Pedestrian safety

Crossover suggested solution for Lake on the Mountain

A pedestrian crossover is a suggested solution to fix the vehicle and people congestion worries at Lake on the Mountain, according to a consultant’s report presented at a virtual public meeting on Monday night. The portion of County Road 7 near Lake of the Mountain became a contentious issue last summer when the municipality brought in no-parking restrictions, along with hefty fines for non-compliance, all in the name of apparent pedestrian safety. The decision stirred up a lot of anger from local residents and visitors alike, especially when the owners of two nearby restaurants announced last summer their decision to shut down their businesses after 30 years, citing Council’s decision to eliminate roadside parking making it impossible to do business in their view. In a quieter winter season with cooler heads prevailing, the public information centre Monday outlined the findings of a pedestrian and vehicle review of County Road 7 as presented by Barrie-based consultants Ainley and Associates. In a 15- minute presentation, project manager Brian Paquin outlined how they were retained to collect pedestrian and traffic vehicle data, analyze current conditions at County Road 7, review pedestrian movements and to consider draft calming measures and provide some interim recommendations. Close to 100 people tuned into the one hour meeting, including Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson and most County councillors. The meeting garnered a significant number of comments and questions from the public, some of which were answered during the meeting, but all of which will be considered as part of the report to be produced by staff for Council.

In August 2021, Council directed staff to prepare a report to include a technical evaluation of traffic activity in the Lake on the Mountain area, specifically between the west entrance of Lake of the Mountain Resort and the east entrance of Lake on the Mountain Provincial Park parking lot. The point of the public information meeting Monday was to seek public feedback on proposed road condition improvements along County Road 7 outlined in the 132-page consultant’s report. It should be noted that collection of pedestrian and vehicle traffic count data for the study area did not take place at the height of the peak tourist season, but was conducted at the end of August 2021 and into the Labour Day weekend. An audience question suggested the study should have been done in July or the beginning of August at the busiest time of the year. Paquin said projected volumes are based on historical data and are adjusted accordingly. “The traffic data is still collected in the summer,” added Lilly Chen, author of the report, who said June, July and August were the same. A further question from the public asked if the two restaurants were open during the time the study was conducted, and Chen confirmed they were.

The report noted a pedestrian crossover was warranted, to be located on the west side of the provincial park west entrance. It was noted pedestrian crossing volumes did not warrant a traffic signal on County Road 7 at the provincial park west entrance. The report further recommended, given the pedestrian volumes in the area, a designated pedestrian walkway be provided on the north side of County Road 7 between Lake on the Mountain Resort west entrance and the provincial park west entrance, and on the south side between the Lake on the Mountain Resort west entrance and the provincial park east entrance. Questions from the public asked about the number of pedestrian injuries in the area over the past few decades, where it was noted that only one accident had been reported by police in the last five years in the study area. Someone else asked if there was any evidence people would use a crosswalk. Another asked if bicycles should be accommodated. “The warrant wasn’t really that high and there really is no room for bicycles,” said Chen. “You can’t have everything; it’s not very high warrant for bicycles here and there is mostly pedestrian warrant,” she said. “The warrants aren’t there and the room isn’t there, so you work with what you have,” added Paquin. Someone else asked if seasonal speed bumps had been considered. As well, the topic of wheelchair and handicap accessibility was raised as being an omission in the report. Another question asked: “If a crosswalk is installed at the park, would you recommend that parking be permitted on both sides of the road near the crosswalk, or no parking permitted?” Chen responded by saying, “Parking is outside the scope of this project”. A further question from the public asked who decided the scope of the study. Additional questions came in the form of what consideration was given to parking on one side (outside the study area), thus allowing the other side to serve as a sidewalk. Chen again said parking was outside the scope of the study. Aynsley Osborne, Development Coordinator with the municipality, spoke to the reason why parking wasn’t a primary aspect in the scope of work. “Parking had only recently been addressed and it was something we couldn’t change, so our primary focus was just on pedestrian activity and safety, and what options could be implemented to increase pedestrian safety,” she said. Another resident observed pedestrian counts were conducted when roadside parking was banned. “It appears the recommendation is to restore roadside parking on both sides of County Road 7, so how will the presence of parking change the pedestrian patterns and shouldn’t the patterns be studied again with the parking reinstated?” they asked. Paquin responded by saying the study was more associated with pedestrian safety and it was not a parking study.

Should a pedestrian crossover be considered, the report indicates it should be supported by a walkway to lead pedestrians to and from the crossover. “For traffic calming and pedestrian safety measures, installation of a raised pedestrian refuge centre median island is recommended at the suggested pedestrian crossover location,” the report stated. One audience member asked if on-street parking without pedestrian walkways would be recommended. “I think the consideration was parking is secondary to this assignment and more with the pedestrian safety side of things, but it is something that the County may consider,” said Paquin. Where additional parking is required, it was suggested a parking lane could be provided on the north and south sides of County Road 7, and to enhance pedestrian safety. “Where a parking lane is not provided, bollards or delineator posts and/or parking stops could be installed beside the travel lanes to direct pedestrians to the pedestrian crossover location,” stated the report. If parking lanes are provided, it is recommended that the posted speed limit on the section County Road 7 be reduced to 40 kilometres per hour (from 50 kilometres per hour).

No decisions were made at this meeting, which was for information purposes only, and was an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on proposed road condition improvements after hearing the report. Next steps will see staff bring back a report with recommendations, where all public feedback will be considered. The staff report will be presented to Council in February or March. The consultant’s report is expected to be posted on the County’s website. Questions and comments can be directed to Aynsley Osborne, Development Coordinator at aosborne@pecounty.on.ca.

The report can be found by clicking here.