Radar vehicle detection devices, aimed at helping the flow of traffic move more smoothly, have been installed Harbour Expressway intersections at Balmoral Street and Memorial Avenue.

The city recently installed radar vehicle detection devices at the intersections of Harbour Expressway with both Balmoral Street and Memorial Avenue.

The radar devices are capable of reading and reacting to traffic patterns up to 900 metres away.
The devices should mean green lights will stay green longer if there is more traffic and drivers will no longer have to wait for the left-turn signal unless someone is actually there to turn left.

The city has also completed similar work at intersections on Arthur Street and Red River Road, though those devices won't be turned on until 2025.

It’s part of a $2.8 million revamp to the municipality’s traffic-light system, with the major north-south intersections on Edward Street/Golf Links Road, Memorial Avenue, Balmoral Street and Fort William Road scheduled to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026.

The new devices will replace sensors buried under turning lanes, many of which have stopped working over the decades since they were first installed, resulting in advanced left-turn arrows even when there are no vehicles in the left-turn lane.

David Binch, the traffic technologist with the City of Thunder Bay’s infrastructure and operations department, said now that fibre cables have been put in place, and the proper software has been purchased, the plan is to first test the new technology at the Harbour Expressway intersections at Memorial Avenue and Balmoral Street.

The city is also testing out thermal detection devices at Memorial Avenue and John Street, to learn how they perform during adverse weather conditions.

The goal, Binch said, is to speed up commute times in Thunder Bay.