Traffic Circle To Be Installed At James Street And Forest Avenue
The City of Orillia is piloting a one-year traffic calming project at the intersection of Forest Avenue South and James Street East beginning in mid-August.
The installation of the temporary traffic circle at the intersection is aimed to address concerns related to collisions and speeding and involves using temporary rubber curbing and recycled asphalt to create the circle without altering the existing intersection curbs.
City staff identified this intersection following a review of speed data, geometry, sightlines, and collision data as a concern due to higher-than-expected collision frequencies.
Orillia Transit routes will not be effected by the project and there will be no changes to pedestrian crossings as a result of the temporary traffic circle. Snow clearing operations will be adjusted with specific equipment to ensure the intersection is cleared.
Pedestrians should continue to cross at designated locations when safe. Cyclists are expected to follow the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, obeying the same traffic laws as vehicles. In case of an emergency, vehicles should exit the traffic circle at their intended exit and pull over safely, while those not yet in the circle should pull over to the right and wait.
The City urges anyone not familiar with using traffic circles to ensure they understand the road rules before driving in the area. Information about using traffic circles is available on the City’s website and the Province of Ontario website.
Traffic circles are a smaller counterpart to roundabouts. Both roundabouts and traffic circles generally enhance safety; studies by Transport Canada and the U.S. Department of Transportation have shown significant reductions in collisions, injuries, and fatalities. The installation of the temporary traffic circle follows Ontario Traffic Manual guidelines. Over the next year, data will be gathered on collision frequency, severity, and vehicle speed at the intersection. This data will be provided to Council to help inform any future decisions related to traffic calming.
The installation date for the traffic circle is dependent on weather and other factors. Follow the City of Orillia on Facebook for updates.
From the MTO Driver’s Handbook:
Entering a roundabout
- Visual checks: Do visual checks of all vehicles already in the roundabout and those waiting to enter, including cyclists.
- Look left: Traffic in the roundabout has the right-of-way. When preparing to enter the roundabout, adjust your speed or stop at the yield sign if necessary.
- Adequate gap: Watch for a safe opportunity to enter the roundabout. Enter when there is an adequate gap in the circulating traffic flow. Don’t enter directly beside another already in the roundabout, as they may be exiting at the next exit.
- Travel counter-clockwise: Once in the roundabout, always travel in a counter-clockwise direction.
- Keep moving: Once you are in the roundabout, do not stop except to avoid a collision; you have the right-of-way over entering traffic. If in the inside lane and you miss your exit, you must continue around until you meet your exit again.
Exiting a roundabout
- Signal: Be sure to signal your exit and watch for pedestrians.
- Maintain your position: Maintain your position relative to other vehicles.
- Signal intent to exit: Once you have passed the exit before the one you want, use your right-turn signal.
- Left lane exit: If exiting from the left lane, watch out for vehicles on the right that continue to circulate around the roundabout.
(Image Supplied)
