Vaughan wants traffic light despite not meeting standards

Unneeded traffic lights cause more collisions, opponents argue

Yorkregion.com
January 31, 2019
Lisa Queen

Although a study shows the intersection of Teston Road and Mosque Gate doesn’t qualify for a traffic light, residents and councillors are hoping to persuade York Region to approve it at the Jan. 31 council meeting.

Debating the need for signals is often played out in communities across the region between advocates, who insist lights that don’t meet minimum requirements calm traffic in their neighbourhoods, and opponents, who argue unwarranted measures make roads less safe.

There is also a question of whether wealthier communities can bypass requirements.

For example, lights were installed on Dufferin Street at Country Day School in King City last January despite not meeting requirements when the private school agreed to pay the $200,000 needed to install the signal and the $7,800 annual operating cost.

York Region should adjust traffic signal timing to improve vehicle flow
While Vaughan could pay for the traffic light despite Teston being a regional road, city council has refused.

Making a left-hand turn from the Vaughan neighbourhood onto Teston “can seem like a daunting task” and it is even more harrowing when events at the nearby Ahmadiyya Islam Mosque create “an extraordinary amount of traffic,” external affairs co-ordinator, Mohammad Bhatti, said.

“There are cars coming off the highway using Teston Road that are travelling at 80 km/h or more and then there are many who are trying to take a left turn out of Mosque Gate. This is a dangerous situation,” he added.

Meanwhile, the T-intersection is the terminal stop for a major YRT bus route and pedestrians have trouble navigating the busy area, Bhatti said.

“The pedestrian safety concern is one of the major reasons we believe a traffic light at this intersection is a must,” he said.

“There have been a few accidents. Three weeks ago, a car lost control and crashed into the backyard fence. You can still see the damage.

"There was a far more serious accident in the summer. I dare say there is almost an accident every day,” Bhatti said.

Although the intersection serves a neighbourhood of 350 homes and the mosque, where 500 people attend services on Friday afternoons in addition to special events on weekends, it does not qualify for a traffic light based on a Ministry of Transportation publication calling for a consistent approach to signals across the province, a York Region report said.

Putting traffic lights where they aren’t warranted can increase collisions, regional transportation commissioner Paul Jankowski and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said.

But this intersection requires special attention, Vaughan Coun. Marilyn Iafrate told regional council.

“With the speed of the traffic coming off Highway 400 and the size of the vehicles because they all lead into an industrial area east of Keele, it’s a really dangerous area,” she said.

“I’ve dealt with it myself. I know what they go through. I know the fear.”

She questioned whether the timing of the traffic count truly represented an accurate picture of the business of the intersection.

Bhatti agreed.

“We are not asking for a light where it is not required. We are simply asking the city or region to study the situation with objectivity,” he said.