With new roundabouts under construction or proposed in almost every corner of the city, some residents and council members are questioning whether safety is paramount for these intersection alternatives.
With a new roundabout coming to Dundas and Beverly streets, Main and Dundas, as well as one still in the region's 10-year-capital plan for the Elgin Street and Franklin Boulevard, members of the community are questioning how safe the region's design is for pedestrians.
“They may be good for moving traffic, but they're not the greatest for pedestrians,” said Nicholas Ermeta, who represents Ward 8.
The proposed roundabout adjacent to St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School has been on Ermeta’s radar since 2011 and he remains a vocal opponent for this particular project.
“I'm not in favor of having a roundabout at that location at all. I would rather them keep the lights,” said Ermeta. “I am getting feedback that a lot of people are concerned about pedestrian safety at the roundabouts.”
The Ward 8 councillor said the intersection is one of the busiest in the city and he calls the idea "chaotic," adding a roundabout there would only increase the potential for accidents.
In 2021, over 1,600 students were enrolled at St. Benedict according to the Ontario Ministry of Education, and many walk or ride to and from school through the intersection throughout the day.
This amount of pedestrians crossing the street during school hours would have a huge impact on student safety, Ermeta said.
Jeff Casello is a professor of transportation, planning and engineering at the University of Waterloo and thinks the biggest concern around pedestrian safety is how well drivers are able to see who is crossing.
When drivers are entering a roundabout they are looking left to see if cars are coming; naturally you’ll see pedestrians coming from that left hand side, but not the right, Casello said.
“Making sure those who are crossing are seen has to be number one,” he said. “Whether that be flashing lights or they are engineered in a way to make pedestrians more visible.”
Slowing down the speed of traffic would also allow for safer crossing, Casello said.
Ermeta is not the only councillor calling for changes and attention to the safety of pedestrians and drivers.
Scott Hamilton, councillor for Ward 7 has been an active voice for his constituents when it comes to dealing with the region and their roads.
There are multiple roads in Cambridge that are regionally owned and therefore it's up to the region to decide what happens with them, Hamilton said.
City councillors can do little, but give opinions and try to talk to the region to take into consideration the needs of the people, he added.
The region is reportedly reviewing the roundabouts on Franklin Boulevard before deciding which route to take with the traffic circle near St. Benedict.
But attempts made by CambridgeToday to get comment from the Region of Waterloo about its progress on the review and the safety concerns expressed by Cambridge councillors were ignored.
Hamilton agrees with Ermeta and Casello about taking extra steps to ensure the safety of those crossing the roads.
Those steps would include adding crossing lights and pedestrian islands, removing of obstructions to allow drivers to see what's coming from all directions and reducing speed limits.
“Another large component is driver education,” Hamilton said. “A lot of the drivers here are still getting used to roundabouts and how to properly use them.”
With the population boom in Cambridge, more people from the GTA and other regions are moving out of the big cities and into places like Cambridge.
Ermeta thinks that this new population might be unfamiliar with the rules of a roundabout and might be experiencing a learning curve as they adjust to navigating the streets in Cambridge.
Hamilton recognizes the paradigm shift roundabouts have created for the planning department at the regional level starting in 2011.
“They said we're going to use roundabouts to facilitate traffic flows and allow people to travel smoother, safer and faster; at least in theory,” Hamilton said.
Both councillors said they want to work with the region to make sure their voice and the voice of their constituents are heard.
A recent incident in which a pedestrian was struck in the roundabout at Ira Needles Boulevard and Erb Street West in Waterloo has highlighted the concern for many.
A 21-year-old man was seriously hurt when he was hit by a truck while crossing at the roundabout.
That same week, a widely shared video posted to the r/kitchener subreddit on the social media site reddit shows someone crossing through the roundabout at Dundas Street and Franklin Boulevard and almost getting struck by two vehicles that apparently don't see him.
