A Northeastern Ontario advocacy group is trying to draw attention to what they call a safer and cheaper method of twinning highways.
Mark Wilson with Going the Extra Mile for Safety recently spoke to northwestern leaders at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference about the 2+1 highway system.
It uses two lanes on one side of the road, and one lane on the other.
Wilson explains the system that’s been used in Finland and Scotland “alternates every two to four kilometres. It’s like our passing lanes, except they’re continuous, and there’s a dividing barrier.”
He says studies have shown it to be safer, and less costly to build, than either a two-lane highway or four-lane twinned highway.
Wilson got a good reception at the NOMA Conference, but notes their efforts to use the system in the Northeast haven’t gotten government approval.
Officials in the Northeast asked the Ministry of Transportation to consider a pilot project between Timiskaming Shores and North Bay, but while a report from the MTO “indicated that [the idea] had merit,” he explains, “They didn’t feel that it was appropriate for this section of highway.”
The MTO noted the 2+1 model could be used elsewhere in Ontario, although they also had concerns about whether it would meet Ontario safety standards.
