Roundabout resistance

Tyne Valley area residents question proposed traffic circle

GRAND RIVER — Residents near a proposed roundabout in Grand River have wasted no time voicing their concerns.

Close to 40 people attended a meeting Wednesday at the Tyne Valley Fire Hall to hear provincial planners explain the project.

Many residents weren’t sold on the idea of a traffic circle and felt a responsibility to voice opposition.

Chief engineer Stephen Yeo said the roundabout will improve the intersection at Old Grand River Road, now a short gravel section that forms a “T” with Route 131, which in turn joins Route 12.

“It’s a good example of a poor intersection,” said Yeo, adding that it would never be built today.

No one at the meeting suggested leaving the area as is. The public proposed multiple combinations of stop signs, turn lanes and elevation changes, but Yeo said the province is certain a traffic circle would be the best option to slow traffic down from all directions.

Between 1,200 and 1,300 vehicles a day negotiate a yield sign where Route 12 changes to Route 131 heading toward Tyne Valley. Only about 300 take the turn toward Bayside.

“Pretty near every day you can hear tires squealing,” said Donald MacKinnon.

He and his wife own the land the roundabout is to be built on.

The roundabout will be built in the triangle land area that was lopped off back in the 1960s to create the current intersection.

MacKinnon, a retired dairy farmer, said it got harder every year to get his 40 cows across the road for milking time as the amount of traffic increased.

Nathan DesRoches’ said his wife and three children walk the roads there daily and that they just built their “forever home” next to the proposed construction.

He’s concerned the traffic circle won’t help control traffic speeds — not after he saw a tractor trailer drive straight through the roundabout in Travellers Rest only to end up in a field.

“I’m going to see people going through that roundabout. I’m going to see them fly right through it. There’s stupid drivers everywhere,” said DesRoches.

Yeo explained the rural roundabout will have extra-wide crushed-asphalt shoulders that will be plowed in the winter. To further address pedestrian safety, Yeo volunteered to add a walking and bike lane to the edges of the new construction.

Resident Gordon Poirier pointed to an awkward angle between the new roundabout and his driveway and questioned how a tractor trailer would be able to navigate the circle and then “back their trailer into our driveway for our business.”

Yeo said he would take Poirier’s concerns back to the drawing board.

Though he stayed firm in his decision for a roundabout, Yeo said he wanted to assure the public their concerns would be heard on the drafting table.

After the plans are finalized, the project will go to tender.