No-Left-Turn pilot program has caused problem: reader

May 24, 2017 · 0 Comments

As any long-time resident can tell you, efforts to calm traffic in the North East Quadrant of Aurora began over a decade ago.
Spruce Street was successfully calmed and transformed back into a quiet residential street.
Unfortunately, traffic simply diverted to Mark Street and Walton Drive.
The Pilot Project now underway at Yonge and Wellington Streets has worsened the problem, increasing not only the volume of traffic but the speed in our area.
The Pilot Project cannot be adequately accessed and decisions made until the Mark Street, Walton Drive “short cut” is no longer accessible.
What will it take to close this short cut? Will it take a fatality or a health related issue for this to be addressed? The volume, speed and emissions from traffic is ever-increasing. Hopefully the Town will not decide that alleviating traffic congestion at its major intersections is more of a priority than the health and safety of its residents.
As it stands now, it is hazardous to pull out of one’s own driveway safely into the steady stream of moving vehicles. Many people walk to the Go Station, walk to the nearby schools, and the safety risks are now magnified.
When traffic calming was first discussed for the neighbourhood, it was strongly suggested that there be no left hand turns permitted from Walton Drive onto Mark Street and no right hand turns onto Walton Drive from Mark Street.
This fell upon deaf ears.
90 percent of the traffic makes these turns in order to avoid the Yonge and Wellington Street intersection.
A more permanent and effective solution would be to implement the same type of road division as Spruce and Catherine Streets at the corner of Walton Drive and Cedar Crescent/Birch Court. This would return our neighbourhood to the residential area is was designed to be.
Residents I have spoken with have “given up” hoping for a solution. Many parents now drive their children to school instead of having them walk, do not allow them to ride their bicycles on the street and even for play in their own front yard for fear of their safety.
This certainly is not the new future of Aurora?
Hard data has been collected many times over the years regarding this issue and still nothing has been successfully implemented. Perhaps, as most people say, a new administration perhaps will fix the issue and the “traffic calmed community” sign so proudly posted at the busiest intersection of our quadrant will finally be meaningful.

Janet Lewis
Aurora