Red, Yellow, Relief! Big Bay Point & 20th Sideroad Is Finally Getting Traffic Lights

Big news for anyone who's ever white-knuckled their way through the Big Bay Point Road and 20th Sideroad intersection — traffic lights are finally on the way!

At the June 25 council meeting, officials gave the green light (pun fully intended) to install temporary traffic signals at the intersection this year.

Permanent ones will follow later as part of a future road overhaul. Until now, drivers on 20th were greeted with nothing but a lonely stop sign and a silent prayer.

If you've driven this stretch, you know it's a bit of a free-for-all. The numbers back it up: 13 accidents last year, and 7 already this year.

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The most recent crash involved a mother and her young child — their vehicle was totalled, but thankfully, everyone walked away okay. Still, this intersection has had more drama than a season of The Bachelor.

The cost for the temporary lights is pegged at $200,000, coming out of the 2025 traffic committee budget (so… at least we know where some of our tax dollars are going). The lights could be up as early as this fall — pumpkin spice season with a side of safety, anyone?

And don’t worry, these aren’t throwaway lights. Once the intersection gets its permanent glow-up — currently pencilled in for 2028 — the temporary setup will be reused elsewhere in the township. (Reduce, reuse, redirect traffic.)

So go ahead, breathe a sigh of relief, Simcoe drivers. The Wild West of intersections is getting civilized.