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Dear Editor:
Several years ago there used to be a pedestrian crossover (signs with X overhead and flashing lights) at Zima Crescent and Simcoe Road. The crossover was moved to Catania Avenue. The crossover at Zima was on the north side of Zima with no conflict between pedestrians and vehicles turning left from Zima onto Simcoe. When the crossover was installed at Catania, it too was placed on the north side of Catania. The municipality failed to recognize that this created competition for the real estate that is the crossover. Cars turning left off of Catania onto Simcoe had to drive through the crossover, the one in which students were expected to cross Simcoe.
A car turning left onto Simcoe actually hit a crossing guard while on duty escorting children across Simcoe. The municipality decided that the intersection would be safer if traffic lights were installed (on Simcoe) and the crossover became a pedestrian crosswalk (controlled by traffic lights).
Vehicles on Catania didn’t know if they were allowed to make a left turn. Some did and some didn’t. The crossing guard didn’t know either. Nor did the police at first. Legally, left turns were allowed as cars on Catania were not governed by the lights on Simcoe, but by the stop sign on Catania. The intersection was no different than making a left at an intersection with full traffic lights. When you turn left on a green, you ultimately cross a red light as you complete your turn.
Last summer, full lights were installed at the intersection which made things worse. Now cars turning left not only compete with pedestrians for real estate, but for time meaning cars are now in a rush to make a left turn because they cannot make one on a red light so they want to complete the turn while pedestrians are in the crosswalk.
This is easy to fix. One proposal would be to move the crosswalk to the south side of Catania. This would eliminate the competition for the valuable real estate that is supposed to keep our children safe when going to and returning from school. Another would be to prohibit left turns from Catania onto Simcoe during school rush hours. Something like between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and between 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. September through June. This would be a little awkward but certainly more safe. This would require that all streets that allow vehicles to turn onto Maplegrove would have to have signs informing drivers that left turns are restricted from Catania to Simcoe. Similar signs would also have to be posted on Maplegrove at Catania. Add flashing yellow lights when left turns are restricted to ensure drivers are aware. All cars on Catania during this restricted period would have to turn right.
The interesting thing about both these proposals is that neither would have born the cost of traffic lights; they would work equally well with or without the lights. Municipal staff recommended all changes and council approved them. It seems as though the municipality cannot figure out how to safely get people across Simcoe.
There is a third proposal that would improve the situation and that would be to provide vehicles turning left from Catania an advanced green so that they can complete a left turn before any pedestrians enter the crosswalk. It would certainly work but seems like overkill. Simple and elegant is always better.
However the municipality proceeds, they need to consider the safety of the pedestrians and the crossing guard something they have so far failed to consider. Please talk to your councillor and the town transportation department and demand that this be fixed before someone is injured.
