It’s one small step in getting a crosswalk for a south-Barrie community.
City council gave final approval April 17 to a motion to consider including $150,000 for the construction of a pedestrian crossing, at Hurst Drive and Manor Gate, in next year’s capital budget.
Coun. Bryn Hamilton, who represents this area, said there’s more work to do.
“I conducted a quick online poll prior to even bringing this forward (to council) as a way to gauge support,” she said, noting it was 83 per cent or 64 votes in favour. “I will be canvassing the area in person to further discuss with residents, will be raising it at the upcoming town hall meeting and connecting with Simcoe County school bus for input.
“As with any capital expenditure, I’ll be making sure this is a worthy investment and will look at opportunities to strengthen the case and seek further input from residents," Hamilton added.
Hurst Drive is a 14-metre, east/west arterial road with one travel lane and a bike lane in either direction, along with a two-way, left-turn lane in the centre. There are sidewalks on both sides of Hurst with Barrie Transit bus stops. The average annual daily traffic through this area is approximately 11,600 vehicles.
On the north and south sides of Hurst there are single-family homes with driveways, and on the south side, 170 metres east of Cox Mill Road, there is the Kingswood Plaza.
City staff analyzed the eight-hour pedestrian and vehicle volume on Hurst Drive. During that time, there were seven pedestrians crossing north/south on Hurst Drive and 6,444 vehicles travelling through the study area.
This does not meet the minimum pedestrian volume requirements, but does meet the vehicle volume for a pedestrian crossing.
Ontario’s Traffic Manual says there need to be 100 or more pedestrians and 750 vehicles during an eight-hour period to warrant a pedestrian crossing.
Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson has expressed his doubts about the Hurst crossover, saying the city might be creating a liability by installing a pedestrian crosswalk and not a signalized intersection, and that an under-utilized crosswalk is dangerous.
City staff did not recommend the pedestrian crossing at Hurst Drive and Manor Gate, saying it could result in low compliance from motorists, resulting in a dangerous pedestrian crossing.
Michelle Banfield, the city’s executive director of development services, has said the exact type of pedestrian crossover to be considered on Hurst has not yet been determined.
Hamilton’s next town hall meeting is scheduled for May 7, from 6-8 p.m., at the Barrie surface water treatment plant, 20 Royal Parkside Dr.
Council also gave final approval April 17 to a pedestrian crossing at the north leg of Mapleton Avenue and Batteaux Street/Silvercreek Crescent.
Mapleton Avenue, located in the southwest end of Barrie, is a north/south major collector road. It’s an 11-metre wide roadway, has one lane of travel in either direction and a two-way, left-turn lane in the centre. There are sidewalks on both sides of Mapleton and Barrie Transit bus stops. The average annual daily traffic on Mapleton Avenue is approximately 5,400 vehicles.
And there were 168 pedestrians crossing the road during its eight hours, and 2,963 vehicles.
