The city is getting a lot of feedback regarding the flashing red lights in downtown.
Councillor Noella Rinaldo says there are factors affecting pedestrians that can’t be accounted for in number analysis. For example, she says no one knows when to go, everyone hesitates and it causes confusion.
She adds that the traffic counts also don’t consider the difficulty people with disabilities may have with crossing. As the weather gets nicer, she suspects more people with disabilities will be out and about.
So far, City Engineer Luc Duval says the traffic counts on Pine street at Second and Third avenue have seen upwards of 600 cars in a 10 hour span. As a result, he suggested returning to the use of regular stop lights for those intersections.
Rinaldo says there’s nothing wrong with coming forward and saying “we’ve tried it and it’s not working,” and she’s pleased that Duval has made the decision to reinstate the stop lights.
However, as usual those lights will be returning to flashing lights in the evenings after 6:00.
Meanwhile, at Cedar and Third, Duval wants to bag the lights at that intersection.
Rinaldo says this will offer a better indicator of how the intersection would function as a 4-way stop because there’s a big difference between having a flashing red and a stop-sign. She thinks the use of a stop sign will give a more accurate picture.
Rinaldo says it’s better to test it fully because it won’t be as easy to put lights back in once they’re taken out.