Four-way stop urged for Henry Wilson, Hope Valley area

July 9, 2026 · 0 Comments

By MUHAMMAD HAMZA

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents of the Henry Wilson Drive area are calling on Council to install four-way stop signs at the intersection with Hope Valley Drive and Ash Hill Avenue after filing numerous complaints of speeding and unsafe driving, including a petition last year.

Jason Pulla, who delegated to Council at the Committee level on Tuesday, said residents have been dealing with the speeding and careless driving issues for the last seven years and pointed to the serious incident in the past.

Although no injuries were reported at that time, he urged Council to take necessary action and apply traffic calming measures, including speed bumps and a stop sign.

“Next time, we might not be so lucky. Children cross this street all day and night on bikes and scooters,” Pulla said. “There is a bus stop where the kids are picked up and dropped off daily. This is a neighborhood where families should feel safe.”

At July 7’s General Committee meeting, a motion was brought forward by Councillor Doug Maskell directing staff “to create, as soon as possible, a four-way stop intersection on Henry Wilson Drive at the southern intersection of Henry Wilson Drive and Hope Valley Drive/Ash Hill Ave.”

The proposal was approved by Council at the Committee level and is set for ratification at the July 28 Council meeting.

Following residents’ complaints over the last couple of years, a consultation process with Transportation Engineering staff for a plan on traffic calming measures was initiated in 2023.

The Town then installed speed humps and “slow down” lamp post bollards.

As those measures had limited impact, residents have been calling on Council for further action last year and submitted a petition to install a four-way stop sign at the intersection.

Although Town staff determined that the intersections do not meet the technical warrants for all-way stops, some Councillors argued that the assessment does not reflect residents’ concerns about pedestrian safety, particularly for children and seniors crossing the street.

“An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure,” said Mayor Annette Groves, referring to Pulla’s delegation.

“The word that stood out in your delegation was ‘preventable.’ That’s key because we often talk about criteria, but then something happens, and we say, ‘Oh my God, we should have. ‘ If we can prevent it, I think that is key.”

Her words were also echoed by Councillor Mario Russo, who said residents’ lived experiences should be considered alongside the Town’s technical assessment and thanked Pulla for his advocacy efforts.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how great our staff is; we don’t always get it right. Even when we do, it may not meet the threshold of the criteria, but the lived experiences are important for us to hear,” he said. “When you come to us and explicitly highlight those concerns, it’s important for us to hear them.”