A new all-way stop sign on Tamarac Trail is causing headaches for nearby residents, with some worried it will cause an accident.
Christina Choo-Hum, whose driveway points into the centre of the intersection of Tamarac Trail and Albery Crescent, said she’s had a near miss nearly every day since the stop sign was installed just over a week ago.
“When I keep going to make a wide left, they think I’m making a mistake, and every single car starts to go, and I have a near collision every time,” she said.
“It’s not the other car’s fault, because they’re thinking I have my (signal) light on by accident, they’re thinking I’m turning into the first driveway, or they’re thinking that’s something’s gone wrong.”
“We’ve never had a collision here, but there’s going to be one,” she said.
Choo-Hum acknowledged while the stop sign is new and drivers in the area will learn, she worries the “unique” challenge presented with this intersection would persist.
She is particularly worried about her teenage children, who are new, less experienced drivers.
“When I pull out of my driveway, no one is ever looking, I’m the one who is on double caution, which is fine because I know they’re not looking for me, and I’m perfectly fine to be aware of that,” she said.
“If I thought it would get better, it would be fine, but it hasn’t gotten better.”
Other neighbours have similar concerns. Ed Sabine said he was “baffled” when the stop sign was put in.
“The only thing it’s made, there’s now a traffic event outside my house all the time, thousands of them a day, whereas before it was just cars driving quietly past,” he said. “Now, everyone who comes to this stop sign, floors it away from the stop.”
At a May 28 council meeting, a number of the street’s residents called on council to implement traffic calming measures on the road, amid concerns about safety and speeding drivers.
Town staff had initially recommended against installing the stop sign, after traffic assessments conducted on Tamarac between McClellan Way and Henderson, which considered converting the intersection from a two-way stop into an all-way stop, deemed the intersection did not meet the criteria set out in the Ontario Traffic Manual guidelines.
But council ultimately decided to call for traffic calming measures to be installed.
“Although the report initially recommended against these measures due to unmet criteria, council amended the motion,” Marco Ramunno, director of planning and development services with the Town of Aurora, said in a statement.
“The amended motion includes the installation of an all-way stop at Tamarac Trail and Albery Crescent, flexible traffic sign calming measures and if deemed necessary by staff, additional urban shoulder traffic calming measures and centre lines. Staff's original recommendation was there were no warrants for traffic calming, however, if a stop sign was to be installed it is an appropriate location.”
“Council will need to direct staff in September to remove the sign if that is the direction.”
Choo-Hum is set to speak at the September committee of the whole meeting, and is hopeful a new traffic calming measure will be implemented rather than the stop sign.
“I am hoping they’re able to find a better solution that meets the needs of people who requested traffic calming, something that provides the safety that they’re looking for, but provides more safety for my family and my neighbours," she said.
Council next meets as committee of the whole on Sept. 3.
