Aurora council approves speed cushion pilot on 3 local streets

Yorkregion.com
May 25, 2016
By Teresa Latchford

Taking a page from Kennedy Street residents, one denizen of Mavrinac Boulevard secured speed cushions to slow down traffic on his street.

Residents of Aurora’s Kennedy Street left council chambers feeling victorious last week when their deputations proved sufficient to make council disregard a staff recommendation not to proceed with a one-year speed cushion pilot project on the route.

Mavrinac resident Brian Wilson heard the discussion last week at the committee meeting and decided to take matters into his own hands to advocate for traffic calming measures where he lives.

“I listened to what every single one of you (council members) said last week. You need to get a champion, someone to go out and do the work and get the support of the community,” he said. “I went out and I petitioned.

“It was a great way to spend my long weekend - trying to convince people I wasn’t selling vacuums.”

He approached neighbours from Borealis Avenue to Spring Farm Road. He door-knocked at 27 houses and 24 residents signed the petition. Every person he spoke to had a story about the traffic on the street.

In a recorded vote, council approved moving ahead with the speed cushion pilot project on Kennedy Street, Mavrinac Boulevard and McMaster Avenue.

Councillor Paul Pirri was against the motion.

Earlier this year, the town mailed out 1,514 surveys to residents of Conover Avenue, Kennedy Street West, Mavrinac Boulevard, McMaster Avenue and Stone Road to gauge the interest in having speed cushions installed to slow traffic.

In order for the town to move forward on the installations, 70 per cent of residents had to respond in support of it. However, in all five areas, the survey didn’t show the needed support to continue with the installation of the traffic calming measures, according to the most recent staff report.

Gilberto Pesegi, a resident of Kennedy Street West, took matters into his own hands and went door-to-door on the street asking for signatures on a petition and 98 per cent of those he spoke with felt speeding was a problem and that something had to be done.

“No matter what time of day or night there are always cars screaming down the street,” he told council. “It’s like a speed way from Bathurst to Yonge.”

The residents on the street would support the installation of speed cushions and a few more stop signs to make the street safe.

“I am okay with the traffic on the street but I’m not okay with the speed at which it travels,” he said. “It’s not fair to my wife who has to pull out of the driveway and it’s not fair to my kid can’t play basketball in the driveway.”

Dr. Beverly Bouffard and her son, Jean-Luc echoed Pesegi’s concerns.

“Imagine if you lost your best friend by being hit by a car,” Jean-Luc said. “I don’t want to lose any of my friends.”

Children’s balls are getting run over, one child has been hit and the issue won’t resolve itself, Bouffard added.

Residents have tried parking their cars on the street to slow traffic but it only resulted in a vehicle being hit and York Region Police have responded to complaints and laid charges while monitoring the area, but it isn’t a permanent solution.

“It is not their job, nor do we want our police officers posted permanently at our intersection. This is the town’s burden to solve,” she said. “Placing the burden on residents to repeatedly report to Road Watch is impractical, unethical and inefficient.”

She pointed out that it is nearly impossible to capture licence plate numbers on video with a phone, adding they have tried.

“Speed has serious consequences when a pedestrian is involved,” Bouffard said.

A pedestrian struck at 32 kilometres-per-hour has a 5 per cent chance of it being fatal, but when hit at 54 km/h the chance of being killed increases to 85 per cent.

She insisted it is the town’s job to ensure the residents in this neighbourhood and the children playing in their front yards or walking to the nearby park are safe.