By Jessica Jepp
Just a few weeks after they were installed at the south-west corner of Main Street and Hawthorne Avenue, traffic barriers intended to prevent vehicles from mounting the curb were hit countless times by vehicles and broken. They have now been replaced.
The City installed the barriers after feedback from concerned neighbours and at the urging of Old Ottawa East’s Councillor Shawn Menard.
Traffic safety barriers installed at the south-west corner of Main Street and Hawthorne Avenue proved no match for vehicles such as the one pictured here which repeatedly crushed the barriers and often mounted the curb.
Photo by Jessica Jepp.
The south-west corner has a very shallow setback, and many vehicles, including city buses, routinely mount the sidewalk as they turn right onto Main Street. The intersection is a busy one during rush hour and many drivers do not stop as they round the corner, thereby endangering pedestrians.
Installed quickly in response to community concerns brought by Councillor Menard to City planning staff, the barriers were seen as an interim safety step. The recent evidence of damage to the barriers, however, indicates that the intersection requires further intervention.
“The bollard was an important immediate step we could take to add more protection for pedestrians, but it’s not a long-term solution,” noted Councillor Menard. In the coming years, that intersection will be re-designed as part of the re-construction of Hawthorne, Main and Greenfield. We are working with city staff to make sure that the new design will prioritize the safety of vulnerable road users. In the meantime, we will keep looking into temporary measures to keep people safe.”
During their short lifespan, the traffic barriers alerted pedestrians to exercise caution waiting at the intersection and encouraged drivers to take a wider turn around the corner.
However, the barriers did not resolve the systemic safety issues at the corner. The sightlines make it difficult for drivers turning right onto Main Street to see pedestrians crossing until they are already around the corner, and the shallow setback forces pedestrians to stand close to the edge of the sidewalk while waiting to cross the street. In addition, the relatively narrow lanes mean that drivers turning right are often squeezed onto the sidewalk to avoid vehicles coming through the intersection in the centre lane, particularly in winter when snow accumulates.
The south-west corner is not the only concern with the Main and Hawthorne intersection. Vehicles travelling northbound along Main Street often stop some distance beyond the setback on the southeast side, blocking the sightlines for vehicles travelling southbound on Main and making it difficult for them to turn left onto Hawthorne safely.
Residents concerned about the safety of the intersection, have urged Councillor Menard and the City to consider several next steps to ensure a better balance between pedestrian and cyclist safety and fluid vehicle circulation, including:
• Initiate a traffic safety blitz with police for the busy back-to-school season to encourage drivers to obey traffic laws;
• Implement no right turn on a red light, or a protected right turn onto Main Street, until the intersection can be remedied;
• Consult with OC Transpo to solicit feedback from bus drivers on their experience with the intersection; and
• Conduct a study of the traffic/cyclist/pedestrian movement, solicit feedback from cyclists and pedestrians about their experiences at the intersection, and make necessary adjustments to the built environment
