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When Quality & Service MatterS Call for a free estimate & Visit our showroom today! 2-500 Bingemans Centre Dr. (across from Bingemans Park) 519-570-0008 • nealysflooring.com Mon. - Fri. 9:00am - 6:00pm, Sat. 10:00am - 4:00pm, Closed Sunday www.nealysflooring.com 6 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • Thursday, March 16, 2017 By Samantha Beattie Chronicle Staff The roundabout at homer Watson Bou-levard and Block Line proved itself to be the most dangerous intersection in the region, with 494 vehicle collisions from 2012 to 2016. Other parts of the busy throughway are dan- gerous too. For the last five years, there have been on average at least three vehicle collisions a week on homer Watson Boulevard. Ottawa street and Manitou drive, both at homer Wat- son, had the second and third most collisions, respectively. "homer Watson is one of the few regional roads that is really meant to move traffic," said Bob henderson, regional manager of trans- portation engineering, at a planning and works committee meeting March 7. a staff report ranked the region's roads most prone to colli- sions. "Over time it has become a roadway with higher speeds, which we feel are contributing to some collisions." staff is looking at what engineering mea- sures can be put in place to encourage lower speeds, and a roundabout is planned for homer Watson and Ottawa later this year. Overall, vehicle collisions saw an eight-year low of 5,790, decreasing by 10 per cent from 2014 to 2016. They were less deadly, too. In 2016, six were fatal, as compared to nine in 2014. "I'm glad to say the region has been operat- ing with fewer collisions on average compared to other municipalities in Ontario," henderson said. cyclist collisions decreased, from 107 in 2014 to 87 in 2016. On a Per-capita basis, cycling collisions reached a 20-year low. hes- peler road at Munch avenue had the most cycling collisions with seven over a five-year period, followed by cedar street at King street with six. Pedestrian collisions, on the other hand, increased by six per cent from 113 in 2014 to 120 in 2016. Waterloo's busy King street at university avenue intersection had the most pedestrian collisions over a five-year period, with nine, fol- lowed by King street at Bishop street, in cam- bridge, with eight. "Pedestrian collisions tend to be trend- ing upwards," said henderson. "Part of that is because more people are out walking." The region has a countermeasure program that reviews the top ranked locations and deter- mines any causes and what can be done to reduce collision potential. countermeasures typically include dual left- turn lanes, protected left-turns, raised medians and pedestrian islands, crosswalks set back from intersections, rumble strips, pedestrian countdown signals, cycling lanes and better lighting. despite the region's most dangerous inter- section being one, roundabouts are another common countermeasure. "The region's roundabouts generally con- tinue to perform with low amounts of serious injuries, and pedestrian and cyclist collisions," said a staff report. seventeen roundabouts were part of the ranking. Two made the top-10 list for locations with most vehicle collisions. Franklin Boule- vard between clyde road and savage drive, with a roundabout existing at savage drive, ranked fifth. a roundabout in Waterloo, at Erb street and Erbsville road/Ira Needles Boulevard, ranked fifth for pedestrian collisions, with eight over a five-year period. No roundabouts made the cyclist collision list. Twelve roundabouts, primarily in cam- bridge, are less than five years old and therefore could not be included in the data. The region provided these locations' collision statistics in a separate list. hespeler road at Beaverdale/ Queen streets had 92 collisions in 2015 and 2016 combined. Just in 2016, Franklin drive at Bishop street had 46 collisions and Franklin drive at Pinebush road had 49. cambridge Mayor doug craig asked why Waterloo has only two of the region's colli- sion prone areas, while cambridge and Kitch- ener dominate the top-10 lists. Even for newer roundabouts, Waterloo's have collectively only seen three over two years, at Westmount road and Laurelwood drive. "usually what we try to do when we see trends like these is drill down in the data and see if other standards are being used at some locations compared to others," said henderson. "at this point of time there aren't any differ- ences across the region." Region's worst intersections revealed Homer Watson and Block Line Road named the most dangerous 1. Homer Waterson Boulevard at Block Line, Kitchener 494 collisions from 2012 to 2016, $270,800 estimated annual social cost 2. Ottawa Street at Homer Watson Boulevard, Kitchener 221 collisions, $220,100 3. Homer Watson Boulevard at Manitou Drive/Doon Village Road, Kitchener 154 collisions, $155,400 4. Victoria Street between Bruce Street and Edna Street, Kitchener 115 collisions, $148,000 5. Franklin Boulevard between Clyde Road and Savage Drive, Cambridge 87 collisions, $145,600 6. Fairway Road at Wilson Avenue, Kitchener 161 collisions, $140,400 7. Franklin Boulevard at Can-Amera Parkway, Cambridge 140 collisions, $135,100 8. Hespeler Road at Bishop Street, Cambridge 131 collisions, $101,500 9. Franklin Boulevard at Elgin Street/Saginaw Parkway, Cambridge 128 collisions, $97,900 10. Eagle Street North between Hespeler Road and Industrial Road, Cambridge 86 collisions, $95,500 Worst 10 intersections in Waterloo Region Services covered under extended health plans Serge Petrusic BSc, DCh, Chiropodist Visit kwfoot.com to learn more or call 519-884-4200 279 Weber St. N. Suite 17 Waterloo, ON N2J 3H8 519-884-4200 kwfoot.com Doctors referral not necessary New In-Office Foot Procedure for Hammer and Curly Toes - Percutanous Tenotomy The pain caused by hammer or curly toes - discomfort on the top, tip, or side of the toe due to the position of the toe - is a common problem that many people deal with. In some cases there is a presence of swelling, a callus, a corn or an open ulcer (wound) formation that just won't heal. If the toe can be manually reduced to some degree, a small in-office procedure can significantly reduce or eliminate this problem. The procedure is called a percutanous tenotomy - a procedure where a needle is advanced through the skin to make a small release in a tendon. The procedure is performed under simple local anesthesia. The tendon that keeps the toe contracted down is released with the pinpoint scalpel-like tip of the needle. The toe is dressed and splinted and the patient receives simple care instruction for home. The toe that once only touched the ground at its tip will now be able to lay flatter, reducing pressure on the tip of the toe. This has also proven effective for those who have more pain on top of the toe because the toe now lays flat and is not fighting with the inside of the shoe, significantly reducing or eliminating pain. 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