Following a multi-vehicle collision at Burnside Line and Division Road in Severn Township Thursday, a nearby resident says he is frustrated with a lack of safety measures at the busy intersection.
The three-car collision took place Thursday afternoon, with OPP and Severn Fire and Emergency Services attending the scene, directing traffic as the vehicles were removed from the road.
Although OPP confirmed there were no injuries, resident Bruce Nakashima said it’s the third collision he’s seen at the intersection in the past week or so.
“All the accidents are the exact same. People come up to the stop sign, they think it’s a four-way stop – it’s always caused by people coming out from Division Road,” Nakashima told OrilliaMatters. “They need to do something better, signage or something, because it's exactly the same every time.”
Nakashima said he’s seen five collisions so far this year, and data from Severn Township’s 2023 transportation master plan indicates there were 13 collisions at the intersection between 2017 and 2021, as well.
Nakashima and his wife, Chantal, said measures such as blinking lights at the stop signs, better signage, or other measures should be considered for the intersection, which they say has a “disturbing” number of collisions.
Both the OPP and township officials highlighted construction work taking place along the culverts near the intersection, as well as quarry trucks regularly travelling through the area, with the OPP encouraging the public to slow down, check twice before crossing, reduce speed in construction areas, and to avoid distracted driving.
The OPP told OrilliaMatters they do not have recent collision data at the intersection readily available, but said they are aware “it has become a busy intersection with the added challenge of there being construction in the area and a high volume of trucks headed to and from the quarry.”
Severn Township Mayor Mike Burkett said he’s aware of two recent collisions in the area, and wondered whether the roadside construction has played a part in the crashes.
“They put warning signs up at both ends, and I'm curious now, because of the work they're doing on the culverts, if people are … not waiting at the intersections and looking properly,” he said.
“Even with the signage that we've got there, and because the equipment's on the side of the road, I think when they go through they're nudging out on the stop sign to see passed.”
Burkett said the intersection is scheduled to have traffic lights installed in the not-too-distant future, with the 2023 transportation master plan scheduling the intersection for signalization in a 0-5 year timeframe. He said council also recently approved bringing photo radar to the township to address speeding concerns, which likely will not arrive until next June.
“We've got some problem areas, and that's one of the problem areas,” he said.
“First of all, we have to designate a certain section of it as a community safety zone, and then … there's a grace period. We'll have to post signs stating that the photo radar is coming to this section of the roadway," Burkett explained. “After that, the camera will take pictures. You will get fined.”
In the interim, however, Burkett said the township is looking into immediate action for the area, and he has discussed looking into solutions with township staff, who have in turn requested increased police presence from the OPP.
“We've got to do something. Someone's going to get killed at that intersection,” he said.
