Concerns over detour route answered

Earlier this week Cramahe resident, John Stubbs sent the following message to the OPP regarding his concerns about the proposed northern detour route which passes through Castleton and then south to the 401. The ensuing dialogue with the OPP is printed below his query.

John Stubbs' original message:

The proposed detour when the 401 is closed goes through
Castleton.In the interest of public safety, will you be increasing
surveillance of the detour route when it is being used?
Castleton is between Cobourg and Brighton, north of the 401.

From: Hominsky, John (JUS)
Sent: October 13, 2009 3:03 PM
Cc: Puglisi, Josie (JUS); Chong, Edward (JUS)
Subject: RE: Highway closures


Attn John Stubbs,

Thank you very much for your email and your comments with regards to
construction between Coburg and Brighton.

Before vehicle traffic is re-routed from Highway 401 from construction
purposes. The Ministry of Transportation would normally study the
traffic flow and close the Highway at the appropriate times in order to
create as little congestion as possible.

I have taken the liberty to forward your concerns to the Detachment
Commander in Northumberland for their review.

Once again, thank you for your email and I hope this satisfies your
concerns.


John Hominsky # 9652
Provincial Constable
Traffic Support Unit
Highway Safety Division
Ontario Provincial Police

On Oct. 14, John got the next response:

Dear Mr. Stubbs,

Thank you for your email inquiry regarding the Highway 401 emergency
detour route.

The County of Northumberland, in conjunction with the Ontario Ministry
of Transport, is responsible for the designated emergency detour route.
This emergency detour route is used strictly to divert traffic off
Highway 401 in an emergency highway closure (for example, due to an
accident). There is no current plan to utilize the detour route for any
construction work on Highway 401.

During an emergency closure of Highway 401, officers will be working to
ensure smooth traffic flows and to ensure public safety. Officers will
be assigned to keypoints on the route to meet these goals.

Public and traffic safety is one of the OPP's core duties, and we do our
best to accomplish that objective, in an emergency as well as in our
regular duties.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further
question.

Edward Chong
Staff Sergeant
Operations Manager
Northumberland Detachment
Ontario Provincial Police

And John's reply:

Thank you, Sergeant Chong, for your prompt reply. My chief concern is the greatly increased traffic on rural roads when there is an accident that closes the 401. For example, the village of Castleton has four way stop signs at its main intersection on Highway 25. In the past, many diverted trucks and other vehicles have ignored this stop sign. This is dangerous, especially for children and other pedestrians in the village. Speeding in a 50 kph zone is also a concern.


I am sure that you and your officers do everything in your power to ensure public safety. As a concerned citizen, I applaud your efforts. John