Reading the publisher’s op-ed recently about the need for a stop light in Ferndale, I must differ. As someone who regards stoplights as the work of the devil, I think there are other more effective and less costly solutions to curtail speeding.
I’m not sure the evidence is clear that they do reduce speeds – in fact seeing a green light may encourage some drivers to hit the gas to make sure they get through the light.
At the top of my list is a traffic roundabout, but there probably isn’t enough real estate at the corner in Ferndale to accommodate one. Another very effective measure I have seen in many “whistle stop” villages on highways is a concrete island in the middle of the road at each end with a large speed limit warning sign that actually forces motorists to slow down to go around them.
Sometimes the traffic experts at MTO do get it right.
David Rose,
Hopkins Point/Meaford
