Mount Albert residents see red over proposed traffic light on Centre Street

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 12, 2017
By Simon Martin

Does a traffic light make a street safer? That's the debate raging in Mount Albert as a group of residents are fighting tooth and nail to stop a traffic light from being built at the intersection of Centre Street and Mount Albert Road.

The residents think the traffic light will make the road less safe which is at odds with York Region's assessment.

So far 294 people have signed a petition to stop the light from being built. Their criticism ranges from making the hill more dangerous in bad weather to their view the light does nothing to stop speeders. The group made a deputation to York Region council Sept. 7 led by Doug Willitts voicing their concerns. Here is a small sampling of the criticism:

"I cannot imagine a school bus having to stop on that hill in good weather, let alone in rain or snow. Please reconsider this choice," Rebecca Doner said.

"The residential streets will become busier with people trying to bypass the light," Jeff Mackey said.

"Consider the fact that there is a school at the bottom of the hill and cars may be sliding backward toward that school, or you will get people running the red light so that they don't risk sliding down the hill. Just not a good idea at all," Lindsey Wensink said.

"I can't believe that they'd even consider lights at the top of such a hill. Unbelievable way to create a safety issue rather than resolve one," Dan Morris said.

"They did not confer with any residents. It was complete shock for everybody," Cathy Morton said.

"Crazy idea for lights. Winter will be a nightmare. People will get hurt," Kim Hughes said.

Whether those concerns will have any impact on York Region seems like a long-shot. York Region Manager of Corridor Control and Safety Nelson Costa said the region is still planning to install a light at the intersection this fall. "A consultant was retained to review the intersection and the recommendation to address the poor sight distance and pedestrian safety was to install a traffic control signal," he said.