A new traffic signal is expected to ease the school-hour congestion at the intersection of Paris Road and Queensway Drive.
City of Brantford installed a full traffic signal to better control foot and car traffic at the intersection near St. John’s College. Heather Carvalho, the City’s Manager of Communications and Community engagement, said the approved budget for the intersection was $150,000, which is about the average cost of installing lights at an intersection.
Although the final cost has not been determined, the funding is coming through the Province of Ontario’s Road Safety Initiatives Fund, which was introduced in November 2025 to support road safety in school zones and community safety zones in place of automated speed enforcement cameras.
Ward Two Councillor John Sless said the traffic signal was put up to better disperse traffic, which occurs during peak school hours when parents are dropping off and picking up their kids.
“What this will do is create gaps in those two hours each day for there to be a break in the traffic so the cars can get in and out safely,” said Sless.
Anastasiia Dumanska, a former St. John’s College student, recalled that Paris Road was always busy during peak school hours, while some classmates even jaywalked to the other side of the road to catch the city bus home.
“Traffic lights will make their way much safer,” said Dumanska. “The intersection was always difficult to cross because of the volume and speed of traffic, which made it feel unsafe at times.”
Gino Caputo, Ward 2 Councillor, said the lights are up and will be used when school begins.
“The lights are already up,” said Caputo. “Just a little bit of concrete work that needs to be done.”
Upon activation, the signal will run six cycles per hour during the two peak school periods each day, giving drivers dedicated breaks to exit the parking lot safely. For the rest of the day, signal timing will be optimized to prioritize traffic flow on Paris Road while maintaining safe access for other road users. Outside school hours, the signal can also be triggered by a pedestrian push button or by a sensor detecting vehicles approaching on Queensway Drive.
Caputo added that the intersection will also help calm speeders, as the stretch of Paris Road has too much space between signals, making it more prone to speeding.
“We can’t put traffic cushions on an arterial road,” said Caputo. “It’s the only way to be able to control traffic.”
Both councillors also noted that it was not requested directly by residents, but was appreciated at the town hall meeting when the issue was raised.
“No one has commented saying anything negative,” said Caputo, adding that residents who had raised traffic concerns in the past felt the signal was a smart decision.
Sless mentioned that the construction caused minimal disruption, and the work was done quickly, even burying sensors under the road, as it is a busy intersection.
“There really was no major interruption with traffic,” said Sless. “That’s a very busy road, so they have to be careful that they don’t just shut down roads. Especially a lot of highway traffic coming off of that road, a lot of people just come through there.”
