Town staff in Tecumseh will continue to monitor an influx of traffic to a busy road, but won't be making any changes as of now.
A report will be presented to council this evening regarding a traffic operational review which indicates that traffic has increased due to a number of infrastructure projects, including an overpass at Banwell Road and the E.C. Row Expressway.
Two weeks ago, council rejected a notice of motion put forward by deputy mayor Joe Bachetti, looking to remove on-street parking along Tecumseh Road to ease traffic congestion in that area. Despite the failed motion, administration stated they would monitor the level of traffic and see if any improvements needed to be made to traffic signal timing at various intersections.
The report states that the Tecumseh Road corridor utilizes a common 105-second traffic signal cycle, and an increase is not recommended as it may result in safety concerns associated with VIA Rail, County Road 22, and pedestrian safety when crossing.
Town staff also conducted live traffic monitoring along Tecumseh between Banwell and Manning in both directions during peak hours, between 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and found that travel times ranged between four and nine minutes.
Town engineer Phil Bartnik says they don't recommend any changes to traffic signal times for a number of reasons.
"It could create other traffic inefficiencies on the minor road, which would be Lesperance Road. It may also result in other safety concerns, for example VIA Rail being very close to the intersection, as well as County Road 22, so during the peak period in the afternoon, Lesperance Road heading northbound between 22 and Tecumseh is very congested as well, so any further delays from signal timing would have potential impacts."
He says travel times ranged on Tecumseh throughout the peak periods.
"You'll see some of the longer wait times are upwards of eight or nine minutes, really kind of correlated with VIA Rail coming through town, an ambulance driving through the corridor... and so, even during non-peak periods if you look at a Google Streetview, or Google Travel, it's does suggest a five minute travel time."
Bartnik says they will continue to monitor the traffic, especially when the construction season picks back up in the spring.
"We're going to be in constant communication, and we'll try to coordinate the messaging that goes out to our residents as well, and perhaps some suggestion on travel routes, on the detours, and what we anticipate some of the areas that will be slow in nature."
Administration is recommending the report be received for information only. Council will meet at 7 p.m.
Back in 2022, the town added 64 on-street parking spots and went from two lanes in each direction to one lane between Shawnee Road and Lesperance Road as part of the Main Street beautification efforts.
Earlier this month, town administration stated that removing on-street parking on Tecumseh Road would not facilitate the desired result of moving traffic through Lesperance any quicker due to the existing three-lane cross section of the road.