Some of the traffic patterns in the Sault have long been a source of irritation for me and it turns out a couple have resonated the same with readers.
Leslie Thompson says that since Bay Street has been narrowed to two lanes a hazard has been created where Bruce Street intersects.
“Drivers don’t seem to realize that the vehicles in the centre lane on Bruce should turn to the north lane on Bay and the curb-lane vehicles should turn onto the south lane on Bay,” she said in an email.
“I’ve seen many vehicles from the centre Bruce lane head directly for the south lane on Bay, cutting off a vehicle turning from the curb lane into the same south lane. It was only because of the wise hesitating action of the other drivers, probably due to past experience at that intersection, that there haven’t been accidents.”
Thompson believes the hazard would disappear with the painting of a painted line leading vehicles from the centre line on Bruce to the north lane on Bay.
I think it may need more than that because the traffic lines sometimes disappear in winter, I believe overhead signage may be required.
I have received other complaints about how some motorists treat the intersection and have a complaint about it myself.
I got cut off so many times while making the turn from Bruce onto Bay that I no longer travel that route when going to the mall for coffee. I now use Elgin, a much-safer choice.
LYNDA, WHO PROVIDED a first name only, questions why at the corner of Northern Avenue and Great Northern Road that there isn’t an arrow indicating to motorists from the east that the right-turn lane is exactly that, a turning lane. Motorists in the lane must make the turn rather than going straight ahead, as she says some have been doing.
She also suggests a sign be put up saying the bike lane ends at the start of the turn lane.
“Three or four times I have seen people use the turn lane and then go straight through,” she said. “One of these days there will be an accident.”
The thing about the bike lane ending is something I wonder about. Who has the right of way in this situation, the cyclist or the motorist making the turn? If the cyclist intends to go straight through, how does he do it? If a car must make the turn, shouldn’t the cyclist have to as well?
It would be next to impossible for the cyclist who wants to go straight through on Northern Avenue to merge with traffic to do so.
Actually, I believe if there are going to be bike lanes that they should carry through to the corner; Motorists shouldn’t be allowed to cut cyclists off where the turn lane begins.
I sometimes get the idea we are going a little crazy on bike lanes but if we are going to go this way, then it better be with safety in mind.
QUITE SOME TIME ago a reader wrote to suggest there should be a right turn lane onto McNabb Street off Trunk Road as there is where Trunk bisects Boundary Road.
He said sometimes traffic in the curb lane on Trunk gets held up from making a right turn onto McNabb by transports that have to travel on to Black Road to make a right turn.
I checked it out and note there is a huge power pole right where the turn lane would be but I think with a little ingenuity that could be overcome.
However, it should be said that there a lot of intersections in the city without turn lanes.
But it also should be said that it is nice to have them where there is heavy traffic, as is the case on Trunk Road.
I ALSO RECEIVED a suggestion that the left-turn lane, where McNabb takes a turn into the Manitou Park area, be expanded by eliminating the island that comes just before the train tracks going into the tank farm.
I concur with this one.
I can’t see any reason for the island to be there. If there is a train, traffic in the turn lane will stop just as traffic in the regular lanes will.
So I can’t see any problem in eliminating the island.
As it stands, the centre lane on McNabb runs right up to the island, then continues afterr it but with limited room for vehicles before the left turn.
ON A COUPLE OF personal notes, I don’t believe a four-way stop is required at Panoramic Dr. on the new roadway connecting Northern Avenue and Princeton Dr. and I would like to see the lanes at the turn from Bay onto Pim be equalized in width.
I have begun using Northern Avenue to get to Princeton Dr. and have seldom seen vehicles at the Panoramic Dr. intersection. Even if there were, I can’t how there would ever be enough to warrant a four-way stop.
In regard to Bay Street where it meets Pim, it is tight going around the corner in the north lane and when going up Pim the west lane continues to be tight whereas there is much more room in the eastern lane.
They should be equaled out.
IN MY COLUMN last week suggesting that Queen Street be resurfaced at a cost of $2 million rather than being completely redone at an estimated cost of $18 million, I mentioned in respect to the proposed elimination of turn lanes that this had occurred some years ago on McNabb Street where traffic from the north came onto Queen.
The reference to McNabb obviously was an error, as I gather from feedback most of you realize. The street to which I was referring is, of course, Bruce.
One who mentioned it suggested I not beat myself up over it. “Excretum (not his exact word) happens,” he said.
Indeed it does but somehow that knowledge doesn’t seem to end the self-inflicted beating.
