Traffic authority to examine road signage after two fatal Cow Bay collisions in one year

HALIFAX — District 3 Councillor Bill Karsten says he has contacted city staff and the traffic authority to have a second look at signage and speed limits on a stretch of Cow Bay Road after two people have died in separate collisions in the past 12 months.

“I have asked them to make a physical site visit and look at the engineering, is what it’s referred to as, the signs and the whole lay of the corner, so that is being done and can be done for any traffic related issue at any time,” he says.

The most recent accident claimed the life of a 28 year-old man on a motorcycle, who hit an on oncoming car while on the “pump house” turn.
At the time, residents expressed concern to Global News about the infrastructure in place to warn motorists unfamiliar with the area about the sharp s-turn.

Due to calls from Global News, Karsten says he saw it fit to ensure staff had a second look at the corner.

In fact, according to HRM’s traffic authority, staff and investigators are called to examine signage and speed limits every time there is a fatal accident in the city.

“As a matter of protocol, any time there is a fatality, we go out on site to determine whether all signs are in place, currently we’re doing that,” says Taso Koutroulakis, acting manager for traffic and right of way in HRM. “The signs are currently in place as we have according to our records, however we are reevaluating to see whether the speed limits are appropriate.”

Koutroulakis says a lot of research and time goes into setting speed limits and determining signage for roads, including the 85th percentile rule. The rule means at least 85 per cent of drivers must be comfortable going either at or below the posted speed. If factors change that percentage, for example, the building of a new development or grocery store, the speeds will likely be changed to reflect that.

Residents in Eastern Passage, however, say policy does not reflect reality. John MacKinnon, who’s lived on Cow Bay Rd. for more than 30 years, says he’s seen at least two dozen accidents at or near his door step, including the fatal motorcycle crash in May. He also says, while the speed limit of 70 km/hr may be adequate, the signage is not, mentioning the yellow caution sign indicating the curve is ahead is buried in the woods and is hard to see from a distance.

“There’s not a sign in sight that you can see for speed limit or anything,” says MacKinnon, while standing at the foot of his driveway. “If we walked across the road and looked in the woods, you’d see a checkered sign with a sharp turn sign on it. But you can’t even see it until you’re on top of it.”

He says he and his neighbors are too frightened to mow the lawn or tend to the ditches near the road because of speeding motorists.

“All the neighbours here are very concerned about the traffic and the speed.”