Measures to enhance road safety along Wellington Road 21 between Inverhaugh and Elora have been approved by Wellington County council.
On April 26 council approved roads committee recommendations to:
– extend, from 125 to 540 metres, a 50km/h zone running southwest from the intersection of Wellington Road 7;
– install a solar powered amber flashing light on the hidden intersection sign for the 4th Line and Wellington Road 21 intersection in the northeast direction; and
– install additional 80km/h speed limit signs around the Elora Gorge Conservation Park entrance.
In an April 10 report to the roads committee, county engineer Don Kudo indicated staff have also worked with Wellington County OPP to review traffic concerns and additional enforcement has been undertaken.
On April 10 the roads committee heard from a delegation of area residents regarding traffic concerns.
In a letter to the committee, one delegate, Carol Williams, outlined concerns ranging from heavy truck traffic from a nearby gravel pit to campers entering and exiting the conservation park, to a number of “blind hills” that can make entering Wellington Road 21 from private driveways or roads such as the 4th Line “dicey to say the least.”
Williams stated, “With all these factors combined, we no longer have a rural road, but a thoroughfare that is particularly dangerous and along which there have been many accidents, near accident – such as the gravel truck only just missing the child attempting to board a school bus – cars being ‘pushed off the road’ by faster vehicles from the rear and a fatality a few months ago due to the collision between a car and a gravel truck.”
Williams also stated she hopes the proposed changes, including additional speed limit enforcement, would make the area safer.
“We are hoping that when these changes are implemented the road will be safer. I realize that our requests may have appeared demanding, but we felt that even one fatality was one too many,” Williams stated in the letter.
Roads chair councillor Gary Williams said, “We’re extending the 50km/h zone actually out past the casino and there’s going to be some signage upgrades to make the travelling public more aware.
“As well … the police are going to be in that area a little more to do some enforcement, so I think we have addressed the concerns and I think the delegation was satisfied with what we had proposed to do.”
Councillor Shawn Watters thanked the committee for working with residents on the problem.
