Six Mile Road 4-Way Stop
Report on the performance of a newly installed 4-way stop at Six Mile Road, noting significant non-compliance by motorists.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT
TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: September 8, 2021 FROM: J. Rosenberg, Director of Engineering MEETING DATE: September 14, 2021
Six Mile Road 4-Way Stop
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Committee receive the report for information.
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:
I concur with the recommendation
PURPOSE OF REPORT:
The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on the concerns received with the installation of a 4-way stop on Six Mile Road. The Town received 17 emails (Attachment 1) of concern regarding the new installation of the 4-way stop.
BACKGROUND:
In 2019 the Town engaged Bunt & Associates to prepare a Road Corridor Study for Six Mile Road. The Study was cost-shared with the Ministry of Transportation as it is a provincial roadway. The Study included several public engagement sessions. Ultimately several priority actions were adopted by Council, and Staff prioritized them for Council consideration during the 5-year financial plan. The installation of a 4-way stop was one of the projects included in the Study.
PROJECT INFORMATION:
The stop signs were installed the 3rd week of June. Since that time the intersection has experienced several motorists ignoring the stop signs. The installation of the signs were to Highways sign guide installation book, and in fact, staff included several enhancements to help ensure motorists would be aware of the changes (Attachment 2):
- An electronic notice board informing the motorists a 4-way stop had been installed in the intersection
- A “New” tab added to the stop sign at the intersection
- An advanced “Stop Sign Ahead” sign
- A ”New” tab warning motorists of changes added to advanced sign
- A cautionary warning sign for pedestrians making them aware of the changes
Staff received several emails stating that motorists were not stopping on the south and north bound Six Mile Road legs of the intersection. Staff conducted an onsite review and confirmed that some motorists were indeed not stopping. Staff contacted the RCMP and asked them to provide some monitoring of the intersection for compliance. After waiting a couple of weeks to allow for motorists to adjust to the intersection changes staff again reviewed the intersection, and confirmed the stop signs were still being missed. Staff performed a count of the intersection for the day and found the following:
- Six Mile Northbound 3313 vehicles 14 failed to stop- Non-Compliance 0.4%
- Six Mile Southbound 2695 vehicles 39 failed to stop- Non-Compliance 1.4%
- Chilco 692 Vehicles 0 failed to stop
- Nursery Hill 289 vehicles 0 failed to stop
The RCMP visited the site 25 times from June 21 until September 7 and witnessed 42 violations and issued tickets for non-compliance to traffic regulations.
After the results of the non-compliance count staff added additional safety measures to the intersection (Attachment 3):
- The speed reader board was reprogrammed to advise motorists heading south on Six Mile that a stop was ahead
- Enlarged stops signs were installed on the southbound and northbound legs of Six Mile Road
- Reflective red strips were attached to the stop signs on Six Mile Road
After the additional safety measures were added, staff performed another non-compliance count on September 8/9 during peak hours:
- Six Mile North Bound vehicles failed to stop- Non-Compliance 1.0%
- Six Mile South Bound vehicles failed to stop- Non-Compliance 0.65%
If additional measures were desired, staff could add the following enhanced measures to the intersection:
- Thermo “stop sign ahead” on the pavement in both the south and north lanes of Six Mile, cost would be approximately $2,500
- Flashing red solar lights to the top of the enlarged stop signs, cost approximately $4,000
ALTERNATE RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Committee recommend that Council direct staff to install flashing red lights on top of the existing stop signs on the North and South legs of the Six Mile Road intersection;
And That the Committee recommend that Council direct staff to add advanced pavement markings advising motorists that there are “Stop Signs Ahead”.
And That the Committee recommend that Council direct staff to monitor the traffic violations moving forward and report back to Council in December 2021.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the Committee receive the report for information.
SUBMITTED BY: J. Rosenberg, Director of Engineering
REVIEWED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer
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