Will crosswalk alleviate pedestrian concerns?

A new pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Mill and Caroline streets in Creemore is nice, says Business Improvement Area (BIA) president Nancy Johnston, but it doesn’t alleviate her concerns about pedestrian safety.

“The whole point of our streetscape study is to find ways of slowing traffic on Mill Street,” she said. “We know people are going to dart across the street in the middle of the block so we need to slow the cars down before someone gets hurt.”

At a July meeting to preview proposed streetscape improvements, Johnston called for the creation of four- way stops as a means of traffic calming.

Clearview Township’s Director of Public Works Dan Perreault, says four-way stops are not intended as traffic calming devices.

“Under the Highway Traffic Act, four-way stops are to be used at the intersection of two roads with the same or similar traffic volumes,” he said.

Motorists are legally required to stop when the lights in the pedestrian crossing are activated, and Perreault suggests pedestrians bear some responsibility for their own safety.

“When the lights are activated, motorists tend to comply,” he said. “There may be a problem early on with lack of awareness that the crosswalk exists, or perhaps motorists are not totally focused on their surroundings, but pedestrians can do their part by pressing the button to activate the crossing lights.”

Johnston says the BIA was not consulted before the crosswalk was installed but Perreault says it has been in the works for some time.

At a council meeting on May 30, 2022, former councillor Thom Paterson presented a report titled Patios, Parking and Pedestrians.Township staff was asked to bring back a report for upgrading the intersection of Mill and Caroline streets. The report, presented on Sept. 12, 2022, recommended a crosswalk. Perreault says it has taken this long to order equipment for the crosswalk and have it installed. The total cost of the project is approximately $10,000. He says no other crosswalks are planned for Creemore at this time.