Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke is petitioning the province to allow the city to install traffic signals on Highway 12 at Orchard Point and, to sweeten the plea, is offering to pay to do so.
Residents in the area have been calling on lights for the busy intersection for years and with several projects planned in the area, the pressure is only increasing.
The problem is that while it can be a nightmare for Orchard Point residents attempting to turn onto the busy provincial highway, several studies have determined that lights are not warranted, according to Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) guidelines.
Those studies showed traffic lights would not be warranted until at least 2026.
But in a letter to Caroline Mulroney, the province’s minister of transportation, Clarke asks for permission to install traffic signals two years earlier - in 2024.
“Understanding that the installation of traffic lights at this location is not a ministry priority, the City of Orillia is willing to fully fund the project,” the mayor wrote in his letter.
While the city would pay for the lights - staff earlier estimated the cost to be about $150,000 to $200,000 - the mayor said the “design and construction would be completed under the review and approval of the Ministry of Transportation.”
The subject has been debated at several council meetings over the past several years.
In April of 2020, some councillors expressed frustration when a then study, for at least the third time in recent years, determined that, according to MTO guidelines, traffic signals are not warranted at the intersection.
“We can’t wait until somebody is killed at that intersection before we do something about it,” Coun. David Campbell lamented at that meeting. Click here to read the story from that meeting.
In the letter to Mulroney, Clarke explains the uniqueness of the situation, noting “Orchard Point is a peninsula with only one means of vehicular access which is directly off Highway 12 which makes exiting Orchard Point Road increasingly perilous.”
The letter notes “Orchard Point is located at the eastern limit of the city and was a traditional cottage area. The area lacks sidewalks or other active transportation facilities which increases the reliance of vehicular transportation.”
The mayor explained the city receives “ongoing complaints and legitimate concerns from the residents of Orchard Point regarding the dangers of, and difficulty using the intersection.”
He stressed “the city feels that it is absolutely necessary to install signals at the intersection of Highway 12 and Orchard Point Road by 2024.”
He referenced a 2020 study that recommended traffic signals be installed in 2026 assuming that the projected growth takes place.
“The city has found that growth is taking place sooner than anticipated,” noted Clarke of the reasoning behind moving up the installation of the lights by two years.
“City staff and MTO staff have been in discussions regarding the proposed traffic signals at the intersection but have reached an impasse,” said Clarke.
And that’s why he is petitioning the minister.
“Understanding the anticipated deterioration of the (level of service) at the intersection and the continued need for intensified development ... I am requesting that under the direction of the Ministry of Transportation, the city be permitted to design and install traffic signals at the intersection of Highway 12 and Orchard Point Road in 2024,” concluded the mayor.
The city has yet to hear from Mulroney.
