Traffic lights coming to busy Southfields Village intersection near seniors apartments

June 20, 2024 · 0 Comments

Council unanimously supports motion to implement lights

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A busy intersection in a Caledon neighbourhood will soon be safer.

At Caledon Council’s June 18 Planning and Development Committee Meeting, Mayor Annette Groves put forward a motion to implement traffic lights at the intersection of Kennedy Road and Stowmarket Street in Southfields Village.

The intersection is adjacent to the Mayfield Seniors Apartments, and residents of the apartments have raised concerns about the safety of the intersection for years.

Groves’ motion was unanimously supported by her Council colleagues.

Regional Councillor Christina Early said she was happy to see the motion come forward and that the intersection is a dangerous one.

Ward 2 Councillor Dave Sheen acknowledged the significance of the motion as Southfields residents have been concerned about the Kennedy and Stowmarket intersection for a long time.

He thanked Town staff for the hard work done to prove that traffic lights are warranted at the intersection.

Groves thanked the seniors from Mayfield Seniors Apartments for bringing their concerns to her and for their persistence. She said it was quite concerning to hear that seniors didn’t feel safe walking near the intersection.

“Being able to feel safe and get out there is extremely important to overall wellbeing,” said Groves. “People are blowing past stop signs.”

In her motion, Groves said traffic safety is paramount and a priority of Caledon Council. She shared that Kennedy Road experiences traffic volumes of 14,000 to 20,000 vehicles per day.

“The intersection of Kennedy Road and Stowmarket Street is in front of the senior apartment and, therefore, needs special attention with respect to public safety,” reads the motion. “…the Town’s transportation engineering staff have heard numerous concerns regarding running the stop sign from the residents, seniors, and OPP. [Staff have] completed on-site inspections, conducted traffic analysis, and… concluded that a full traffic signal is needed at this intersection.”

A capital project in the amount of $339,000 will be created to design and install traffic lights at the intersection. It will be funded through development charges and have no impact on taxpayers.

Groves’ motion will come to a future Caledon Council meeting for final approval.