More traffic calming measures for Centre Street clear final hurdle

July 30, 2021 · 0 Comments

Efforts to put more traffic calming measures on Centre Street to control one-way traffic at its western end have moved forward.

Council last week ratified a decision made at the Committee level on July 6 that will see the installation of speed cushions on Centre Street between Spruce and Wells.

The speed cushions have been a hotly contested issue around the Council table since first floated by Councillor Sandra Humfryes who said it would not only deter speeds on the thoroughfare within the Town’s Heritage Conservation District, but will also make drivers more aware of the one-way controls put in place more than a decade ago to deter drivers using the street as a bypass of Yonge and Wellington.

While Councillor Humfryes remained in favour of the plan, she asked for further assurances ahead of this week’s Council meeting that there were no objections or concerns from the Central York Fire Services.

Also steadfast on the topic was Councillor Rachel Gilliland, who has been a critic of the proposal. There, she said she was not in support of traffic calming speed humps if it was going to hinder emergency response times – but underscored her opposition to other components as well.

“I appreciate Councillor Humfryes trying to find a solution to stop these cars from going the wrong way on the street and we really need to think about what it is we’re trying to solve – and that is going the wrong way on the street,” she said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to be creating another problem by kind of trying to band-aid a solution that still may not work.

“There are so many other traffic calming measures in a one-way street and adding another traffic calming hump is just going to add more to that delay time. If we were to look at that small spot, yes, it is very small, but I think even more so as a reason why [not] to hinder the performance and the response time that the residents deserve to have… Is this really going to solve the problem or are we creating another problem by trying to do so? In my opinion right now, I am not in support of installing this speed hump.”

Councillor Gilliland made a motion to simply receive the recommendation rather than moving forward with it, but the motion received no seconder.

At the end, Committee approved the speed hump on a vote of 4 – 3 with Councillors Wendy Gaertner and John Gallo joining Councillor Gilliland in opposition.

Council approved the measures last week without any further discussion.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter