The Best Foot wasn't put forward at New Street and Guelph Line.

By Pepper Parr

October 6th, 2022

BURLINGTON, ON

There are two stories here.

First what the police are trying to do. And how that is working out at the street level. It isn’t a pretty picture.

Most collisions are not ‘accidents’; they are generally the direct result of a conscious decision an individual driver has made.Good initiative ;

The Halton Regional Police have begin their Operation Impact 2022, an annual national public awareness campaign aimed at making Canada’s roads the safest in the world. By promoting safe driving behaviours, they hope to help prevent collisions, save lives, and reduce injuries on our roads.

From October 7th to 10th, 2022, police across the country will be focused on behaviours that put drivers, passengers, and other road users at risk: impaired driving due to alcohol, drugs or fatigue, as well as aggressive driving, distracted driving, and driving without a seat belt.

Most collisions are not ‘accidents’; they are generally the direct result of a conscious decision an individual driver has made. This year, our message to residents in our community is to ‘Put your best foot forward’. Drivers are expected to do this by ‘putting the brakes on’ bad driving behaviours.

“Traffic remains a key public safety and well being concern among Halton residents, year in and year out,” said Sergeant Will Clayton of Traffic Services. “This Thanksgiving weekend, the HRPS wil be joining agencies from coast-to-coast as they seek to make our roads safer for all those who use them.”

Each year, motor vehicle collisions kill about 2,000 Canadians, seriously injure another 10,000 people, and injure about 165,000 citizens in this country.

Operation Impact is organized by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, under the leadership of the CACP Traffic Safety Committee, in support of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2025.

David Barker

David Barker, a resident and the owner of one of the best preserved historical residences in the city reports witnessing a very close call at the intersection of New Street and Guelph Line:

“As I approached the location from the south two cyclists and a pedestrian stepped off the sidewalk to cross from west to east. As they did lights at New Street went green in favour of north/south vehicular traffic.

One car sped away and had no regard for the pedestrian and cyclists. It did not slow or in any way consider those who had started to cross the road. The cyclists and pedestrian had to hurriedly retreat to the sidewalk to avoid being hit. A difficult maneuver for someone on a bike just starting to ride from a stationary position. One cyclist remonstrated at the car that had come close to them

A solution would appear to be necessary. Another traffic light or a flashing light perhaps.

This location is confusing and most unsafe. The existence of the centre island gives a firm impression that it is a crosswalk and so pedestrians have a right of way.

The City originally said there was no need for a pedestrian crossing, even though it had found there was a need for crossings on the quieter cross streets along the Centennial Way. Then when staff was questioned about that position, the City undertook a study and found the need certainly did exist.

On August 5th 2021 Mr. Ivosevic of the City wrote to me advising a signal would be installed “in the near future”. It is difficult to imagine any person can reasonably take that phrase to mean a timeframe of 18 months to 30 months.

In the meantime a very dangerous situation known to the City exists. Should an accident occur my correspondence with the City verifying the City was aware of the danger and the need for a crossing, together with its installation of crossings on other less busy cross streets, along with the excessive time it took the City to act would not bode well for the City in defending a claim?

This work needs to be expedited; any time in 2023 including the last quarter? That is really not acceptable.