Traffic signal coming to 'rescue Bronson'

Posted Feb 9, 2012 By Laura Mueller

EMC news - Community activists have successfully lobbied city council to put a traffic signal at Bronson Avenue and Arlington Avenue.

The major arterial road is set to be reconstructed this summer, and residents, including the Rescue Bronson Avenue group, have been vocal that they want the upgrades to help make Bronson a more pedestrian-friendly street.

Right now, there is no signal that allows pedestrians to cross the busy four-lane road in the four blocks between Catherine Street and Gladstone Avenue.

But a report endorsed by the city's transportation committee on Feb. 1 instructs the project to include a fully signalized intersection for vehicles and pedestrians at Arlington.

During the consultations, the public advisory group for the Bronson Avenue reconstruction project "expressed a strong and unanimous desire" for a traffic signal at the Arlington intersection, according to the city report.

"As more residents are attracted to Centretown, Bronson Avenue needs to become a pedestrian connection for the neighbourhood," the report states.

Arlington is a well-used route for walkers and cyclists travelling east/west between Booth and Bank streets. Arlington is already a two-way signed cycling route between Lyon and Percy streets.

The street is also a good connection for Glashan Public School students to reach restaurants on the other side of Bronson, according to the report.

The traffic signal and related improvements to southbound traffic signals in the area will cost $160,000. That cost can be covered by the money set aside for the Bronson Avenue rehabilitation. The annual operating cost for the traffic signal is estimated at $9,850.

laura.mueller@metroland.com