Safety changes coming to most dangerous intersection in Elgin County

A $1.3M safety project is going to improve the Dalewood Road and Ron McNeil Line intersection near St. Thomas. CTV London’s Brent Lale reports.

From his backyard on Ron McNeil Line just northwest of St. Thomas, Bob Rundle has seen dozens of crashes just a few hundred metres away.

“We’ve been here about four years now, and the past two and a half years, I’ve seen numerous accidents at the corner of Dalewood and Ron McNeil,” said Rundle. “I’ve been after the county for a couple of years now to do something at this intersection, so hopefully, we don’t have a fatality there.”

He finally got his wish. With more than 30 crashes in recent years, Elgin County’s Committee of the Whole has approved immediate improvements to the intersection.

“The signal lights are coming here the next month or so and we’re hoping to have them in as quickly as possible,” said Grant Jones, warden of Elgin County. “We reduced the speed through that area again to try and reduce the number of problems and turn lanes will come next spring.”

The project was initiated after multiple collisions at the intersection triggered a warrant for traffic signals.

In hopes of reducing the number of crashes at the intersection, the county reduced the speed limit from 80 km/h to 70 km/h.

“We oftentimes sit in our backyard, which backs onto Ron McNeil Line, and it’s a high-speed raceway here,” said Nancy Turnbull, who lives about a kilometre east of Dalewood Road.

Turnbull believes the speed limit decrease is only a starting point.

“Enforcement is key,” she added. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anybody doing any speed enforcement here and we’ve been here 19 years. So, I think 70 is a start, but they’re going too fast.”

Back at Dalewood Road, Rundle has a clear view of the corner from his back porch.

“I think the biggest issue is the speed along Ron McNeil, and over the years, traffic has increased combined with the contour of the road with the hill and the curve,” said Rundle. “It’s not that people don’t stop. Most people do stop. The cause is human error because unless you look both ways several times before crossing, you’re going to get T-boned. I think with the lights going in it definitely will make a difference.”

The $1.3 million cost of the project will be covered by the intersection improvement project already approved in the capital budget.