{"id":29700,"date":"2021-07-22T23:47:40","date_gmt":"2021-07-23T03:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=29700"},"modified":"2021-07-22T23:58:25","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T03:58:25","slug":"improvements-coming-for-pedestrians-on-henderson-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/improvements-coming-for-pedestrians-on-henderson-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Improvements coming for pedestrians on Henderson Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Significant changes will be coming to improve pedestrian safety on Henderson Drive near Tamarac Trail and Lee Gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council last week approved two new measures that are aimed to make things safer for individuals looking to cross at an existing pedestrian crossover in the area that nearby residents say has continually fallen short since its installation in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff recommended improving the situation by installing an overhead flashing crossover sign and trimming nearby vegetation. Council accepted these preliminary recommendations as an interim measure to improve safety; but lawmakers also went a step further, going against staff\u2019s recommendations and voting in favour of a signalized crossing, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff said the traffic volumes weren\u2019t there to justify the signalized crossing and could result in unnecessary traffic delays, use of fuel and increased noise, but Council agreed that residents\u2019 safety was paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis type of crosswalk is a dangerous solution for a drive like Henderson,\u201d said resident Margaret Burns who shared her views in a delegation to Council on the existing situation. \u201cOne of the biggest problems is when cars have actually stopped and people are in the middle of crossing. Often, the second car thinks the first car is making a left-hand turn and moves to the right of the stopped car, drives through while the pedestrian is in the middle of crossing the road. This is so dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something Ms. Burns said she and her family have experienced while crossing the street with their granddaughter. A car driving west, she said, went around the car that had stopped for them and missed the four-year-old by no more than two feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough the Town has done a traffic survey, that survey is at least three years old,\u201d she continued. \u201cI have lived in Aurora for the past 24 years and I believe that the traffic has increased tremendously over these years. I don\u2019t claim to be a traffic engineer; I am certainly not up on all the rules and regulations that are associated with the general infrastructure and planning of the Town. However, I do believe I am qualified to talk intelligently about safety, and from what I have experienced as a person living in this neighbourhood and seeing the reality on the ground, this crosswalk is not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council agreed that the crosswalk as it stands is not safe, but the right path forward on how to correct the situation was the subject of debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking in favour of taking the extra measures above and beyond staff\u2019s recommendation, Councillor Sandra Humfryes said a similar crossing further east on Henderson has proved effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have not ever had a complaint or worry about that area and I am just afraid we\u2019re going to spend this kind of money now (on Staff\u2019s recommendation) and have to go to the further measure to make sure we are providing the best safety possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor Wendy Gaertner had a similar viewpoint, noting that although the measures that could cost more than $200,000 funded from reserves allocated for the repair and replacement of roads, came with a steep bill, it was necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bottom line here is safety,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money that we hadn\u2019t planned on spending, but I think that in this case and with the situation that we need to find that money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Councillor Harold Kim: \u201cSafety is paramount. Whether it be sidewalks or whether it be stop signs\u2026I can\u2019t put a price on that. Liability is always an issue and I don\u2019t want to have to come back after a $15k temporary fix and add more to the budget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until the new mechanisms can be installed, Councillor Gaertner floated the idea of a four-way stop at the intersection, but the idea failed to find traction around the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think there is a false sense of security (with a stop sign) on such a busy road that people might just inadvertently roll through on a road like [Henderson],\u201d said Councillor Rachel Gilliland. \u201cI would feel comfortable with the improvements of the crosswalk [as presented] and it would take a while to get a proper push-button full-on light stop. We need to have some improvements now. Things may change between now and then and maybe it is something that we review to see if this has been an improvement or not, and then if we do require that extra push button light, we cross that bridge when we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor John Gallo was also in favour of going ahead with staff\u2019s recommendation to see if there was any improvement before committing to the enhanced measures before them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe numbers are nowhere near to justify the lights,\u201d he said, also citing staff\u2019s concerns on the potential increase in fuel consumption, pollution and noise, further delays might cause. \u201cTo me, that is pretty extensive. My view is we should move forward with this next step\u2026 monitor it, see if it has been improved. Motorists need to be used to something that is new and take it from there. If that doesn\u2019t work, then I would agree to explore other options, including the other recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, however, Councillor Gallo questioned the position of some Council members that it was a matter of one or the other. If safety was indeed paramount, he argued that going forward with staff\u2019s recommendation first while the details of anything further were being hammered out, was the best way forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf what I\u2019ve heard safety is paramount, if we don\u2019t do something now and we leave what\u2019s there and we\u2019re so concerned about safety you\u2019re willing to wait eight months in the horrible condition it is right now doesn\u2019t make any sense to me whatsoever,\u201d he contended. \u201cFor $15k, something could be done immediately. If we move towards the full intersection pedestrian signal, I think it would be a huge mistake not to address the apparent concerns that most of you have tonight. We would be ignoring that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Significant changes will be coming to improve pedestrian safety on Henderson Drive near Tamarac Trail and Lee Gate. Council last week approved two new measures that are aimed to make things safer for individuals looking to cross at an existing pedestrian crossover in the area that nearby residents say has continually fallen short since its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-7J2","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 10:41:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29700\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}