Calls for lights, lower speeds on Oil Springs Line
There have been speeders on Oil Spring Line being caught at 120 kilometres an hour and Corey McKinnon wants it to stop.
McKinnon voiced his concerns at the Feb. 5 meeting of Enniskillen Township, where he made suggestions to council on how to better control the situation. He is especially concerned about students who get pick up on Oil Springs Line by the school bus, especially because Oil Springs Line is hilly. McKinnon’s own driveway is in a low valley area.
“We are just trying to keep the kids safe,” McKinnon told council members. McKinnon has had discussions with his neighbours, as well as the school bus driver and was now bringing forward several suggestions, which he feels, can make the road safer.
They include putting warning lights on the existing bus stop signs which are installed on either side of McKinnon’s driveway, installing a four-way stop sign on the corner of Oil Springs Line and Marthaville Road, as well as reducing the speed limit on Oil Springs Line to 50 kilometres an hour.
Enniskillen Township Administrator-Clerk Duncan McTavish said the purchase of two warning lights would cost the municipality $7,500. The lights would have a timer so they would only function during the time the school bus travels in the area.
McTavish voiced the speeding concerns to Lambton OPP Inspector Chris Avery on Jan. 31, and got the assurance the OPP would increase patrols of the area. McKinnon has also met with the OPP sergeant who said the average speeds drivers are being clocked at are 100 kilometres an hour.
McKinnon has also had discussions about having the school bus travel down Oil Springs Line the opposite way then it does now, so children do not have to cross the road to get on the bus. There is also a possibility of having a camera installed on the school bus, because there are cases where drivers are not stopping for the bus when required. Both of these measures have not happened yet, but McKinnon feels this could protect the children. Another option is to declare the area a community safety area. This has been done on Rokeby Line, near where Councillor Chad Burke lives. Burke said the lower of speed limits to 50 kilometres and 60 kilometres along Rokeby has helped with reducing speeding along this section of road.
Councillor Mary Lynne McCallum gave kudos to McKinnon in his efforts to make the area safer. Deputy Mayor Judy Krall suggested McKinnon talk to his local school board trustee and school bussing.
McTavish is going to ask the OPP give a report of what it has done in regards to McKinnon’s concerns. This report will be used for council to make a decision at its next meeting on Feb. 20.
Blake Ellis, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent
