City of Windsor looks to remove a number of traffic lights

Windsor, Ont. -

Several ageing or low-volume traffic signals across the City of Windsor have been recommended for removal.

Windsor's Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee unanimously approved the recommendation Wednesday, after Ward 2 councillor Fabio Costante successfully motioned to have two signals spared.

“It’s just a risk that I’m not willing to take,” he says.

The lights at Brock and Sandwich Street and Campbell and Grove Avenue were on the list for removal, but Costante says they should stay since both are near elementary schools.

“There’s a lot of activity, those are busy roads.” Costante explains, “If we were to take out the streetlights at Campbell and Grove, we wouldn’t have any speed calming measures or streetlights all the way from College to Tecumseh.”

Costante says he respects administration's recommendation, noting the whole analysis was based on historic data, but is erring on the side of caution.

“I certainly heard from my residents who unequivocally did not want to see the traffic lights removed,” he says.

Costante tells CTV News the report indicated there wasn’t enough traffic activity to warrant the lights at the other locations and says the plan still needs the green light from city council in the coming weeks.

If approved, lights will be removed at Aylmer Avenue and Chatham Street East, Kildare Road and Seneca Street, Lauzon Road and McHugh Street, Banwell Road and Mulberry Drive, and Riverside Drive East at the Hiram Walker parking lot.