ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — On a clear Sunday night, Feb. 18, 2018, emergency crews rush to the scene of a collision at the intersection of Allandale Road and Prince Philip Drive.
It’s a frightening sight. An SUV and a van slammed head-on, crushing the front end of one of the vehicles and heavily damaging the other.
Two people are sent to hospital as crews redirect traffic and clean up scattered debris.
On Jan. 25, 2019, a two-vehicle collision left one car on a sidewalk at the same intersection.
A person was taken to hospital following a three-vehicle collision there on Aug. 30.
On the afternoon of Nov. 9 this year, a child was taken to hospital following a two-vehicle crash at the intersection.
The high number of collisions there in recent years worries residents, and many people feel major changes are needed.
“I travel that (intersection) every day and I’ve seen a lot calls there,” Christopher Deacon, a laboratory co-ordinator in Memorial University’s physics department, told The Telegram.
“The hardest manoeuvre is turning left from the parkway (south) onto Allandale. The flashing arrow helps a little, but it’s only on long enough for three cars to turn. The cars stopped in the opposite direction block your view, so you really take a risk cutting across traffic there.”
Located at the centre of three major destinations — MUN, the Health Sciences Centre and provincial government buildings, including the Confederation Building — recent estimates indicate 20,000 vehicles travel through the intersection daily.
“It’s the busiest in the city,” Sgt. Karen Didham, head of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary’s traffic division, told The Telegram during a recent interview at RNC headquarters.
“With the volume of traffic, it’s inevitable you’re going to see more vehicle accidents.”
While there have been no fatal collisions there in the last two years, Didham said, the high number of accidents at the intersection remains consistent.In a location where speeds are higher — 70 km/h on Prince Philip Drive — the collisions can be severe.
Didham said the area on the Outer Ring Road, turning onto Allandale Road, is a focal point for officers conducting speed initiatives.
About three years ago, the city made changes, with two lanes and arrowed traffic lights for southbound traffic turning right onto Prince Philip Drive. It helped with the flow, but some people believe it’s not enough to alleviate the congestion.
Concerns about traffic in the Memorial University area prompted St. John’s Coun. Sandy Hickman to have a traffic study commissioned in 2014 by the City of St. John’s, MUN and the provincial government to examine the longer-term transportation infrastructure needs in and around the university area, which saw a growth in infrastructure over the past few years.
The study — conducted by Harbourside Transportation Consultants in 2016, with two-thirds paid for by MUN — found that the Prince Philip Drive-Allandale Road intersection had been the site of almost 100 collisions between 2009 and 2011.
In more recent RNC stats, in 2017 it was the site of 13 collisions, second only to Torbay Road and Stavanger Drive, which saw high volumes of traffic from Costco, which was located in the east end at that time.
Since then, it has reached the No. 1 spot.
The study noted the long-term goal was to install three roundabouts at three intersections along Prince Philip Drive — at Allandale Road and at Clinch Crescent, and at Columbus Drive and Thorburn Road.
“The results of the detailed traffic analysis clearly indicate that the three intersections along Prince Philip Drive will be over capacity by the year 2025 (without roundabouts),” the study states.
“Roundabouts are a safer, more efficient method of traffic control that significantly reduce the delay traditionally experienced by signalized intersections.”
Hickman told The Telegram roundabouts would cut down on the number and severity of collisions.
“With roundabouts, you don’t get the T-bones. You’ll get side swipes,” he said.
He said a roundabout for Philip Philip Drive and Allandale Road is the priority and short-term goal.
“It’s ranked No. 1, for sure. … It’s a busy spot,” he said. “Now is the time to address this and try and get funding for it.”
He said council passed a motion last year to agree to the roundabout at that intersection, but the project has yet to be approved.
Within the next few weeks, Hickman said, he plans to address the issue and ask the city to consider it for next year’s capital works program.
The plan, is to have the provincial government fund three-quarters of the estimated $3-million cost, he said.
“We’re asking them to cover 75 (per cent) because it covers, indeed, the institutional, hospital, university, government office area. Government has to take some responsibility for that,” Hickman said.
“The parkway, that’s all government. The parkway would not exist except for government facilities.”
A roundabout would keep traffic flowing, he said.
“Everybody knows we’re way behind when it comes to roundabouts. Roundabouts have been around forever,” he said.
“They’re finally starting to become a little more in vogue around here. … Roundabouts are definitely the way to go.”
Twitter: @TelyRosie
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