York Regional Council has given the green light to a new assessment tool to help staff decide whether a traffic and pedestrian signal should be installed at locations that fall short of provincial criteria.
The new tool will help manage risk and involves a weighted numerical score for traveller safety, demand, lane use and operational concerns, according to a report from the Commissioner of Public Works.
In June 2015, Regional Council adopted a Traffic and Pedestrian Signal Policy that allowed staff to install signals that met traffic signal criteria in keeping with Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) criteria.
Under the revamped policy, approved on October 23, staff can use the new tool to approve installation of a signal at the requester’s cost. A requester is defined as a business, developer, local municipality, individual resident, resident groups, MTO and all levels of government, including agencies.
A requestor is solely responsible for all costs for signal installation and a one-time, 10-year operating and maintenance fee, the report adds. York Region will continue installing and paying for traffic signals at public intersections that meet provincial criteria.
