Formerly two car lanes, now one lane for cars, one for bicycles on York Blvd in Hamilton Ontario. This job was on the books for years, so it is a pleasure and a relief to finally have the lines down.
Grand opening is for1:00pm Tuesday May 21, 2008, but you can ride it today!
[Photo by Richard Dominick]
Media Advisory
Transportation for Liveable Communities(TLC)
addressing school zone safety in Dundas
Dundas, ON-May 15, 2008-Transportation for Liveable Communities (Hamilton's sustainable transportation advocacy group) will be leading a Community Walkabout on Governor's Road from St. Bernadette's School to Sir William Osler School.
WHO: TLC, Staff from City of Hamilton (Public Health Services, Traffic, School Crossing Guards), staff from the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, parents and interested community members.
WHAT: TLC, in cooperation with Safe Kids Canada, wants parents to understand that most pedestrian injuries and deaths are preventable. TLC has received a grant from Safe Kids Canada to conduct a "Community Walkabout" as part of Safe Kids Week. The goal of the walkabout is to address school zone safety. This approach is effective because it brings everyone together at once to identify and address the issues and work on how to make the environment safer.
WHEN: Thursday, May 29, 2008
3:15 p.m.
WHERE: Walkabout participants will meet across the street from St. Bernadette's school at Governor's Road, Dundas. The group will proceed west along Governor's Road and end at Sir William Osler School, where there will be a brief meeting to summarize findings from the walkabout and identify potential solutions.
WHY: Pedestrian injuries are a leading cause of injury related death of children under the age of 14. In order to make our communities safer for child pedestrians, we need to change societal attitudes to respect the rights of pedestrians, make environments safer, and increase the knowledge, skills and practices of children and parents. Making communities more walkable is a best practice program to reduce child pedestrian deaths and injuries. If a community is walkable and safe for children, it makes the environment safer for pedestrians of all ages.
tlchamilton.org PO Box 19, 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 1C0 tlchamilton@gmail.com
Cootes driver investigated
Police are still investigating a driver who turned left from Olympic Drive onto an uncontrolled pedestrian path last month, eventually striking a 22-year-old woman walking her dog.
Acting Hamilton Police Services Sergeant Walter Johnston said investigators originally thought alcohol was a factor.
"But investigation found alcohol was not a factor. Excessive speed was also not a factor," Sgt. Johnston said.
As he described it, the driver turned left from Olympic Drive through the intersection and directly onto the pedestrian path instead of Cootes Drive itself.
Early in the morning of April 19, McMaster student and Dundas resident Jennifer Skingley took a break from studying for final exams to take her family dog for a walk.
By 12:03 a.m., she was taken to hospital suffering from a concussion and neck injuries. Ms. Skingley was apparently home by last week, but still suffering headaches and will need further tests. Her father, Malcolm Skingley, a Dundas resident, raised concerns about the lack of safety barriers between the roadway and paved path.
"I see a lot of people, seniors and people with children, walking on that path," Mr. Skingley said.
There is in fact no barrier preventing vehicles from driving through the Cootes-Olympic intersection and onto the paved Cootes Drive Trail, and nothing to separate the trail from the other two lanes of traffic on Cootes Drive.
Only a couple of signs facing walkers and bikers indicate vehicles are not permitted.
Much of the 2.5-kilometre long paved trail runs directly along the south side of Cootes Drive, where the posted speed limit is 80 km-h, with no protective barrier between traffic and the trail.
Safety improvements
Mr. Skingley said the City of Hamilton should be pressured into making safety improvements along Cootes Drive and the paved trail to prevent vehicles from accessing it.
City staff was apparently not aware of the accident. A couple of parks department staff members who oversee planning and maintenance of Hamilton trails, including Cootes Drive Trail, said they were not aware of any problems near the intersection of Cootes and Olympic Drive, or previous instances of vehicles turning onto the pathway from Olympic Drive.
"No vehicles are allowed on any parkland or trails under the the park bylaws, except city service vehicles and (Emergency Medical Service), unless granted permission by the City," said Al Dore, manager of parks operations and maintenance.
May 5, 2008
Mayor Eisenberger and Councilors
City of Hamilton
Dear Mayor and councilors,
I am writing on behalf of “Transportation for Liveable Communities” (TLC), a working group of the Ontario Public Research Interest Group (OPIRG) at McMaster University.
TLC members are alarmed that the construction plans for the McMaster Innovation Park at the Kirkendall neighbourhood include a road that shows little attention to pedestrian and cycling, and instead serves the car to the detriment of active transportation.
We are referring to plans presented at Public Information Centre (PIC) # 2 for Frid St extension on April 1, 2008 and on the internet at the “Frid Street Extension Municipal Class EA”. What we saw at the PIC were plans in striking contrast to formerly articulated plans for “Greenspace, pedestrian and cycling links connecting the site to larger open space networks” as indicated in the Kirkendall neighbourhood traffic management study.
Where, indeed, is the Kirkendall neighbourhood traffic management study emphasis on “Integrated urban transportation systems which promote non-auto travel modes, and pedestrian and vehicular circulation”?
TLC requests that the Mayor and councilors instruct city staff to dramatically re-design the plans so that principles established in earlier public consultations are respected. We further request that the modified plans be subjected to additional public consultation.
Details like continuous sidewalks on both sides of the road, 2m-wide marked bicycle lanes on both sides of the road, and narrow (3.5m) road lanes for cars, median trees, and traffic calming pedestrian enhancements such as curb bulb outs at pedestrian crossings should be part of the design. We also question the need for the middle turn lane for automobiles for the entire length of the planned roadway.
The design should embrace opportunities to introduce traffic circles at the section between Chatham and Longwood to help reduce automobile speed and enhance the community feeling of the McMaster Innovation Park.
The intersection of Frid and Chatham should have 90 degree turning radii and curb extensions. The current drawings suggest wide turning lanes that promote speeding by turning vehicles. An alternative may be a traffic circle.
Finally, we request that, according with the spirit of the Kirkendall neighbourhood traffic management study, the name of the project for the connecting road between Chatham St and Longwood Rd will be Chatham St rather than Frid St. This would emphasize the connection of the McMaster Innovation Park to the residential neighborhoods on its east side.
I should note that TLC members and local residents are upset about the current plans and will consider further public and other actions if our reasonable requests are not met.
TLC members look forward to hearing from you about design changes.
Three school stretch reviewed for Safe Kids Week
Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News, Published on May 02, 2008
A community safety walk of Governor's Road will mark Canada's Safe Kids Week.
The walkabout to assess pedestrian and cyclist safety on the stretch of Governor's Road near two elementary schools and one high school will be hosted by Transportation for Livable Communities. It's one of about 1,000 community projects being held in the last week of May in a program organized by Safe Kids Canada.
Anyone interested in participating is welcome to meet in front of St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 29.
Safe Kids Week project leader Denyse Boxell said participants hosting their own event are encouraged to download the Safe Kids Canada pedestrian safety guide and use it to assist in their own assessment.
The Safe Kids Canada Web site also offers a four-page community walkabout scoresheet for community groups to use during their assessments.
The scoresheet includes 16 different questions; each is allocated one point for a 'no' answer, two points for 'sometimes', three for 'yes' and zero points for 'don't know'.
Questions include: Can streets be easily, safely and conveniently crossed? Do drivers drive the speed limit? Do sidewalks exist? Are sidewalks well maintained? Are there traffic calming measures?
Each question includes teaching or discussion points to help assess that particular question, or safety indicator.
A total score for the walkabout below 17 points is assessed with the statement "Community needs to make considerable effort to create pedestrian friendly environment."
A score in the range of 17 to 32 points is defined as pedestrian friendly in some areas, but needing more work in others. And a score of 33 or more points is considered "very pedestrian friendly."
Ms. Boxell said Safe Kids Canada will provide further support and education to any community group that requests it.
"We lobby local and provincial governments to make pedestrian safety better," she said.
But local groups must take the lead role in their own community, and reach out to Safe Kids Canada to receive resources or other forms of support.
Ms. Boxell said a group can contact the national organization with information on a particular pedestrian concern, their findings and their efforts, and Safe Kids Canada can provide a letter supporting the group's effort, or training, information and documents to help improve pedestrian safety.
For more information: www.sickkids.ca/safekidscanada or http://governorsroad.blogspot.com.
http://www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/126715
McMaster University hopes to attach a speed measurement sign to a bridge over Cootes Drive soon, as the City of Hamilton finalizes a 10-kilometer per hour increase to a controversial stretch of road.
City Council supported a motion by Dundas' Russ Powers, last Wednesday, to increase the speed limit around Cootes and a pedestrian controlled crossing at Sanders Boulevard from 40 to 50 km-h.
The new speed zone will stretch 888 metres north, towards Dundas, from Main Street West.
Once the official bylaw is signed by Mayor Fred Eisenberger and sent to the city's traffic engineering and operations department, the increase will mark the third speed limit at the location within the past year.
The speed dropped from 60 to 40 km-h last spring, before its upcoming move to 50 km-h.
City studies showed the change had little effect on driver behaviour, as most cars continued to travel above the original 60 km-h limit.
Hart Solomon, manager of traffic engineering, said the speed limit increase will be co-ordinated with McMaster's installation of a speed sign on the bridge they own over Cootes Drive.
And Terry Sullivan, director of security and parking services at Mcmaster, said the solar powered sign has been delivered and almost ready to put up.
"It will show your speed and the speed it should be," Mr. Sullivan said.
McMaster and the city are sharing the cost of the sign and its installation.
A former Hamilton Police Service superintendent for the division that served Dundas, Mr. Sullivan compared the sign to the small versions seen at some road construction sites, showing drivers if they are travelling above the recommended speed.
"Some say they're ineffective and some say they are effective," he said. "When I go through construction zones with them, I'm always alert.
"It's going to be an extra reminder."
The former police officer supports city council's decision to raise the limit halfway to its former rate.
"I think it was an appropriate response," Mr. Sullivan said. "I think 50 is a good compromise. We're looking forward to that."
Transportation for Liveable Communities, a transit, pedestrian and cyclist interest group based at McMaster, supported the 50 km-h compromise, as long as other recommendations from a 2004 consultant's study were also introduced.
Synectics Transportation Consultants recommended not only the pedestrian controlled crossing that was later adopted, but also a number of other changes to decrease the "hazardous" rate of speed discovered.
Randy Kay, a Dundas resident and TLC member, said a few weeks ago the 50 km-h limit appeared to be the politically acceptable compromise, but even with such a change drivers "will still be speeding at whatever feels comfortable."
