A traffic island at Opal Rd. and Rock City Rd. will be removed after it was deemed to be ineffective at preventing what it was designed to stop. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

about face

City pulls U-turn on Opal Rd. traffic barriers

May 4, 2021 | 5:33 AM

NANAIMO — What’s old is new again for residents and drivers concerned with a controversial residential intersection.

City council voted by a narrow 5-4 margin to remove infrastructure installed in 2019 to stop dangerous left hand turns from Opal Rd. onto the very busy Rock City Rd.

Coun. Sheryl Armstrong voted to remove the island, saying it created more problems than it solved.

“It may have slowed down some vehicles but there’s still a lot of people going through that area. I think it’s increased the issues, there’s been more accidents at the illegal turns there. There’s a bigger issue for children’s safety walking on the roads and having been there and seeing all the illegal left turns, I don’t think it’s working.”

City crews have monitored the intersection since 2018, with traffic volumes and speeds collected.

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In 2018, when monitoring began, approximately 1,300 vehicles came through Opal Rd. on a daily basis, exceeding the 1,000 limit for residential roads.

Following traffic calming measures in 2019, volumes dipped to just over 600 in 2019 and around 500 in 2020.

Despite the dip in volumes, Coun. Erin Hemmens said she saw first hand the issues at play during a 45-minute visit to the troublespot with local residents.

“More than half of the cars made an illegal turn, there was a bumper on the median that had been there for weeks, a truck passed and hit the stop sign,” Hemmens told Council.

Hemmens also said the traffic island may have curbed some traffic volume, but spinoff effects have caused more issues, namely with illegal left turns.

Coun. Don Bonner defended the infrastructure and voted to extend its stay at the intersection. He said it made no sense to revert back to 2018 levels of traffic.

“If we remove this, we will be putting the people who live on Opal Rd. right where they were two years ago with 1,400 cars driving up there and down there.”

He added the consequence of this decision will be going against a clear staff recommendation backed up by evidence collected over two years.

It will cost approximately $20,000 to remove the concrete island, while a timeline to do the work has not been determined.

Speed bumps installed in 2006 will remain on Opal Rd.

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