Stouffville traffic 'downright dangerous' during peak hours, says reader

Yorkregion.com
March 24, 2022
Jim Thomas

I enjoy receiving letters, either by email or snail mail.

They can be credible or critical; agreeable or offensive; constructive or destructive, it doesn’t matter. They merely indicate personal opinions.

Important, however, is whether the results of such responses are meant to be private or public; personal or published.

I bring this to your attention after receiving correspondence from a resident in Claremont, which I considered thought-provoking. The edited version reads:

Dear Mr. Thomas,

The Hamlet of Claremont, where I live, is a rather sleepy little community where people respect one another and treat each other with a sense of esteem.

Despite the fact the area has grown considerably in recent years, this deference hasn’t changed. I hope it never does.

But Stouffville, how different. And I’m talking traffic. Truth is, between the hours of 8 and 9 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m., it’s downright dangerous for any of us to visit there. No one has regard for anyone. It’s simply “get me home as fast as possible.” An entity called “courtesy” has long been forgotten.

It would be appreciated by we “outsiders” if you could bring this problem to the attention of your commuter readers. To me, rush hours in Stouffville are much like playing Russian roulette.

Sincerely,

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Michael Campbell

Well said. Acts of driver courtesies within Stouffville’s downtown during early mornings and late afternoon commutes have long been forgotten. A change in driver attitudes is long overdue.

It was thought that when the two parallel roads Hoover Park and Millard Street were completed, the bumper-to-bumper mobile stampede along Main Street would be eliminated.

Not so -- it’s now worse.

This is due, in part, to the incredible growth of our town -- more homes, more commuters, more cars.

To cope with such expansion, traffic lights were installed at five major intersections between Ninth Line South and Tenth Line North.

While required, these “conveniences” have only escalated the difficulties, forging traffic for blocks.

Motorists dislike obstructions.

But this is only a part of the problem. As the Claremont critic points out, acts of courtesy are blatantly ignored.

With lineups so long, how can motorists residing on side streets hope to merge into such a chaotic situation?

The answer: they can’t, unless certain sympathetic drivers take pity on their plight and permit them access. Unfortunately, few do.

What about pedestrians wishing to cross the road between signals? They can’t, unless allowed. Again, this is where common courtesies should be practiced.

It was more than 30 years ago that Stouffville businessperson Ged Stonehouse made traffic courtesy a plank in his election platform.

Unfortunately, the appeal was ignored.

He lost. We’re still losing.

AN “UNFAIR” LOSS

Markham Fair will be missing one of its most consistent patrons when the big show opens its gates this fall.

Former fair president Brian Leslie Lee, a constant committee member and a regular attender, died March 7 in Markham Stouffville Hospital. He was 70.

Born in Stouffville and son of James and Mabyn (Licorish) Lee, Brian moved to Markham in the mid-1960s, where he later purchased the first of his fleet of budget tow trucks.

Some of these were prominent in both Stouffville and Markham Santa Claus Parades, winning many awards. He also enjoyed attending classic car shows.

“What pleased him most was helping people,” says wife Cathy, “he did this every day of his life.”

The funeral service, largely attended, was held March 14 at Markham’s Grace Anglican Church.