Trout Creek residents near the intersection of Hummel Line and Hemlock Road have had their request denied for a four-way stop to slow traffic on Hemlock Road.
Hemlock Road resident Brian Eckensviller made the request last October, telling council more homes have been built in the area and speeding is out of control on Hemlock Road, which connects Trout Creek and Powassan.
However, Powassan public works studied the intersection and determined the roads don't have enough daily traffic to warrant a four-way stop.
Describing Hemlock as a surface-treated road that's in “very good shape,” Mayor Peter McIsaac concedes that some motorists are ignoring the 60 km/h speed limit.
He says there has been discussion around the council table of having “some OPP enforcement” of the area.
“We have had issues with speeding throughout the municipality,” McIsaac admits. “This would just be another place where we'd ask the OPP to set up a presence for a number of days to slow vehicles down.”
And while a four-way stop has been ruled out, McIsaac says council will investigate alternatives and see what its 2021 budget will allow.
One possibility, he says, is to encourage motorists to slow down by erecting more signs along Hemlock Road warning of an approaching intersection.
Two other possibilities are to improve the sight lines by removing some trees and installing a street light to illuminate the intersection at night, McIsaac says.
- Rocco Frangione, Local Journalism Initiative, North Bay Nugget. LJI is funded by the Government of Canada.
