Bracebridge to request the District of Muskoka investigate vehicle safety on Highway 118
Bracebridge General Committee agreed to request that the District of Muskoka investigate vehicle and pedestrian safety on Muskoka Road 118, in the September 5, 2023, meeting.
The area of concern on 118 includes Manitoba Street, McDonald Street, and Monck Road. They are requesting specific attention to 1300 meters of the west side of intersection at the Monck Road portion.
The investigation will also include crosswalk safety on Muskoka Road 4.
The goal of the investigation is to determine whether it’s feasible to implement traffic control or traffic calming measures. This will include attention to accessibility standards.
The request was brought forward by Councillor, Don Smith, due to concern about a fatal vehicle collision in the Town that resulted in the death of a 58-year-old man.
Smith said, “There was a very unfortunate loss of life in an accident in the area referred to as ‘the flat stretch of 118’ as it leads out of town. That whole area has been an area of concern for some time, and I think that there are options and there are ways that we can have both calming and safety features added to that strip of road.”
He clarified that the road is a District road, and that he has had some “near misses” on it.
“It’s Council’s responsibility to respond to what’s happened and create safety measures,” he added.
Mayor, Rick Maloney, indicated the matter was brought forward because of the collision, however, was overdue for consideration. He said, “It’s here today to discuss because of a tragic incident but I think that anyone that has driven along 118 and accessed the various commercial retail outlets along there for a number of years have realized how busy that section of road is.”
He added, “There’s always a marker that suggests this is the time to look at it, but I would also suggest too that the challenges along that stretch of road have been challenging, to say the least, over the last number of years as our community grows.”
As a member of the Accessibility Committee, Councillor, Archie Buie, expressed concern about the risks for those with accessibility challenges and the standards of the intersections. He said, “They’re not up to current accessibility standards, especially the traffic lights and how they operate.”
Buie explained that the width of the roads makes it difficult for the average person to get across on time, before the lights change, let alone for people with disabilities. He said there needs to be more time to cross.
Councillor, Barb McMurray, expressed concern with the crosswalks in that area and whether the timing of the lights is long enough for kids to cross, given the nearby schools.
CAO, Stephen Rettie, assured the Committee that the request to the District “is broad enough to consider all elements, including timing of signalization.”
Smith, expressed, “Things are changing, and we need to be on top of these changes and to look to the future.”
