Pembroke – North Algona Wilberforce (NAW) Mayor James Brose is more than pleased to hear the province is at last looking into the Golden Lake intersection to make some much needed changes.
“The Minister of Transportation, Caroline Mulroney, made it clear that they are starting the consultation process next month to look at making some changes to that intersection,” he told Renfrew County council last Wednesday.
He had a delegation at the recent ROMA conference with the minister in his role as the mayor of NAW, he told the county councillors.
The intersection of Highway 60 and County Road 30 (Lake Dore Road)/Kokomis Road in the hamlet of Golden Lake is in his township and is the main entrance to the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. However, because it is on a provincial highway, the intersection is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation which has so far not seen it necessary to install lights or a four-way stop there.
Traffic has increased dramatically at the intersection in recent years with the opening of an additional two gas stations in Pikwakanagan, as well as numerous smoke shops and over 10 cannabis shops. There is also a post office, pharmacy, gas station/LCBO outlet, coffee shop/gift shop and food bank in the hamlet of Golden Lake which generates its own good amount of traffic. As well, NAW has been doing improvements at the community centre and there is a tourist booth there bringing in more activity.
The intersection has become so busy recently drivers are taking shortcuts through municipal property – despite signage not to do so – and also private business parking lots to avoid being caught in the traffic, Mayor Brose told the Leader.
“The intersection is very congested,” he said. “The sightlines are poor and there is a safety issue.”
As well, the intersection is not a true cross, but more of an x, so vehicles have poor visibility of oncoming traffic.”
He provided drone footage to Minister Mulroney during his recent delegation to showcase the problem. It showed vehicles coming from Pikwakanagan have to drive out onto the highway to be able to see oncoming traffic.
“It shows people drive one car length past the stop line to see the traffic,” he said.
Visibility coming from County Road 30 is also poor if there are vehicles parked at the pharmacy, he added.
Mayor Brose noted he told the delegation with Minister Mulroney about times in the summer when the traffic was backed up for about a kilometre on a long weekend on County Road 30 and noted the owners of the Kokomish Gas and Café said it is not unusual to have a 20 minute wait to drive the short distance from their location to the Hwy. 60 intersection on busy weekends due to traffic delays.
“Minister Mulroney was quite surprised to hear that,” he noted.
Although Mayor Brose is optimistic action will be taken, he notes this has been on his radar for many years and they have been pushing the province for action, so it is past time something was done. As well, if things had been coordinated better it could have been done this summer when work on County Road 30 is scheduled to happen, but most likely that work will be completed before a decision is made on the intersection.
One thing is sure – the work on County Road 30 with construction delays — will only make a bad situation much worse for commuters, customers, drivers, pedestrians and those within the village.
