CORNWALL – A review of the main County Road 31/18 intersection in Williamsburg will leave the current design as-is.
SDG Counties council received a report at their April 20 meeting on a review of five intersections where there have been collision or other issues, including the main intersection at CR 31/18.
The review found the traffic counts on either road, but especially on CR 18, do not warrant changes.
The intersection, which has had an average of three collisions per year for the past three years, has seen past upgrades including oversized stop signs on CR 18, advance warning signage and a four-way flashing beacon over the intersection. There are also streetlights in that section of the town.
CR 31 is a through-route that is posted at 50 km/h through the village.
The report found that while the cross road traffic on CR 18 was close to warranting a four way stop, the percentage of traffic in proportion to that of CR 31 did not.
CR 31 carries about 5,500 vehicles per day on average, while CR 18 carried about 830 vehicles per day on average.
The Ontario Traffic Manual, which is based on regulations from the Highway Traffic Act points to a number of conditions where an all-way stop would be appropriate. This includes number of collisions, possible design or sight line issues, and traffic considerations. However, all-way stops are used more for routes where the traffic numbers for both roads are about equal — a 70/30 split is needed at a minimum. They cannot be used as a traffic calming measure, and it is recommended for all-way stops to not be added to through transport routes.
Four other intersections in SDG Counties were also reviewed including: Both intersections for CR43 and CR20 (north and south) near Apple Hill; CR43 and CR 7 just south of Chesterville; CR 2 and CR 15 east of Long Sault; and CR 2 and CR 14 in Ingleside. For all five, no changes were recommended.
“The six intersections reviewed are functioning safely and currently don’t meet the warrants or justification for an all-way stop or traffic signal,” said Cameron Harper, director of transportation for the Counties.
He added that staff will continue to monitor the CR 2 and CR 15 intersection as it is close to meeting some of the criteria for a signal or stop; and that staff are reviewing the auxiliary lane in place on CR 2 through Ingleside.
Discover more from Morrisburg Leader
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.