'Now is the time for traffic lights here': Site of fatal crashes to be upgraded

An intersection that has been the site of multiple fatal collisions is getting traffic lights.

Glendon Drive and Melbourne Road — south of Strathroy, Ont. — will have a full set of traffic lights by the end of next year.

Kirstie Rastin lives on the southeast corner. On Friday morning, she had one eye on her children and another on traffic.

“There’s been multiple accidents and close calls every day,” Rastin told CTV News London.

As roadside memorials can attest to, the intersection has also tragically been the site of fatal crashes.

Earlier this year, two people died at the intersection.

The collision came after improvements following the death of a four-year-old girl in 2019.

Roadside memorials sit on corners of the intersection of Glendon Drive and Melbourne Road as a reminder of past fatal collisions. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)“Unfortunately, we have been out to a couple of the accidents, and witnessed too many things,” Rastin said.

But after petitions and public calls for action, traffic lights will be installed in the New Year.

Strathroy-Caradoc Mayor Colin Grantham called for their inclusion in the county budget.

“Now is really the time to get traffic lights there,” he said.

Grantham said the move acknowledges residents' pleas for change while also addressing the growing volume of vehicles in the region.

Kristie Rastin can finally smile after years of waiting for intersection Improvements at Glendon Drive and Melbourne Road, near Strathroy, Ont. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)“The amount of traffic and urbanization is lending to more chances of people running the stop sign,” he said.

But with traffic lights in place, Rastin hopes the tragedies of the past will not be repeated.

“Any set of lights. Any improvement is going to be great,” she said. “That’s what we need.”

Still, Grantham warns lights can only do so much.

“The onus is on drivers to wake up!” he concluded. 

Strathroy, Ont. Mayor Colin Grantham is seen on Dec. 15, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)