Police to monitor Hamilton’s most dangerous intersections in March

Motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians travelling through some of Hamilton’s busiest and most crash-prone intersections will notice a heavier police presence than usual.

The Hamilton Police Service says it is ramping up traffic enforcement at the intersections with the ten-highest collision rates in March. They include:

• Centennial Pkwy and Barton St.
• Centennial Pkwy North and Queenston Rd.
• Dundurn St. and King St.
• Dundurn St. and Main St.
• Kenilworth Ave. and Barton St.
• Longwood Rd. and Main St. 
• Main St. and Wellington St.
• Upper James St. and Fennell Ave.
• Upper James St. and Mohawk Rd.
• Upper James St. and Stone Church Rd.

For the month of March, Traffic Safety Unit will be conducting enforcement in the area of our Top 10 high collision intersections.

Help #Savelives , #Drivesafe #HPS_Traffic pic.twitter.com/UegjDDBfHl

— Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) March 1, 2023

Police appear to be using their own collision data to determine which intersections are most dangerous, as the information differs slightly from the City of Hamilton’s 2022 collision report.

To be fair, the city’s report is based on data from 2017 to 2021, leaving it slightly outdated.

Hamilton Police may also just be taking a more efficient approach. Main and John, for example, has been an especially dangerous intersection for pedestrians, but it would seem redundant to enforce traffic at both Main and Dundurn and Main and John — intersections separated by less than 2 kilometres.

Meanwhile, collision-heavy intersections located along Main and King streets have been of particular concern over the last year or so, with city council enacting swift safety measures as part of its latest Complete Streets guidelines. They include dedicated bus lanes, staggered traffic lights, priority traffic light signals for pedestrians and cyclists, vehicle turn restrictions, and the planned conversion of one-way Main and King into two lanes.

King was already facing restructuring due to the implementation of light rail transit (LRT). Construction is slated to begin this year.