City council is making changes to a main intersection in the downtown at Bastion St. and Commercial St. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

SIGNAL CHANGE

Bastion St. & Commercial St. intersection to become four-way stop in pilot project

Jun 16, 2020 | 6:06 AM

NANAIMO — Traffic flow on one of downtown Nanaimo’s main intersections is set to change.

Beginning in July, city crews will install a four-way stop at Bastion St. and Commercial St., replacing aging traffic lights.

The decision from council goes against a recommendation from staff who petitioned for an intersection with stop signs on Bastion St. only.

“One of the things we’ve observed with four way stops is that despite all vehicles having to stop for it, pedestrians become background and there tends to be a jockeying of cars and an oversight of pedestrians,” manager of transportation Jamie Rose said.

According to Rose, traffic volume on both streets is well below what would be required for traffic lights under today’s standards.

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He added traffic volume is slightly heavier and faster on Bastion St. than Commercial St.

“The conclusion I’ve drawn is that drivers are concerned with something that can hurt them, which is usually another car,” Rose said. “They don’t typically get concerned about who they can hurt.”

Pedestrian safety was top of mind for city councillors. In late May, council agreed to expand patio space for restaurants in the downtown onto the road, including several on Commercial St.

According to research from renowned American city planner Jeff Speck, which was quoted by Coun. Tyler Brown, four-way stops are 50 to 80 per cent safer than two-way stops.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong, a former RCMP officer, vouched for the safety of four-way stops.

“It’s a lot easier to cross at a four way stop than it is at a two way,” Armstrong said. “In having spent time in my previous career working on that, I went to very few accidents at four ways but I went to a lot at two.”

During the pilot project, due to run until October, the existing and aging traffic lights will flash red to reinforce the change.

Should the pilot be successful, the city plans to compliment the four-way stop with a raised intersection for speed control and remove the existing traffic light infrastructure.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley