Morden City Council approved a new four way stop on Stephen Street in Morden. Last month, a four-way stop was created at the 7th and Stephen Street intersection.
Morden Police Service (MPS) Chief Brad Neduzak they have been getting feedback about the decision.
"The stop sign has been there for a few weeks now. And we've received a lot of positive comments about the signs. Not only has it controlled a little bit of the speeds, but also obviously, provides safer crossing at that intersection, which is quite busy with the businesses there. And now the city has decided to place stop signs as well at 9th and Stephen Streets, which is another very busy intersection. So, we're thinking this can only improve safety, as well."
Another sign has been added at the corner of Loren Drive and Laverendrye Blvd west of town.
"We've had a lot of people comment that a particular intersection is obviously getting very busy with the different businesses and residential coming up in that area. And that intersection was always a little bit awkward with having the stop signs traveling east and westbound. There seems to be kind of a natural instinct to want to stop when you're traveling northbound to turn onto Loren Drive, which now, there is a stop sign. So, it's a three-way stop."
Neduzak explained, as the city grows, changes need to be made to make sure safety is still the priority.
"Each year, I think the city and ourselves look at different areas we can look at to improve on and make safer. That's the whole idea as as the community grows and expands, things do get busier, traffic is heavier. So, we want to make sure we're always looking to improve things."
While the additional stop signs are in place to help keep people safe, he had a special message for those on electric scooters.
"The streets are very busy, and sidewalks are busy with pedestrians, bicycles, and now the new electric scooters that are out there. And although there are no laws or regulations for these two-wheel electric scooters, they travel along at quite a fast pace. So, we just ask the users of those apparatuses to be cognizant of pedestrians, vehicle traffic, other bikes and just slow down and be careful when approaching intersections or traveling on sidewalks. Be courteous and move over and slow down when there's other people using the sidewalks and pathways. So again, we just want everybody to stay safe and be able to enjoy the summer."
Neduzak added, there will be more of a presence in the community to monitor and keep an eye on all safety concerns on roads.
"This year again, we are participating in the MPI CHECKSTOP program, which is targeting speeding, seat belts, intersections as well as distracted driving and impaired driving. So, we've started on them, and we'll continue throughout the summer and into the fall with those programs. There should be a lot more presence and patrols doing traffic enforcement. And again, this is all targeted at trying to keep our community safer."