Incoming roadway prompts accessibility concerns for Woodbridge residents

Yorkregion.com
March 7, 2023

Ninetta Marsellli-Cucci is concerned with changes to her street that will create a bigger lack of accessibility for her daughter with cerebral palsy.

Cucci lives on Hawman Avenue in Woodbridge and is anxious about a planned in and out roadway scheduled for a condominium nearby.

The street currently has no sidewalks. With more parked cars coming onto the road, safety is a mother’s concern for her vulnerable daughter. But not only will it affect her child but several of her neighbours as well.

“My concern is accessibility for people in wheelchairs, walkers, the elderly who use mobility devices as well as our own pedestrian safety as a result of this new road that is going to be opening up,” said Cucci.

When Cucci approached the City of Vaughan about her options, she was told she would need support from about 66 per cent of the existing nearby residents for the city to consider putting in a sidewalk.

“If I wanted to make that request, I would have to put that request through. And in order to do that, I would need to ensure that I received agreement from 66 per cent of the residents or more that they support the sidewalk. And then they, the City of Vaughan, would then decide based on their criteria and funding, whether it would be approved or not,” Cucci told the Vaughan Citizen.

Cucci feels like the plight of her daughter and nearby neighbours isn’t being taken seriously enough. She’s considered taking legal action through the use of a human rights lawyer. The end result could take years.

In the meantime, both she and her husband have discussed moving to nearby towns with less congestion.

It’s a catch-22, according to Cucci, who worries about a lack of access to a transportation hub elsewhere -- as her daughter currently doesn’t drive.

That frustration is echoed by nearby residents Rosina D’Alimonte and her husband, Agostino D’Alimonte.

Agostino had a stroke and needs a wheelchair to get around, with the help of Rosina. With the incoming roadway, she also fears she and her husband will have to move due to an increasing lack of accessibility.

“It's not fair because right now, already my appointments are all downtown. I just bought a vehicle so I can get him downtown. And within a reasonable time. If I have to move, that just makes the anxiety and frustration even more,” said Rosina D’Alimonte.

A primary concern for them is the lack of pedestrian visibility on the road on Hawman Ave.

More cars mean less visibility, according to both D’Alimonte and Cucci.

However, the developer thinks the visibility concerns are overblown.

“We are of the position that the parking provided on site, both for residents and visitors, will be sufficient and should not result in the number of parked cars on Hawman Avenue being significantly greater than what someone would normally see today,” said Adam Grossi, director of planning and development at First Avenue in an email.

"We do not believe there should be any visibility concerns, given the distance between the proposed building and Hawman Avenue,” added Grossi.

According to Grossi, the building has been approved by the City of Vaughan and meets the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

“The City of Vaughan follows the Ontario Building Code and Ontario’s Design of Public Spaces Standards in reviewing new developments to ensure external public spaces, such as sidewalks, parking lots and ramps, are designed, constructed and maintained to meet and exceed the required accessibility standards for people,” said the City of Vaughan.

While the standards of accessibility may change in the future, it currently falls under city guidelines.

“We maintain the position that the number of parking spaces is sufficient, based on the work undertaken by our consultants and the approval provided by the City of Vaughan,” Grossi told the Vaughan Citizen in an email.