Thunder Bay police disclose high-accident intersections
Golf Links Road at Harbour Expressway tops the list
More traffic accidents happened at Golf Links Road and the Harbour Expressway during the first half of this year than any other intersection in Thunder Bay, according to new Thunder Bay Police data obtained by the CBC.
Thirteen collisions took place there between Jan. 1 and June 30.
Arthur and James Streets came second on the list with 11 accidents.
City traffic technologist Ryan Love said the city uses accident data to try to make intersections safer.
"A left-turn phase may be an option, or adjusting the length of the green," he said.
The city rebuilt the Golf Links and Harbour Expressway intersection last summer, but it will need to collect about two years' worth of data before being able to assess whether the changes have helped, Love said.
Low-traffic intersections can also be dangerous
Love also cautioned that just because an intersection isn't on the high-accident list doesn't mean it's safer than one that is.
"If intersection A has 40,000 vehicles a day going through there and ... 20 collisions a year, versus an intersection where it's got 10,000 vehicles and 15 collisions ... the intersection with the smaller volume may be more alarming to us than the intersection with the bigger volume," he said.
Thunder Bay Police Sergeant Glenn Porter said police use the data to plan traffic enforcement and educational efforts.
But he said drivers also have to do their part to reduce accidents.
"If they're managing their speeds properly, if they're doing all of the other things that the rules of the road dictate in the Highway Traffic Act, each and every one of those intersections would be much safer," he said.
The data also shows more accidents happened on Thursdays than any other day of the week.
More collisions took place between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. than any other time of day.
Intersections with the most collisions
| Rank | Location | Number of Accidents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golf Links Road and Harbour Expressway | 13 |
| 2 | Arthur Street West and James Street South | 11 |
| 3 | Arthur Street West and Mountdale Avenue | 10 |
| 3 | Victoria Avenue East and Waterloo Street North | 10 |
| 4 | High Street North and Red River Road | 9 |
| 4 | Harbour Expressway and Memorial Avenue | 9 |
| 4 | Arthur Street East and Franklin Street South | 9 |
| 5 | Central Avenue and Memorial Avenue | 8 |
| 6 | John Street and Junot Avenue South | 7 |
| 6 | Arthur Street East and May Street South | 7 |
| 6 | Cumberland Street North and River Street | 7 |
| 6 | Balmoral Street and Harbour Expressway | 7 |
| 7 | Balmoral Street and Oliver Road | 6 |
| 7 | Dawson Road and Strand Avenue | 6 |
| 7 | Arthur Street East and Vickers Street South | 6 |
| 8 | High Street South and Oliver Road | 5 |
| 8 | High Street South and Memorial Avenue | 5 |
| 8 | Algoma Street North and River Street | 5 |
| 8 | Central Avenue and Golf Links Road | 5 |
| 8 | Edward Street South and Victoria Avenue West | 5 |