'It's outrageous': Sign bylaw changes stoke speeding concerns

Thestar.com
Sept. 1, 2021
Moya Dillon

Changes designed to create exceptions in Uxbridge’s sign bylaw have left some residents feeling more restricted.

Uxbridge councillors approved temporary exceptions to the township’s sign bylaw Aug. 9 in order to allow private resident signs aimed at safety or inclusion, such as "slow down" or "hate has no home here" signs. However, in order to minimize clutter and maintain safe sightlines, some restrictions remain.

“Bylaw has always regulated those signs, and the way the bylaw was written previously those signs would be removed,” said Uxbridge Mayor Dave Barton, noting bylaw would continue to enact the new rules on a complaint basis or if safety or sightlines were compromised. “We wanted to make sure that temporarily we could allow those signs in a safe manner, and we also asked staff to look for a long-term solution that treats different messages differently.”

Under the temporary moratorium, residents are permitted to have one sign that is either safety-related or similar to the "hate has no home here" signs, as long as they are within the size guidelines of the bylaw and placed on private property.

For Wendy Bradbury and her neighbours on Cemetery Road, the exception is a potential safety hazard.

“This street is basically a thoroughfare from Toronto Street and speeds get up to 80 or 90 km/h,” Bradbury said, noting residents had banded together and presented a petition to council in 2013 asking for stop signs or yield signs, but were not successful.

“We had these signs made up because nobody was helping us, we didn’t know what to do,” she continued of various ‘slow down’ and ‘children at play’ signs that she and her neighbours had posted along the boulevards of their properties.

“My frontage is quite wide, so I had two signs in each direction,” Bradbury explained, noting bylaw officers had come by and informed her she would have to remove three and move the other one to her lawn. Before the new rule was put in place, she said she had never had any issues with the signs.

“It’s outrageous,” Bradbury said. “It won’t be any help that far back from the road. The main concern is speeding. We’ve had two dogs killed here in the last few years. If nothing is done, we’re going to lose somebody.”

Council did respond to calls for action in 2019, lowering the speed limit from 50 to 40 km/h along the street, but Bradbury said it has had little impact.

A planned reconstruction of the road is currently being planned, which will bring sidewalks and curbs to the road, and possibly more.

“Everything is on the table to look at to ensure we have safety for our residents,” said Coun. Willie Popp of the redesign, which will likely begin in 2022. The township is currently waiting on a report from the consultants in charge of the project that will look at ways to incorporate community feedback and concerns.

Popp said pedestrian crossways and other traffic measuring elements could be considered as part of the three-phase project, which will be completed in partnership with the Region of Durham, which will be installing sanitary sewers at the same time.

“We’re aware that the residents of Cemetery Road are concerned about safety and we hear them and want to do the right thing by putting features in place from an active transportation perspective so they can get to their destination safely whether they are walking, by bike or by vehicle,” he said. “We look forward to reconstruction putting these pieces in place so that can happen.”

As for the signage, the temporary allowance for signs with specific messaging will remain in place until bylaw develops a new amendment to provide a long-term solution for the signs. That amendment will be brought back before council for approval once its complete.