Newmarket council is trying to walk the line between residents' concerns about speeding vehicles in their neighbourhoods and what traffic data actually shows.
According to Councillor Victor Woodhouse, traffic on local streets is the top concern for a majority of residents.
"That seems to be the No. 1 issue we hear at the door, speeding in their neighbourhood," Woodhouse said at a council meeting today, Feb. 1.
But when town staff go out to analyze traffic in neighbourhoods, the data produced often does not back up the perception of residents. This was the case in three traffic studies conducted in response to petitions from residents that were presented to council.
For example, a study conducted around the intersection of William Roe Boulevard and Dixon Boulevard found most motorists were driving at just above the posted limit, which is within acceptable levels.
But for Paul Fisher and several of his neighbours, it sure doesn't seem that way.
"Vehicles invariably never drive at (the posted speed limit) 30 km/h during the day. In fact, any time I have ever been anywhere near that, I get honked at," said Fisher. "That intersection is a huge issue. I am not a big fan of stop signs, but something needs to be done there."
The neighbours who signed the petition are asking for a four-way stop at the intersection of William Roe and Dixon, but the traffic data collected in 2020 doesn't support that idea, and director of engineering services Rachel Prudhomme said it could even be counterproductive.
"Sometimes it became more unsafe to put in a four-way stop depending on the angle of the curves and the steepness of the hill. A four-way stop can raise pedestrians' level of confidence to the point where they believe cars will stop, but a car may come down too fast and not stop in time," she told council.
A similar situation is happening on Flagstone Way, where residents there want speed bumps on their street.
"From the residents' standpoint, that seems to be the answer to all their concerns about speeding. I have spoken to staff about the challenges of speed bumps and why they are not very often, if at all, recommended as a solution to speeding," said Councillor Christina Bisanz.
Again, the traffic study data did not back up the residents' perspective. According to the study, average speeds along that road have been falling since 2012. But council was concerned that the numbers in the studies may have been lower than normal because of the pandemic and public health restrictions.
Councillor Bob Kwapis argued that given the insistence of residents such as Fisher that there is a problem at William Roe and Dixon, staff should take another look at the intersection and determine if a four-way stop would be safe.
"I think at this stage, the sheer amount of signatures we have received means there is a serious concern about that intersection," said Kwapis.
Woodhouse was wary of disregarding objective data based on the subjective perceptions of people in the neighbourhood.
"I don't want to underplay residents' concerns about speeding," he said. "Many residents feel that cars are speeding, but the fact is that you have to go with the data that has been taken in the proper way, at the proper time, at the proper place."
Prudhomme said she and her department would be more than willing to take a more holistic examination of the issue if council wanted one.
Council did ask for another report about the intersection of William Roe and Dixon to explore the desirability of a four-way stop there.
As for the petitions from residents from Flagstone Way and Simcoe Street, council voted to approve measures recommended by staff, such as installing radar speed boards to remind people to slow down.
