A roundabout will be installed at a deadly Wellesley Township intersection in a bid to improve safety.
People who live near the intersection of Ament Line and Herrgott Road say car crashes are a common occurrence, as are near-misses.
Geoff and Pam Ringrose have been pushing for safety improvements since 2005, when their five-year-old daughter Emma was struck and killed by an SUV that ran one of the two stop signs at the intersection.
Last year, another collision at the intersection killed 68-year-old Christine Radler.
“There have been two deaths, and we don’t want any more,” Pam Ringrose said Tuesday. “There’s no reason for it.”
The issue came before regional councillors Tuesday. Four possibilities were considered: leaving the two stop signs in place, turning it into a four-way stop, installing traffic lights or building a roundabout.
Regional staff recommended the four-way stop option, citing projections that showed it would lead to the fewest injuries over a 20-year span.
“At some of the low-volume rural intersections, an all-way stop is a very effective measure in reducing injury collisions,” said Steve van De Keere, the region’s director of transportation.
Instead, at the urging of Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak, councillors voted in favour of a roundabout.
Van De Keere said the roundabout would provide the intersection with a “huge safety benefit” – although because it doesn’t see as much traffic as more urban corners, he maintained that a four-way stop would have been “just as good or better.”
The Ringroses had been lobbying for the roundabout, saying they believed it would be safer than any other option – especially because some collisions at the intersection have been caused by people failing to stop at stop signs.
Following Tuesday’s vote, Pam Ringrose said that she “could not be more pleased” with the decision.
“We’re just genuinely thrilled that our voices have been heard,” she said.
The roundabout isn’t expected to be complete until at least 2019.
With reporting by Victoria Levy
