Coun. Tim Lauer won his peers’ support for two temporary all-way stops at busy Orillia intersections at Monday’s council meeting, but their installation will have to come later than he hoped.
With Laclie Street reconstruction causing traffic issues in the area, Lauer proposed bringing two all-way stops to the intersections of Brant and Canice streets and Tecumseth Street and Lightfoot Drive for the duration of the 2024 construction season.
“The motivation for this comes from last year’s experience on Matchedash, where we had traffic issues and we saw those with chicanes and temporary stop signs at Brant and Matchedash,” Lauer said. “This neighbourhood and people who use that area have expressed some fairly significant concerns on what’s going on there, and it’s understandable.”
Last year, traffic surged 500 per cent along Matchedash Street North as Phase 1 of Laclie Street reconstruction unfolded, and Lauer said traffic concerns have begun cropping up around Canice Street and Lightfoot Drive this year, from poor sightlines to increased traffic volume, and more.
“I think what we need to do is just encourage people not to use Lightfoot and Canice as a thoroughfare, and hopefully go back and spread the traffic around a little bit more evenly, and hopefully people will start using Laclie,” he said.
While Lauer said permanent solutions could be implemented in the future, he thinks temporary measures will help in the meantime.
“In the interim, thinking about the precautionary principle, I think it would be prudent of us to install those two temporary signs now, slow things down, monitor what’s going on, and then deal with the permanent solution,” he said.
His council colleagues agreed with the idea.
“I’m supportive of it as a temporary measure, and it’ll also be good to get a report back from staff and give us a direction going forward,” said Coun. Jay Fallis.
Coun. David Campbell asked whether Lauer would like to see the motion ratified Monday, in order to install the all-way stops as quickly as possible.
“I can certainly see the need for this. I took a drive up there to just experience it myself,” Campbell said. “... Would you like this ratified tonight so this could happen as soon as possible?”
While Lauer responded his hope was to ratify the motion Monday, city staff said they did not have a bylaw prepared to do so.
“In order for any kind of regulation to be put in place, there’s a requirement for a bylaw,” said CAO Gayle Jackson. “The bylaw actually wouldn’t be (before council) until the August meeting.”
Later in the meeting, Lauer said he did not remember the need for a bylaw for a similar action last year, but staff explained a bylaw had been passed then, too.
“I didn’t remember that we amended that bylaw last year for that purpose, but what would be required tonight?” Lauer asked. “It’s not a complicated bylaw, and that way we actually get a sign up within a few days as opposed to a month.”
Jackson said council would need to waive its procedural bylaw, which she called a “significant undertaking,” and that bylaws are generally vetted before being passed at council.
“This type of bylaw is typically vetted through our subject matter experts to ensure that the bylaw is accurate,” she said. “I’m not quite sure who we can gather up to create that bylaw at this point in time.”
Council did not waive its procedural bylaw to ratify Lauer’s plans Monday, meaning final approval for the all-way stops will need to take place at a later date.
Staff also explained a special meeting could be called to pass a bylaw, at the behest of the mayor or a council petition.
