A Bond Head resident said he is “truly disappointed” after the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s traffic committee voted against installing a stop sign in his neighbourhood after he was nearly run down by a car.
But BWG Coun. Ron Orr, who represents Bond Head but is not on the traffic committee, said the town is not leaving the community high and dry with its speeding issues.
Bret Foisy first approached BWG council in May after he, his wife, newborn baby and dog were nearly hit by a car while walking down Line 7 near Lallien Drive.
In response, a traffic analysis was completed for the area around Line 7, Dixon Road and Hearn Street. A recommendation was made against installing a stop sign, but in favour of putting up a radar message board and requesting more South Simcoe police presence.
“At the end of the day, the committee has failed us. They have acknowledged that there are obvious safety concerns but have done nothing to help. Even after their findings, they have done nothing to increase the safety of our neighbourhood,” Foisy said.
“I’m truly disappointed, and I couldn’t be happier that it’s an election year and we will have a choice to vote somebody into our ward who actually lives in our ward and will have a vested interest in our safety.”
Foisy said he originally asked council for a “physical barrier” and that did not necessarily mean a stop sign.
“They decided a stop sign maybe the best option before I even gave my deposition. They gave many many excuses as to why other options weren’t a possibility,” he said.
“Had the report asked specifically for any recommendations to increase pedestrian safety along that corridor as opposed to specifically a stop sign at that intersection, I believe that there would be recommendations other than increased police presence and a radar board.”
He said he believes a radar message board is not a resilient or sustainable system, and so it is a “large waste of time and money.”
The town has previously extended some of the pavement as a sort of sidewalk for pedestrians near Hearn Street, he said, but the line separating it from the road has not been repainted and it is “now used as a wider roadway and a place for cars to park.”
With new subdivisions in Bond Head expected to be complete in the next few years, Foisy said he wants he wants more representation of the interests of Bond Head and Newton Robinson residents at council.
Orr said he attended a recent meeting where the traffic committee recommendation was made and said additional traffic calming measures were also recommended.
BWG council is expected to officially approve or send back the traffic committee’s recommendation at its next meeting in August.
“They’re not just leaving it and hoping the police can do something. They are going to put some bollards in,” he said, referring to brightly-coloured vertical posts placed at the side of the road. “It (creates) the perception that the road is getting narrower and you need to slow down.”
Orr said he plans to advocate long term for a stop sign on Line 7 at Dixon Road because of the nearby subdivision being built.
“There would be a lot more noise people would have to put up with because of vehicles stopping and starting,” he said, but “the answer going forward is a four-way stop at Hearn and Dixon.”
Speeding is “not special to Bradford,” but he would like to see an awareness program started after this fall’s municipal election, he said.
“The people are complaining about the speeding, and it’s their neighbours too (who are doing the speeding). You don’t want to be the person who harms somebody.”
Debbie Bergin, who has lived in Line 7 for 33 years, said she is not surprised by the traffic committee’s recommendation because community members have been complaining to council about speeding in the area for years with no changes.
“Hopefully when Bond Head has expanded and they’ve done their building, maybe then we’ll get (a stop sign),” she said.
Dan Stiver, who has lived in Bond Head for 42 years, also said he is not surprised a stop sign was not recommended, but he added he wants something to be done to improve safety for his grandchildren and neighbours.
“Nobody seems to be doing anything. (Traffic) definitely needs to be slowed down. We really have to watch the road. We can’t even sit out front,” he said.
Stop signs go up in subdivisions all the time, he said, so why not on Line 7?
“I’ve been there for 40 years and put up with it,” he said. “What’s it going to take? For somebody to be killed?”
