UPDATE: Removal of downtown 4-way stops on hold

With more public pressure, some councillors have changed their position.

Since publishing yesterday that the 4-way stops on Main Street would be removed shortly, there has been new developments. As I reported, some residents had pleaded back in June to have new 4-way stops added at the intersections of Main/William and Main/Queen. However, staff disagreed with the request stating that stop signs were not warranted at these intersections based on traffic counts.

All of council ultimately concurred with staffs’ recommendations that stop signs were not warranted. But some councillors did propose that “temporary” signs be added because the summer 2024 construction season would see an increased number of vehicles travelling on Main Street. Here is a summary of that June 4th meeting.

After the municipality announced that these temporary signs would now be removed on November 4th, many more residents voiced their opinions on social media. This led to some councillors challenging staff as well as the record of minutes from the now controversial June 4th meeting.

“Yesterday was the first I heard about them being removed. I want them to stay.” - Councillor Kris Rivard

Rivard told residents that yesterday was the first he heard that these “temporary” stop signs would be removed. While agreeing with staff in June, Councillor Kris Rivard now states that he “wants the signs to stay”.

Similarly, Mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon now states she also would like to challenge staffs’ recommendations and make these stop signs “permanent”.

“I spoke in support of the stops at that time and my position remains the same. This item will be coming back to council and if a majority agree the stops will remain.” - Mayor Kathleen Thorne-Rochon

Considering the public backlash and some councillors changing their position on the matter, this weekend the town CAO advised council that he would instruct staff to hold off on removing the signs until council discussed this item again. However, in his email he stated that it is still staffs’ position that these 4-way stop signs are not warranted.

Tuesday promises to be an interesting meeting when council meets at city hall. First, they must determine if this subject can even be discussed procedurally. Since council has already passed on these permanent stop signs, a two thirds majority vote (6 of 9 members of council) would be required to reopen discussions. Then council must decide if they will side with staffs’ positions on this matter or the concerned residents.

The West Nip Voice is a regular newsletter covering issues in West Nipissing and the surrounding area. Please consider becoming a subscriber.