SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — After years of witnessing near-misses, a Summerside resident is calling for something to be done about the Pope Road-Greenwood Drive intersection.
In a letter sent to the City of Summerside, Sam Dalton, a Greenwood Drive resident, said in the 16 years he's lived in the area, traffic has increased notably.
"This intersection has always been somewhat of a hotspot, especially during peak hours throughout the day ... when people are going to both school and work," said Dalton.
"On a few incidents, I have seen pedestrians nearly get plowed down attempting to cross the busy intersection. Other times I have seen cars slam on the brakes to avoid getting in an accident. Moreover, just recently, there was an accident at this intersection, involving three cars, which resulted in serious injuries."
Dalton, a member of a 246-member neighbourhood watch committee in the area, called the intersection dangerous.
"It is my hope that council would please consider installing either a four-way stop or a set of timed traffic lights to prevent future accidents."
His letter was presented to city councillors on Tuesday.
Coun. Justin Doiron asked technical services director Aaron MacDonald if there was a traffic study slated for the area to give councillors and staff an idea of the amount of traffic and at what times.
MacDonald said a study has been scheduled for July or August to ensure numbers are taken from peak times of the year when people will be on the roads.
A traffic study like this, where a company sets up data collection for two days to monitor vehicles, pedestrians and time frames, costs about $2,500.
Council agreed that something needs to be done about the intersection, but some weren't convinced a study was necessary.
Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart argued a solution that could be implemented was a triggered light system similar to that at the Hillside Avenue and Water Street intersection.
"Why spend $2,000 to $3,000 on a subject if the majority of council got their minds made up and put a set of lights there?" asked Stewart.
"I'd like to listen to the people at the doorsteps, the people of Summerside. The vast majority understand that that's a problem intersection."
Some councillors wanted to see action taken immediately, while others agreed that a study might not be needed.
Recently, two new stop signs were installed at problem intersections in the city. Both were installed without the recommendation from technical services staff because city
councillors made a motion to bring the topic to council and vote on a decision without staff looking into the intersections.
Chief administrative officer Bob Ashley said city staff cannot make a recommendation based on "what's heard at the doorsteps".
"On a few incidents, I have seen pedestrians nearly get plowed down attempting to cross the busy intersection. Other times I have seen cars slam on the brakes to avoid getting in an accident.
"Moreover, just recently, there was an accident at this intersection, involving three cars, which resulted in serious injuries."
-Summerside resident Sam Dalton
"Just to be clear, staff can't go on recommendations like that. The basis of our recommendations has to be based on data, not on anecdote or what's heard. I'm not discounting that at all, but we're not in the position to recommend or suggest something that is not based on the facts.
"Whether you take the experts into account or not, it's our job to make sure that the experts do weigh in. You've got an option to decline it, but there may be other things that come up in the study that we may not have thought of. God forbid if something happens because of one of those factors that none of us can see, you'd at least want to know about it, before going ahead."
Coun. Norma McColeman said the "what-if" factor is causing her to hesitate for something to be done without a study.
"It's that sober second thought, where I'm trying to understand if we're missing something or if there's something we can't see as laypeople. We want to do what we feel around safety what's important, but I'd like to have all of that information in so that we know, within our time frame, and on our watch, we've done everything we can possibly do and it's a wise and good decision based on facts."
Coun. Justin Doiron said, after putting a lot of thought into residents' concerns, it's become an issue that needs more than just a set of lights.
"That's the sort of thing I'd like to hear in a study. Because I'm certainly not prepared to bring a motion to council and say, 'oh, I'd like a set of lights with a lane here and here,' I'm not prepared to do that. For that reason, I'd like to see the study done... That being said, if the study comes back with a recommendation of status quo, I'll be the first person to put a motion on the floor to put something there anyway."
Council decided to wait until a study on the intersection was completed before making changes to the intersection.
