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Petition calls for safety improvements at accident-prone Lambton intersection

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Lambton County, Ont. -

A petition calling for safety improvements to an accident-prone rural intersection in Lambton County is picking up momentum.

It follows three separate crashes in the last few months at London Line and Forest Road, and a fatal crash at the site last September.

That’s when Watford resident Stephanie Cattrysse lost her stepfather.

“We don’t want other families to suffer,” said Cattrysse.

Her stepfather, 57-year-old Robert Hollingsworth, was well known in the area for his painting business. He was pronounced dead after a two-vehicle crash at the site.

A driver from Kitchener was charged with careless driving causing death in connection with the incident.

Cattrysse has launched a petition both online and on paper, calling on Lambton County to make improvements to the intersection to make it safer.

Currently, the intersection is controlled by a two-way stop sign on Forest Road for northbound and southbound traffic. The speed limit on London Line, going east and west, is 90 kilometres an hour.

“This intersection is due for updates in the next two to three years, but that’s too long to wait,” said Cattrysse. “Bob was killed nine months ago, and since then there have been an additional three collisions at this intersection, so something needs to be done at least in the interim.”

Last fall, following the crash that killed Hollingsworth, OPP had tallied up 31 collisions at the site since 2010, including two fatalities.

Area residents say the trend is distrubing. “There’s a lot of times in the morning people don’t slow down, or they’ll slow down and they’ll shoot straight through,” remarked resident Dan Jans.

“It’s a bad corner, I keep my eyes open whenever I’m in that area,” said area resident O’Nile Forget.

Why it’s such a troubled intersection is a bit of a mystery, because it’s wide open, and there are no visible obstructions.

“There’s definitely something needed there,” said Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott. He tells CTV News London a traffic study will be conducted over the summer with a report expected in September.

“First few steps could be overhead flashing lights, rumble strips. The review will also look at roundabout. Yeah, all options will be looked at.”

Cattrysse said she’s happy to see wheels are in motion. She’s hoping to get 5,000 signatures for her petition, which she will present to Lambton County council next month.

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