City council is hoping a letter to the province will lead to safer intersections on the Thunder Bay Expressway.
Coun. Andrew Foulds, who drafted the letter which received unanimous support from council Monday night, said crossing the highway is dangerous for drivers and pedestrians.
Foulds said a recent death involving a pedestrian and a vehicle at the John Street intersection prompted him to look into options for making highway intersections safer. Foulds suspects safety issues are a concern for every community in the region that has an intersection along the highway.
"It really is clear to me that we have a intersection problem all along highway 11/17," Foulds said.
Foulds wants the province to install warning signs with flashing lights before intersections on the expressway similar to the one installed near the Balsam Street intersection. Foulds said this would allow drivers time to slow down.
For pedestrians, Foulds wants auditory and visual signals and clear line markings. Because pedestrians have to wait on islands in the middle of the highway, protective barriers should be set up to protect pedestrians Foulds said.
"With these intersections you have to go to these islands to push the button and on these islands you have people going in front of you at 120 kilometres an hour," Foulds said. "It’s really a dangerous place to be. Having some barriers there our some protective structures would go a long way."
Although the city has municipal standards for walkways, Foulds said the province, which controls the highway, has no standards for highway crossings. Foulds said he hopes the letter will persuade the province to make the necessary upgrades.
EMS chief Norm Gale agrees. Gale said in the past two years, paramedics have responded to 260 emergency calls on the Thunder Bay Expressway.
Up to 80 per cent of those calls were for collisions between cars, pedestrians and vehicles or vehicles and structures. An overwhelming majority of those collisions have been near or at expressway intersections.
The highest numbers have been at the Arthur Street and Oliver Road intersections. Gale said he welcomes any initiative that makes roads safer.
"Motor vehicle collisions and accidents are a significant cause of injuries for people and if safety can be improved it’s a worthwhile venture," Gale said.
The letter will be sent to transportation minister Kathleen Wynne.
