Council puts $200k into capital budget for Lowes-Sandwich intersection

Amherstburg town hall.

Town council put $200,000 into the capital budget prior to budget deliberations concluding to look at a local intersection.

Budget deliberations wrapped up Dec. 9 with council landing on a 2.86 per cent tax rate increase. The intersection at Lowes Side Road and Sandwich St. S. will see the work have the funds drawn from the reserve.

Councillor Diane Pouget said she still gets complaints on a regular basis of people trying to cross the street in that area.

“It’s very dangerous,” said Pouget. “It isn’t an even crossway. If you are coming from Dalhousie and entering onto Sandwich St., you have to make a wide bend in order to get to that stop sign. If anyone is trying to turn left onto the road, there’s people trying to cross from the man-made lake there and they can’t get across. They’re waiting for a long period of time. When they think it’s safe to cross, there’s already cars coming around the bend they can’t see.”

Most people living in the nearby Blue Haven Motel have accessibility issues, she said, whether it be hearing, walking, or vision.

“There are so many accessibility issues in that area,” said Pouget. “They are trying to get across to go to the pharmacy or health centre.”

Pouget noted the County of Essex understood the need of reducing the speed limit in that area, as it has been reduced from 70 km/hr to 50 km/hr in the area of the intersection. There are five driveways in that section where the speed was reduced, she said.

“They understood the need of reducing the speed limit in that area but there’s no way the people can still get across safely,” said Pouget. “To be honest, I don’t know where we can get that money. I was just asking for administration to look into it.”

Mayor Michael Prue said there are two ways of getting the money, either creating a new item and draw from reserves or cut something else. Deputy CAO/director of legislative services Melissa Osborne said the reserve projections have been updated, and she recommended a new capital project be created for the crosswalk at Lowes Side Road and Sandwich St. S. and that come from the new capital reserve.

“It’s a very, very busy corridor. Sandwich always has cars,” said Councillor Peter Courtney. “If you think about safe crossings, the next one is Pickering Dr.” 

Courtney added there are a lot of residents who reside out there, including at Seasons, the Blue Haven Motel and a nearby subdivision. 

“It gives an access point to services across the street,” he said. “I will support this. It gives another option for people to cross the street in that end of town safely.”

Councillor Don McArthur was also supportive of Pouget’s motion, crediting her “for fighting for this one.” McArthur said he crosses the street in that area regularly.

“It’s a very significant link in our active transportation corridor,” said McArthur. “It is dangerous as it is. We want to promote walkability in this town. Building safe infrastructure is essential to do that.”

McArthur noted LaSalle has added numerous crosswalks along Front Road for pedestrian safety. He also pointed out the nearest light in which to cross is at Pickering Dr. and “it’s a long walk” for some residents. He also thanked administration for coming up with a plan to fund the next phase of the project.

Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb voted against, citing concerns over being able to afford another town asset.

“I cannot support spending $200,000 on a new intersection when we have roads that are crumbling in this town,” said Gibb. “This just makes it $200,000 harder to fix the 6^th Concession, it makes it $200,000 harder to fix all the other roads in town.”Gibb also questioned the choice of words when characterizing the intersection.

“I would never say an intersection is dangerous because it opens the municipality up to huge liability issues,” he said. “Could it be improved? Yes. Do we need to spend $200,000 to improve it? I don’t think so.”

The deputy mayor pointed out the reduction in the speed limit, the paved shoulders on both sides of the road and there is “no action” currently on the southeast quadrant, where homes are planned for in the future.

“I think we could improve that corner significantly for $2,000, $3,000 or $4,000,” said Gibb.

Prue supported Pouget’s motion, calling it “absolutely essential.”

“We, all the time, come in here and talk about AODA issues, accessibility issues and making sure everyone is treated the same way,” said Prue. “I do recognize the Blue Haven, and also what Councillor Pouget has said, about the medical facility across the street and Seasons.”

Prue also noted the park at the southern gateway near the electronic sign and pond, and pointed out features it offers.

“The $200,000 I know can be spent many ways. Council has to make choices and sometimes the choices are not easy. For me, this is an easy choice,” the mayor said. “People need to feel safe. The roads need to be safe. People need to have an opportunity to enjoy what we have and this will help a great deal.”

Pouget thanked council “for seeing the need for this,” and administration “for taking this very seriously. I really appreciate it.”

Council puts $200k into capital budget for Lowes-Sandwich intersection

By Ron Giofu