Wellington County’s roads committee has directed staff to prepare a report in response to safety concerns expressed by residents living along Wellington Road 42 in Erin.
Local resident Karl E. Stennson attended a Jan. 9 committee meeting to express concerns about traffic issues in the area and to present a petition signed by about 75 people calling for action.
In his presentation, Stennson said he represented a group of concerned citizens who live along the road, which is also known in various sections as Ballinafad Sideroad and the Erin-Halton Hills Town Line, from Wellington Road 125 to Winston Churchill Blvd. W.
The section of roadway in question is posted with speed limits varying from 50 to 80km/h.
“Over the years concerned residents have made requests to various jurisdictions about many issues relating to the safety on this road,” states a letter accompanying the presentation.
Stennson noted about 40 local residents attended a Dec. 11 public meeting in Ballinafad about the road issues. Representatives of Erin council and staff, Halton Region council, County of Wellington council and staff, and Wellington County OPP attended the meeting.
The letter indicated residents at the meeting told of “accidents, near misses, speeding and outright safety violations” along the road.
“While some exaggerations of speed are likely, I consider myself a fairly good judge of speed limits and I personally have witnessed vehicles, especially motorcycles, travelling in excess of 120 kilometres per hour,” Stennson stated.
The petition requests that areas with a speed limit over 50km/h be lowered to no more than 60km/h.
The petition also requests:
– four-way stops at each intersection along the way;
– traffic calming speed bumps in the 50km/h zone; and
– stop lights at the Trafalgar Road intersection.
Stensson’s presentation was received for information by the roads committee and referred to staff for a report at the February committee meeting. Wellington County council endorsed the committee’s decision on Jan. 25.
