Frank Berry said he didn't do a "conflict study" comparing the current motel and restaurant use at the crossroads to what traffic would be like after construction of a proposed 17,722-square-foot Shoppers Drug Mart.

City staff did, however, crunch his traffic numbers. That study compared traffic today with likely future traffic along King Street at the nearby Zehr's shopping plaza, Berry told city councillors Monday.

"City staff did it and concluded the proposed land use would be an improvement. I concur with that finding," he said.

There's nothing unusual about the collision history for King, which he called a typical urban street in a built-up area, Berry said.

Lawyer Filomena Andrade doesn't agree. Her office is immediately southeast of the proposed drugstore parking lot. The new store which would be tucked tight against sidewalks at the southeast corner of King and Bishop.

Andrade said the area is crash-prone now, mainly because of all the traffic around a Tim Hortons and the existing Zehrs entrances on King across the street from her office. King-Bishop is 68th on the "most accidents" ranking of intersections regionwide, she said.

Waterloo Region didn't do a thorough review of traffic issues at King-Bishop, she said. The situation needs "a thorough review" before allowing a big store to draw more traffic. She wants the new drugstore driveway nine metres away from hers, as the region expects.

That separation is a region policy, not a hard rule, said Hans Madan, planner for Canadian Commercial Group. That concern can be sorted out when a detailed site plan is reviewed before construction starts, he said.

The drugstore plan won easy approval by councillors. Nobody voted against it.

It's not a perfect world and all traffic collisions can't be avoided, said Coun. Karl Kiefer. The developer has held several neighbourhood meetings to smooth out concerns early.

"I must say Canadian Commercial Group has done a good job interacting with the folks. They've tried to comply to the best of their abilities," he said.

"The accident record in this general area is not untypical on urban streets in built up areas," Berry said.