THUNDER BAY - Drivers will see a new set of traffic lights on a busy south side street, which city engineers say will make it safer for pedestrians and reduce collisions.
The new traffic lights at the intersection of Arthur Street and Ford Street will be activated Thursday morning.
Matthew Miedema, project engineer with the city of Thunder Bay, said the lights were warranted based on Ontario Traffic Standards pedestrian volumes and the high number of collisions at the intersection.
“It exceeds the justification for signals from a collision perspective in terms of pedestrians,” he said. “There are over 200 pedestrians crossing at this intersection per day.”
A pedestrian crossover was installed last year at the intersection of Ford Street and Victoria Avenue, but it would not meet the justification on Arthur Street because of the high traffic volume.
“It’s too high of traffic volume, so the pedestrians crossing would be at risk due to the high amount of traffic and the speeds on Arthur Street,” Miedema said.
This will be the 14th set of traffic lights on the busy four-lane street, but Miedema said traffic flow should not be hindered that much due to sensors installed on Ford Street.
“We do have a lot of lights on Arthur Street. We are looking to reduce that and minimize the delays to traffic,” he said. “These signals have been configured to rest on green on Arthur Street and these are only activated when a pedestrian or vehicle is detected on Ford. So that will help reduce delays on Arthur Street.”
The lights will also be fitted with a new type of thermal detection for pedestrians, eliminating the need to push a button to activate the signal, which Miedema said will make it more accessible. This feature will be activated in the coming weeks.
According to Miedema, residents in the area said traffic lights will make the intersection safer, though the city does plan to address concerns about the number of traffic lights on Arthur Street as part of its transportation master plan.
“There are no more plans for a set of signals on Arthur Street to my knowledge,” he said. “We are looking to address the publics concerns with delays and the traffic signals on Arthur Street.”
