Pedestrian Safety Petition "Gets Rolling"

Following my first meeting with Councilor Michael Walker I began collecting signitures for the Pedestrian Safety Petition which ran for two weeks.

The petition included residential buildings located at 100 (property owners), 110, 120 and 130 Oriole Parkway; 755 Avenue Road (Avenue/Oxton).

The results were fantastic (even the local postman signed)!

If you missed signing the Pedestrian Safety Petition there is still time to add your along side your many fellow residents. Just side me an email asking me to drop by and collect your signiture.

More on how to sign up later...

Regards, Mark Rees

Michael Walker Requests Traffic Reports

As a result of my first meeting with Councillor Michael Walker and his Constituency Assistant Pierre D'Aoust", Pierre submitted a request to Transportation Services asking them to complete two area traffic studies.

Specifically, to look at the following:

SHORT TERM: Oxton, Right Onto Oriole Parkway

1. Replace Oxton (@ Oriole) "Yield" sign with a "Stop" sign and stop bars since a high proportion of vehicles feel compelled to stop first before continuing
   
   
2. Remove "Pedestrian Wait For The Gap" signs as I believe they encourage a lack of pedestrian awareness and speeding Oriole Parkway, Left Onto Oxton
   
   
3. Install rubble strips in left turn lane to slow speeds outside of rush hour
   
   
4. Install pedestrian waning signs on approach to turn (probably on the Kilbury & Oriole island)
   
   
5. Install yellow warning signs to highlight the need for caution through left turn
   
   
6. Paint warning signage in left hand turn lane

LONG TERM: Oxton Avenue @ Oriole Parkway

1. Installation of traffic lights with vehicle advanced turn signals. Of course, the above recommendations do not preclude the advancement of additional solutions that maximize pedestrian safety.

"Councillor Walker would like Transportation staff to report on the short term options (#1-6) and report back. He would also like to have staff report on the long term option (#7) in a separate report, independent of the first one."

This action completed an important first step in the engagement of the City in resolving the Pedestrian Safety isues of Oxton-Oriole.

Regards, mark

First Meeting With Councilor Michael Walker

Today was my first introduction and meeting with our Councilman Michael Walker and his Constituency Assistant Pierre D'Aoust.

During the meeting I presented to Mr. Walker a power point presentation entitled "What Gap - Pedestrian Safety at Risk" which outlined the very real risks pedestrian faced every day when trying to cross Oxton Avenue.

As the meeting progressed I learned that the recent configurations at both ends of Oxton were deliberatly designed to keep traffic moving. The stop sign at Oxton and Oriole was removed and replaced with a yield sign (which was eventually removed too) to aid in the free flow of traffic.

I was told that pedestrians were readily accommodated by the addition of a cross walk half way down Oxton (which I pointed out was not even remotely on the path for most people headed to the Subway).

At the conclusion of the meeting Michael Walker agreed to request two studies from Transportation Services, the first to look at the solutions I had proposed and the second to look at the installation of traffic lights at Oxton and Oriole.

Michael Walker and I both agreed that a neighbourhood petition would help add weight to my concerns. Hence the Oxton safety Petition was born.

Regards, Mark Rees