Following two decades of advocacy by Rideau Lakes, traffic lights are coming to Crosby. The Highway 15 and Country Road 42 intersection at Crosby is a notoriously blind and dangerous intersection.
Earlier today, Mayor Arie Hoogenboom gained the firm commitment from the Hon. Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, during a delegation at the virtual 2021 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference. Minister Mulroney has directed the district Ministry office to begin to implement the necessary planning and work without delay.
It is anticipated traffic lights will be erected in 2021-2022. The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is in the planning stages for improvements to County Road 42 between Crosby and Newboro. The implementation of the traffic lights will be coordinated between the Province and the Counties, as road grade and approach changes may be required.
The commitment from the Minister comes after two decades of local advocacy. Multiple proposals for the intersection have been developed over the years. While Rideau Lakes Council was eager to see action to gain some level of safety improvement, it remained dissatisfied with the past solutions and timelines proposed by the Ministry.
In February 2020, following a review of the decades-long file, Council passed a resolution detailing its preference for traffic lights and speed reductions at the intersection.
OPP statistics were used to support the case for traffic lights. Over 5 years, the intersection had witnessed 21 accidents, with 71% occurring during daytime hours, and 76% being due to factors other than wildlife. This data further illustrated the role the current intersection geometry and controls played in reported accidents. This data was in addition to numerous accounts of ‘near misses’ reported to the Township by residents and local business.
“I am very pleased to be able to deliver this news to the community today”, remarked Mayor Hoogenboom. “Resident and visitor safety will be greatly improved by traffic lights at the Crosby intersection. I would like to thank Minister Mulroney for her commitment and foresight, Minister Clark for his unwavering support, and local residents for their patience.”
Local MPP, the Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, also joined the virtual ROMA delegation. He expressed his commitment and decades of advocacy for traffic lights at the intersection, starting in 2004 when he was Chairman of the International Plow Match, which was held in Crosby in 2007.
Minister Clark remarked, “there has been a demonstrable need for a traffic light at this intersection for a long time, and now that I’m on the government side, there’s a path, collaboratively with the Township of Rideau Lakes and the Ministry of Transportation to make this happen and I’d like to thank Mayor Hoogenboom and Minister Mulroney for their advocacy.”
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