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Niagara Falls
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
All-way stop elicits some negative reactions

Since installation finished last Tuesday, the new all-way stop at the intersection of Queen and Mississagua streets has stirred up a multitude of reactions, with praise for improved pedestrian safety and sharp criticism of the curved lanes and “bump out” design.

“I can finally cross the street without the risk of being mowed down,” Elena Morandi-Bonner said in a Facebook post that had 48 reactions.

Lord Mayor Betty Disero said she has received feedback about the installation.

“People don't mind the stop sign. What they're having trouble with is the bump out,” she told The Lake Report.

“I've gotten an email saying, 'Put it all back the way it was,' and I've gotten emails saying, 'This is fabulous.' So, there's mixed feelings out there.”

She said it's too early to say whether the town will adjust or remove the bump out and keep the stop signs installed.

To visitors like Andre Perrault, the stop signs are like any you'd see all over North America.

“There’s a stop sign there, there’s a stop sign there. It’s designed so regular traffic doesn’t go (to Chautauqua). For me, looks good,” Perrault, of Montreal, said in an interview.

Perrault even utilized the new bump out for a photo opportunity of his wife standing in front of the garden and sign welcoming people to old town.

“It’s a beautiful town,” he said.

While some shared Morandi-Bonner’s opinion that the stop would be helpful for pedestrians and traffic, comments on social media were overwhelmingly negative.

“If it ain’t broke, fix it 'til it is!’ Good news is, the tree bylaw isn’t the stupidest thing, anymore,” Colin Telfer said in a Facebook comment.

Former lord mayor Pat Darte told Telfer that he’s “the best” in a comment, accompanied by seven haha’s.

“(It's) designed for accidents,” former councillor Paolo Miele Miele commented.

“This is the most ugly, ridiculous thing I’ve seen in a long time,” commented Karen Taylor-Jones.

Charlene Chamberlain saw the traffic-calming measure as a good thing, noting, “We need this on Anne Street!”

Telfer had some specific concerns with the design of the intersection, he said in an interview Thursday.

“I don’t know what they’re expecting people to do. If you want to go straight you’ve got to bob around (the bump out).”

“There’s going to be a head-on collision. It’s the poorest designed thing I’ve ever seen.”

Several cars were seen cutting into the oncoming lane in order to navigate the curved lanes last week.

Telfer had no problem with the town adding stop signs but felt the bump out will be more hazardous than helpful, something he and Morandi-Bonner had in common.

“I’m not sure the curved lanes are necessary and they seem to add to the confusion,” she said in a Facebook message.

But the intersection is one of the busiest in town and some sort of traffic control was necessary, she said.

“An all-way stop here is long overdue. So many cars failed to stop even with the previous stop sign.”

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