South Berwick corner more than an accident waiting to happen

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

A Kings County resident living on the outskirts of Berwick wants to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety at the intersection of Highway 1 and Berwick’s Commercial Street, also known as the South Berwick corner.

Claire Morse’s decision to advocate for change came from “a few really close calls over the past year” at the heavily travelled corner.

“I always approach this intersection with caution; however, in the past 10 months, my vehicle was almost hit twice,” after vehicles travelling north through the intersection off the Windermere Road failed to yield to oncoming traffic, says Morse.

When she began talking to people about her concerns, she learned they were shared.

“The majority of people support a change to that intersection.”

Morse says the lack of a pedestrian crossing, poor vehicular visibility and the high number of traffic violations and collisions illustrate the need for - at the very least - a traffic study.

“I am not an engineer - I can’t say what the best course of action is,” saysMorse. “My concern is that safety is enhanced in some way.”

RCMP traffic data indicates, since 2002, when the Avery’s location opened on the south-east corner of the intersection; there have been six accidents resulting in property damage and seven that lead to personal injury. Contrast this with similar data from the intersection of Highway #1 and Lovett Road, where a set of traffic lights was recently installed: in the same time, that intersection experienced five accidents with property damage and three in which injuries occurred.

Morse started a petition to have improvements made to the corner and, as of August 27, it had 400 signatures. People can add their name to the petition at three South Berwick locations: Avery’s, Berwick Physiotherapy and Just Ice Cream; and at Valley Hairstylists in Berwick.

Morse also engaged Kings West MLA Leo Glavine in her efforts. He reports the Department of Transportation (DOT) recently approved a traffic study for the corner, which he says requires “a plan of action that will result in a safer and more orderly movement of traffic.” Glavine is prepared to present the petition to DOT and government officials to further the project.

Mike Best, DOT’s spokesman at the Berwick base, says the traffic study will be carried out during the first week of September.

“Pedestrian and vehicle traffic will be monitored through a manual, visual count during the normally busy times between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., around the noon hour and again between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.,” says Best. He adds site-stopping distance will also be measured and accident data from the past five years will also be factored.

Information will be forwarded to DOT in Bridgewater for review, and Best expects it will be between eight and 10 weeks before any decision is released. If the installation of traffic lights is recommended, the project will be placed in a queue for capital funding.