Washington Road traffic calming measures approved, though directional closure nixed
September 10, 2024 at 4:10 AM
Measures to slow down and reduce traffic along a section of Washington Road appear set to go into place.
Councillors, at the September 9 council-in-committee meeting, approved a report that had been deferred from a previous meeting that sought approval for several traffic calming measures on the Fort Erie road; however, Mayor Wayne Redekop amended the report to remove one of the measures from taking place.
“I’m hoping everyone will support this so we can move forward with some traffic calming for safety purposes but still allow for the flow of traffic,” Redekop said before his amendment was approved with no discussion.
The measures first came before council during a meeting earlier this year as one of several areas where the traffic coordinating committee recommended traffic calming measures.
Consultants Paradigm Transportation Solutions Ltd. helped provide the proposed measures, which included reducing the speed limit to 40 km/h on Washington Road between Dominion Road and Helena Street, installing “slow down” pavement markings on the road east of Dominion and west of Helena, as well as three sets of speed cushions installed along the road, and finally, disallowing left hand turns for vehicles turning onto Washington Road from Dominion.
It was the final measure that had councillors and the mayor worried.
Ultimately council voted to defer the report to allow staff and the consultants time to review options to move forward with the measures minus the left turn restrictions. At the time staff said the measures were created as part of an overall system, so removing one aspect could have unintended consequences elsewhere.
However, a memo from staff said leaving the traffic flow from Dominion onto Washington unchanged is a viable option.
“The traffic calming plan for Washington Road can still be implemented without this closure, while all other proposed traffic calming components remain in place,” the memo said.
“It seems to me that the other traffic measures being recommended will probably result in a reduction of traffic on Washington Street, or it seems to be the objective of the traffic calming measures,” Redekop said.
Councillors ultimately approved the 40 km/h speed limit, traffic calming signage and speed cushions.
The calming measures were also recommended despite not meeting the required threshold for neighbourhood participation, which is 25 per cent under town policy.
“Despite this, all respondents supported the measures…and the support rate met the policy’s requirements,” the report reads. “(The) Traffic Coordinating Committee still recommended proceeding with the trial measures. However, according to the policy, if the required thresholds are strictly adhered to, the process should be terminated.”
For the trial to move ahead, council will still need to approve funding for it in the 2025 budget. If that happens, staff will then move forward with finalizing the plan for the trial, which will be set at two years.
Interim reports for this traffic calming trial, and the others, will come back to council for review.
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About The Author
Luke Edwards
Luke Edwards is a longtime Niagara community journalist who has covered a variety of beats, including business, agriculture, the wine industry and politics. When not writing, there's a good chance he can be found at a baseball diamond or curling rink.
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