By David Judd

THERE’S a form you can fill out to complain about drivers speeding and jumping stop signs.
Port Dover Coun. Adam Veri brought 40 copies of the form to a community traffic meeting last Tuesday at the Erie Beach Hotel.

The forms were snapped up by the three dozen people who came to find out what can be done to slow drivers down and persuade them to stop at stop signs.

Coun. Veri called the informal two-hour meeting to hear residents’ concerns and inform them about what can—and cannot—be done to improve safety on county roads and crosswalks.

The general view was speeding is bad in Port Dover, especially on main streets, and that many drivers treat stop signs—including four-way stops—as little more than suggestions.

Lewis McColl has lived at the corner of Greenock and St. George streets near Lakewood School for 51 years.

The intersection is a four-way stop in a school zone.

But drivers don’t stop and “police are almost invisible,” Mr. McColl told the meeting.

A year and a half ago, Mr. McColl wrote to Norfolk’s road safety committee asking for a red flashing light at Greenock and St. George.

Mr. McColl said he got a reply — a 14-page email explaining why a red flashing light couldn’t be done.

Dave Thompson, the current crossing guard at Greenock and St. George, said he has been nearly hit by vehicles three times in the four years he has been a crossing guard.

The pedestrian crosswalk at Main and Greenock streets came under fire as it seems many drivers ignore the yellow flashing lights.

But half a dozen residents wanted to know how to remove the stop signs on Nelson Street West at Maple Boulevard.

In 2021 county council installed the signs after residents petitioned for the signs as a way to slow traffic on Nelson Street.

At the time, Nelson Street was being rebuilt and residents feared drivers would be tempted to speed on the smooth new pavement.

Residents at last Tuesday’s meeting said they’re bothered by noise from trucks and motorcycles stopping and starting at the signs.

Coun. Veri advised the Nelson Street residents to petition council to remove the signs.

They would need signatures from 75 per cent of the households within 200 metres of the location.

As for enforcement, Coun. Veri advised residents to call the OPP with descriptions of speeding vehicles.

If there’s a cruiser nearby, the OPP might try to catch the speeder.

County council has a contract with the OPP for policing but cannot tell the OPP what to do.

Speeding is a problem in every neighbourhood in Norfolk, CAO Al Meneses said.

If the OPP designated one officer to enforce speeding, they might get to Port Dover one day a month, he said.

The county’s road safety committee receives the complaint forms mentioned at the start of this story and determines if action is needed.

(Complaints can be filed on paper, online or through Service Norfolk.)

Solutions can be as easy as putting up a sign to warn about a hidden intersection or they can be more complicated and expensive, such as when a road needs a speed assessment.

Until this year, dealing with complaints was hit or miss, director of engineering Darnell Lambert said.

In January county councillors will consider hiring a “traffic development specialist” at a cost of $150,000 a year to Norfolk taxpayers.

The specialist would bring expertise to responding to traffic issues and would help plan the location of roads and comment on building developments and traffic studies.

If residents want council to add the specialist to staff, Coun. Veri advised them to email councillors and attend and speak at the budget meeting in mid-January.

Norfolk gets many requests for traffic calming, Mr. Lambert said.

Options include signs, line painting, installing humps or bumps, centre signs and photo radar.

Humps and bumps can be noisy as trucks and trailers bounce over them and they can pose problems for snowplows.

Although centre signs work in some municipalities, it appears motorists in Norfolk deliberately knocked them down this summer.

Council early in 2025 will consider renting portable photo radar units.

Photo radar makes lots of money for municipalities but contested tickets soon overwhelm the courts, Mr. Lambert said.

As an alternative to the court system, municipalities can hire staff to administer penalties.

Vandals have targeted photo radar cameras across Ontario, leaving municipalities liable for costs to repair them.

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Originally published December 11, 2024