A problematic intersection near Stittsville will have new safety measures in place by September, but not the improvements some have been hoping for.
The staggered intersection of Flewellyn and Shea roads has been a hot spot for collisions for years, and frustration is growing over what some see as a slow response by the city.
According to open data available on the city’s website, the intersection was the scene of 34 collisions between March 30, 2017, and Nov. 16, 2022, the latest statistics available.
I do everything in my power to avoid that intersection.– Jennifer Bugden, Munster Community Association
Of those, eight collisions resulted in a non-fatal injury. A total of 15 people were injured during that period, including one who was seriously hurt.
A majority of the collisions occurred during daylight hours in clear conditions.
While more recent collision data is unavailable, a July 13 post on the website of Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower said, “in recent months several serious collisions have occurred at the intersection … including two this week alone.”
In response, the city and the office of Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown are investing in flashing beacons, speed display boards and repainting stop lines.
Brown said the new safety measures will be in place as soon as resurfacing work on Flewellyn Road complete. That’s set to begin July 22, and is expected to take five weeks.
Roundabout in the works
Some local residents say those measures aren’t enough, however.
“It’s not a matter of if there will be an accident, it’s a matter of when,” said Jennifer Bugden, president of the Munster Community Association. “I do everything in my power to avoid that intersection.”
Stop signs control traffic approaching Flewellyn Road from either direction of Shea Road, but because the intersection is skewed, the signs sit about 30 metres apart.
For that reason, Brown said a four-way stop is unfeasible and could increase the likelihood of collisions at the intersection.
Instead, the long-term plan is to realign Shea Road and build a roundabout. But the plan, which would involve purchasing land and moving utilities, could take more than a decade. Brown said that’s unacceptable.
“When we’re talking about long term, it is long term, and that’s not acceptable — acceptable to me [or] acceptable to my colleagues,” he said.
Long wait ‘absolutely disgusting’
According to Brown, city staff have identified 36 locations requiring similar safety upgrades. Because they’re ranked by priority, the list can fluctuate, and so can wait times.
Brown said the Flewellyn and Shea intersection has been on the list for several years already. Another intersection at Flewellyn and Eagleson Road has been waiting for upgrades for 16 years.
Bugden called the long wait for safety upgrades “absolutely disgusting.” Brown agreed the process needs to be sped up.
“We need to find a sustainable way to fund these intersection upgrades that happen in a timely manner,” he said.
Because of the added complication of the intersection’s unusual layout, Brown said the preliminary estimate to fix it is $10 million. Typically, such safety upgrades would cost between $3 million and $5 million, he said.
More people, more traffic
Recent population growth in outlying areas such as Stittsville has emphasized the need for safer roads, Brown said.
“We know that the increased volume from the growth in Stittsville has contributed to the volume through the intersection, and which has helped escalate it onto the list,” Brown said.
Martin Clarke, former president of the Fallowfield Community Association, said he’s witnessed the same trend in the city’s south end.
“We were seeing encroachment from Barrhaven, from Kanata, and with the population growth and housing growth in those areas, we’re seeing a lot more traffic through our village, through the rural areas, so that’s posing a problem,” Clarke said.
According to the City of Ottawa, 38 per cent of all fatal collisions between 2018 and 2022 occurred rural areas of the city.
Clarke said he avoids certain intersections at rush hour due to the risk of collision.
“It’s something that we’ve been dealing with as an association for the past 10 years … but we don’t really have any firm solutions for that at the moment,” he said.