It was a swift response to slow down traffic on Watson Road.
Puslinch councillors have approved dropping the speed limit of a portion of Watson from 80 to 50km/h.
Resident John Levak spoke to Puslinch councillors on March 7 regarding speed limits on Watson Road, where he lives, “primarily because of the number of accidents.”
Many of those happen directly in front of his house at 4496 Watson Road, Levak said.
“Apparently, since 2006 there have been 75 accidents here (Watson Road south between Arkell and County Road 34). Beyond that, there have been numerous accidents that have not been reported to the OPP,” Levak said.
“The people in these car accidents are not speeding. They are doing the speed limit. They are losing control of their cars on a regular basis. I’m suspecting the speed limit is too high.”
He added, “I read the article in the Wellington Advertiser this morning pertaining to speed limit adjustments on various roads in Puslinch. I was very concerned about some of the comments made, in particular about traffic patterns on Watson Road South, and thought you all need to be updated about the reality of the evolving traffic situation on this road.”
Levak continued, “Since May 2010, when I last reported the traffic situation to the COPS committee at the regular monthly meeting, there have been 14 more accidents here. These accidents are, for the most part, single vehicle roll-overs that were the result of drivers losing control while travelling southbound, and encountering the hill on Watson Road under a variety of road conditions.”
Levak said Watson Road between Arkell Road an County Road 34 “has become the commuter route of choice for many people.”
At 80km/h, it has the highest available speed limit of any major north-south road accessing Guelph, he stated.
Levak noted that Victoria, Brock, even the Hanlon Expressway are, for the most part, capped at 70km/h.
In addition, Watson Road, from Arkell south to County Road 34 has no stops; hence, it is once again the most convenient choice for those in a hurry.
Thirdly, the south end of Guelph is rapidly becoming densely populated with north-south commuters, as a result of the building boom in areas such as the vicinity of Claire Road and Victoria.
Finally, there are a number of non-Guelph based commuters who use Watson Road to reach the industrial areas north of Arkell, he said.
Unlike Victoria, Brock and the Hanlon, which have, for the most part, clear sight lines, Watson Road has numerous bends, grades, and vision obstructions, especially in the vicinity of the hill.
That adds additional accident probability to and already liberal speed limit.
Levak asked council to “seriously consider a speed limit reduction to 60km/h from Arkell south to County Road 34 on Watson Road.”
He also suggested converting the Maltby and Watson Road intersection into an all-way stop.
There have been numerous accidents there as well, and an all-way stop would not only diminish that problem, but also have a ‘quieting” effect on the high speed commuter behaviour that is now the everyday “normal” on Watson Road south.
Mayor Dennis Lever asked Levak to remain for the remainder of the council session since he believed the issue would be addressed by the roads report from public works superintendent Don Creed.
Councillor Susan Fielding thanked Levak for contacting the municipality. “I was quite shocked at the number of accidents in that area.”
She said sometimes the only way council finds out about an issue is if residents tell them.
Levak said there is a lot of increased commuter traffic on Watson Road.
“There have always been accidents on that road, but they’ve risen dramatically in the past five years because of the volume of traffic.”
He said, “They are not speeding.”
Councillor Jerry Schmidt noted that while the speed limit is 80km/h, the posted warning speed is 40. “Are they exceeding the 40 or the 80?” he asked.
Levak said the yellow warning signs are meaningless.
“If you were driving 40km/h, you would have no problem. If you are driving 80km/h there are big problems – especially if there are poor weather conditions,” he said.
He noted the volume of accidents in the past five years averages roughly one accident every 29 days.
A number of recommendations were made as part of the public works committee report.
One of those related to Watson Road, 1.2km north of County Road 34.
Creed applied the recently adopted speed limit guidelines on this section of road.
“It actually came out as a 60km zone, but the committee recommended it be posted at 50km. Based on the information provided by Levak, I believe this is warranted.”
He suggested the cost to implement the new limit is minimal – roughly $600 for six signs.
Creed hoped to promote the change more by installing the large round new signs to draw it to the drivers’ attention.
“If you are going to make a change to this degree, it is only fair to give the motorist fair warning.”
He added the new signs will be regulatory signs that can be enforced by police.
Creed said yellow 40km/h warning signs will remain in place.
“But they are only warning signs.”
Council passed the speed change to 50km/hr on Watson Road from Wellington County Road 34 to a point 1.2km north.
