• Following a November 2023 Council directive, Stouffville is piloting design changes at the Millard Street and West Lawn Crescent roundabout.
  • The modifications aim to address unsafe behaviours by both drivers and pedestrians.
  • New signage instructs pedestrians to yield to traffic, while updated street markings better define vehicle lanes and operations.
  • Crosswalk markings have been removed to minimize any false sense of pedestrian priority.
  • The redesign has faced criticism for potentially increasing risks to pedestrians, especially in a residential area near schools.
  • Staff will monitor the intersection, and if deemed successful, similar changes may be implemented at other roundabouts in Stouffville.

 

In November 2023, Councillor Rick Upton introduced a Council motion requesting signage to inform both motorists and pedestrians about “the safe operation of the roundabout” at Millard Street and West Lawn Crescent. Emphasizing that “the safety of Whitchurch-Stouffville residents is of primary importance,” the motion also called for raised crosswalks on both legs of West Lawn.

The motion was prompted by residents voicing concerns about speeding and dangerous driving in the roundabout area. There were also worries about pedestrians crossing unsafely with traffic present.

New “Pedestrians Yield to Traffic” signage was installed, and an earlier speed hump pilot project helped reduce speeding incidents along the road. However, residents continued to request additional measures.

Upton proposed raised crosswalks at the roundabout intersection. While they could not be installed across Millard due to their potential impact on Fire and Emergency Services response times, Upton argued they could help calm traffic on West Lawn and improve pedestrian safety.

“In my opinion, pedestrians should yield and wait for a safe opening in traffic before crossing at a roundabout,” Upton told Bullet Point News. “But the raised walkway would slow down aggressive drivers and help stop them from speeding in, around, and out of the roundabout.”

Town Staff investigated the proposal and concluded that “installation of a painted, raised crosswalk is not consistent with the newly installed signage” stating that pedestrians must yield to traffic.

In their report, Staff also noted the Ontario Traffic Manual’s warning that such designs could “create a false sense of security on the part of pedestrians, particularly children.” To avoid encouraging a mistaken sense of pedestrian priority, they removed the white crosswalk lines highlighting the four crossings.

Additionally, Staff proposed replacing the existing coloured crosswalk pavement with asphalt matching the roadway. Aside from the addition of iconographic signs telling approaching motorists of possible pedestrian crossings, the final alterations would eliminate most visual indicators of the intersection’s crosswalks.

Roundabouts are designed to enhance the continuous flow of traffic and reduce vehicular collisions, and expanded pavement markings have been added to the Millard and West Lawn location to better define travel lanes and proper operations.

However, the redesign’s apparent emphasis on vehicular prioritization and reduced pedestrian infrastructure has raised safety concerns among residents, particularly as the intersection is located in a residential community near multiple elementary schools.

“This is a heavy foot traffic area, especially with the local schools and those crossing to get the bus to Markham, as our daughter had to do for French Immersion,” said Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, a cyclist and pedestrian safety advocate and Millard resident since 2006. “This new design seems to fully prioritize fast movement of traffic while removing elements that add to pedestrian safety.”

“Stouffville’s new Official Plan clearly states a desire to follow the Vision Zero principle that everyone has the right to transit their communities safely, no matter how they are travelling,” he added. “Instead, this appears to make walking in a residential zone, or walking to school, more dangerous.”

Neufeldt-Fast also pointed out how difficult it can be for motorists to see through the centre island of a roundabout. “This, of course, means pedestrians can’t see all vehicular movements, either, and there is always uncertainty as to where a car may exit,” he said. “Safety is impeded by design, creating an incredibly dangerous environment for pedestrians—especially those managing mobility issues.”

He believes pedestrians should have priority in roundabouts. In the absence of that, he says the Town should at least preserve visually obvious pedestrian crossings. “We live on this road, Millard is more than a fast-flowing throughway for drivers to get to Highway 48,” he said. “We shouldn’t be subtly telling drivers to worry less about pedestrians.”

While not in agreement on prioritization, Upton has asked the Town to pause plans to remove the coloured crosswalk pavement. “We’re going to do a deeper dive into the safety of pedestrians before moving ahead with that,” he said. In the meantime, he plans to continue advocating for raised crosswalks at West Lawn.

Staff will monitor the new designs and assess their impact. If successful, similar alterations may be considered on a site-by-site basis for other roundabouts throughout Stouffville.