Dangerous turn
Province to spend $2M on traffic lights at Kytes Hill.
Residents of a Cape Breton subdivision are applauding a decision to install traffic lights at an intersection many consider one of the most dangerous in the municipality.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Geoff MacLellan confirmed the province is prepared to spend about $2 million on the project that’s designed to improve safety for motorists trying to get in and out of Kytes Hill, a residential area off Grand Lake Road that can only be accessed by Yolanda Drive.
As the chief of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service, Peter McIsaac knows a thing or two about public safety. So, when he moved his family to the subdivision last August he knew what they’d be up against on their daily journeys to and from home.
“I knew the challenges of the highway, but you don’t appreciate something until you’ve lived it,” said McIsaac, who added he is sometimes forced to turn toward Glace Bay and then turn around down the road before making his way back to the nearby police headquarters.
“It’s extremely dangerous — especially in the morning from around 8 a.m. through 9:30 a.m. and again from about 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at those times it really is downright dangerous.”
Subdivision resident John MacDonald died in September 2012 when his motorcycle was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Kytes Hill Drive and Grand Lake Road. Kytes Hill Drive was subsequently closed off and the entry/exit to the area was shifted to nearby Yolanda Drive.
But MacDonald’s widow, Carol, said that move didn’t do enough to address the problematic junction that was also affixed with permanent flashing overhead amber warning lights.
“It’s still dangerous, people just don’t slow down,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming, but the new traffic lights should help a lot.” Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the biggest problem is that many motorists using the busy Sydney-Glace Bay Highway just aren’t paying attention.
“They speed and they shift lanes all the time — it’s really hard to get out of here in the morning, especially for those of us who have to go left to Sydney,” she said.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality Dist. 12 Coun. Jim MacLeod said he is pleased something definitive is finally in place.
“The traffic lights are good and the two turning lanes, one in each direction, will also help, but we’re also looking at the possibility of a reduction in speed because there are very few vehicles that aren’t doing 100 km/h going through there,” he said, adding a future roundabout isn’t out of the question.
The traffic circle solution was proposed three years ago and, according to MacLellan, the initiative will be re-visited in the future as it is still part of the province’s capital spending plan.
The Glace Bay MLA and cabinet minister said the design work should be completed this summer. He said he expects the project to be completed in the fall.