Too many stop signs in Welland, residents tell Ward 2 Coun. Leo Van Vliet
Leo Van Vliet says residents tell him there are too many stop signs in Welland.
It's why the Ward 2 councillor wouldn't support a proposed petition process to allow for unwarranted signs across the city.
Every day I do an awful lot of walking and watch people roll through stop signs all the time. I've stopped and asked people why. I've said, You didn't stop for that stop sign, how come?' The response I get all the time is, There are too many stop signs in this damn town.'," said Van Vliet.
Tuesday, the petition process was in a report before city council that also recommended against installing a three-way stop at St. Lawrence Drive and Gretel Place.
In December, Ward 4 Coun. Tony DiMarco wanted to see the signs on St. Lawrence Drive due to increased traffic in the area with people using the road as a shortcut to get between a Thorold subdivision and north Welland.
St. Lawrence Drive runs north behind Welland Sports Complex from Quaker Road before turning east just past Gretel Place and meeting with Hansler Road.
At that meeting, DiMarco's motion was referred back to city staff for a report, the one that was before council this past week.
Ward 6 Coun. Bonnie Fokkens said she was in favour of the petition process when it came to asking for stop signs in areas of the city where they may not be warranted.
That process would have seen signs installed if 60 per cent of residents in a 250-metre radius of an intersection asked for one and petitioned the city. It's a process carried out by Niagara Falls, Brampton and Mississauga.
Fokkens said it would have allowed council to take into consideration residents' wishes.
They have an idea of what is happening in the neighbourhood," she said.
Ward 2 Coun. David McLeod couldn't support the idea and said it would be a precedent-setting.
I think we should start with a petition. It shows a desire. Then staff can do an analysis to see if one is warranted," said McLeod, adding there's already an objective process in place.
The city uses the Ontario Traffic Manual which looks at the number of vehicles that pass through an intersection per hour over eight hours and the number of crashes.
When it came to St. Lawrence Drive and Gretel Place, the traffic manual said all-way stops could be considered when traffic volume exceeds 350 vehicles for the highest hour recorded. High accident frequency that would warrant stop signs would have to be at an average of four per year over three years.
The highest recorded traffic volume was 112 vehicles, a third of what's required. He also said there have been no reported collisions in the last three years.
McLeod was concerned there would be stop signs at every intersection across the city if the petition process was allowed.
That's where we are headed ... we have to hold drivers responsible at some point."
A majority of councillors rejected the staff recommendation for a petition process.
Despite staff recommending against stops signs at St. Lawrence Drive and Gretel Place, later in the meeting Ward 4 Coun. made a motion directing city staff to install them.
Dave Johnson is a St. Catharines-based reporter for the Welland Tribune. Follow him on Twitter: @DaveJTheTrib