The same day a 20-year-old woman was rushed to a Toronto trauma centre after a tractor and car collided on Canal Road in Bradford West Gwillimbury, the town’s traffic committee approved a move to shift back an electronic speed sign to give drivers more time to slow down in that area.
The committee also approved $50,000 in the town’s 2019 budget for more electronic speed signs to be placed throughout the community, including two in Newton Robinson, and some of which could be put there permanently, said committee member Coun. Gary Lamb.
“We have to be proactive because when that bridge opens on the 5th, (drivers need to slow down),” he said, adding his concerns for the area of Canal Road and Line 5 are “cars and speed” and “people ignoring the rules.”
“When (the Highway 400-Line 5 interchange is) open and people figure out they can use that road to get to the marsh (or as) commuter roads, it’s concerning.”
The decision to move a 50 km/h speed limit sign 150 metres west of 2853 Line 5, which is just west of the bend where it meets Canal Road, came about after local resident Kristian Pedersen spoke to the committee Tuesday evening about speeding concerns in the area.
He said he would like to see permanent electronic speed signs placed there.
The committee also voted Tuesday to have speed counts done near the properties at 2853 Line 5 and 2854 Line 5, just west of Canal Road.
The committee’s decisions are expected to be presented to BWG council Oct. 2 for a final vote.
The crash Tuesday morning around 8 a.m. took place on Canal Road between Line 5 and Tornado Drive, shutting down that section of road for about five hours.
South Simcoe police are still investigating the cause of the crash, and they could not confirm whether speeding was a factor.
The tractor was travelling east on Canal Road and the car was headed west when they collided, police said.
The car was in a ditch on the north side of the road, and BWG firefighters had to extricate the driver from the vehicle, police said.
She was transported to a Toronto trauma centre with serious injuries, and her condition has since been upgraded to serious but stable.
The 41-year-old driver of the tractor was not injured, and no charges have yet been laid, police said.
