection at Main and Market streets.
“And so I’ll be looking for some further information from staff on that one.”
Deveau told councillors he hopes they take a more robust look at safety in the area.
“So when an accident happens again at this intersection, not if, but when, is this the justification that you want to stand for not making a change? Is this what you want to tell the next person whose life could be forever altered or their family, that you did what you could do with the information provided? What if the next person was your family member?”
Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com
Listen to the audio version of this story below