Pedestrian island being considered where Spurline Trail crosses Union Street in Waterloo
Staff will recommend construction of pedestrian island to council on March 4
A pedestrian island is being considered for the Spurline Trail where it crosses Union Street in Waterloo to make it safer for pedestrians.
City staff have been receiving public complaints about the safety of the spot after the trail was completed in 2016.
"We did some further research and analysis to determine what would be the best solution there," Phil Hewitson, manager of active transportation for the City of Waterloo told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.
Some of that research included soliciting public feedback through the city's Engage Waterloo website in 2017.
As a result, staff looked into a number of possibilities, Hewitson said, such as putting in a traffic signal in the area.
But staff determined it would have been too close to the already existing traffic signal at Union Street and Moore Avenue, and the crossing would have had to also coordinate with the rail signal there.
Hewitson said a pedestrian island is a solution the city could implement with the least amount of impact, while also being an economical solution.
Hewitson said staff will present a report with the recommendation to build the pedestrian island to city council on March 4.
If council approves the recommendation, Hewitson said construction could start in the spring.