Traffic safety and construction: We should talk about the roundabout

Exeter Examiner Editor - Dan Rolph

By Dan Rolph

In the short time it has been since construction began on Main Street in Exeter, traffic flows have already started shifting elsewhere to avoid delays.

For drivers traveling to communities outside of Exeter, there are two options to skirt around the town.

Detours direct them to Morrison Line, taking them by the Morrison Dam Conservation Area.

Alternately, there is the option that Google Maps seems to usually suggest — Airport Line. And for those who opt to take that option, they’re already receiving a reminder of why its intersection with County Road 83 is a challenging one to traverse.

I was recently driving along Airport Line while returning from a quick trip to Goderich, and I found myself trapped in a line of traffic as drivers waited for the right moment to make their way through the busy intersection. It likely took me 10 minutes to push through the spot, and I found it noteworthy that an OPP cruiser was stuck in the same situation as me, coming from the opposite direction and waiting for a brief break in the traffic.

It’s not a particularly uncommon experience. I’ve had plenty of moments sitting at the intersection where I’ve found myself waiting longer than I’d like.

I think it is the earliest in the year that I have had a noticeable delay at the spot that can often get jammed while drivers pass through on their way to the lakeshore during the busy tourism season.

From what I’ve heard from others in the community, and from the amount of chatter I’ve seen in our local Facebook groups, it seems like I’m far from alone in having that experience recently.

However, we are still months away from summer and the rush of tourists from the Greater Toronto Area the season will bring.

The intersection is one that has been drawing a lot of attention over recent months, particularly after Huron County council’s decision to remove a project that would have installed a roundabout at the intersection from this year’s budget.

It was a close decision, splitting the council chambers 8-7, but the majority was ultimately unswayed by the comments from local representatives calling for action. That decision marked the second time the project faced delays. It was first proposed for inclusion in the 2025 budget but was pushed to this year for consideration.

Just weeks after the decision to remove it from the 2026 budget, a collision happened at the intersection that left at least one driver injured and two vehicles damaged.

Since the roundabout project’s removal from the budget, some members of county council have spoken during meetings about their concerns of setting a precedent, and that they feared it could lead to calls for roundabouts at many of the county’s intersections.

However, I don’t think moving ahead with a roundabout project could be considered precedent setting.

The intersection of Airport Line and County Road 83 is one of the busiest, if not the busiest, intersection in Huron County. The county has a documented history of consultations noting its dangers from a process that began investigating solutions as far back as 2021.

As well, the county has received legal advice warning of the liability issues created by not pursuing the project while knowing of those dangers. If a collision were to happen at the intersection before a roundabout’s installation, the county could face claims of negligence that might leave taxpayers footing the bill for any damages.

Now, traffic is flowing to the intersection even more than usual as crews begin their work in town.

South Huron council did recently take matters into their own hands by lowering the speed limit on Airport Line near the intersection. However, that change is not expected to significantly reduce the risks that lead to collisions.

With two consecutive years of construction slated for Exeter’s Main Street, and the tourism season fast approaching, I am increasingly concerned that it may only be a matter of time before a serious injury, or something even more tragic, occurs at the intersection.

For the sake of our community and for the people driving through it, I truly hope my fears never become reality.