The downtown McDonald’s has only been open for a month, but Thorold City Council is already worried about the traffic safety issues it has created at the intersection of Pine Street South and Sullivan Avenue.
“With the opening of McDonald's, obviously the traffic patterns have changed,” said Councillor Henry D’Angela, during Tuesday’s city council meeting. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. There’s a set of lights that need to go in that intersection. Traffic safety has to be a priority but without a traffic study we won’t know.”
But some councillors feel that the intersection needs immediate attention.
“The red marked area on the road on the corner of Pine Street and Sullivan should be removed as soon as possible,” said Councillor Mike De Divitiis. “Kids see this as an extension of the sidewalk, a safe place where they can stand. I don’t want to see anybody getting hurt.”
Over the summer, the city repainted the road and installed delineators to narrow it, in an effort to get drivers to slow down.
Recently, however, those delineators have been taken away again.
“They were only removed for winter control, to allow for the snow plow around there,” explained the city’s Manager of Engineering Sean Dunsmore. “They will go back up in the spring.”
According to some councillors, the removal of the delineators has created an unsafe situation.
“Perhaps a temporary solution may be possible,” said Councillor Tim O’Hare. “I understand my fellow councillors concern for children safety but what about just some educational signage in the meantime until we have time to do the study and determine what we’re going to do.”
Undertaking a traffic study will take at least six months, and will cost anywhere between $20,000 and $50,000.
That figure did not sit well with Councillor Anthony Longo.
“This intersection has become more of an issue because of a commercial enterprise that went in there,” he said. “We had a meeting on that commercial enterprise. At that point I asked if a traffic study was necessary and I was told no. At that point the traffic study could have been paid for by a commercial enterprise. Now we’re going to be on the hook for $50,000.”
Because of the cost involved, the city’s Director of Finance Maria Mauro urged councillors to hold off on ordering the traffic study.
“Before we undertake the traffic study we need to know the cost and how we’re going to pay for it,” she said.
So in the end, City Hall staff was asked to draw up a report on the matter, which will come to council at a later date.
