Depositions To T&EYCC Community Council Meeting

September 4th, 2006

Toronto & East York Community Council

RE: Installation of a Stop Sign at the traffic intersection of Oriole Parkway and Oxton Avenue

Dear Committee Members:

Let me begin by thanking the T&EYCC committee for agreeing to consider the proposal to re-install a stop sign at the traffic intersection of Oriole Parkway and Oxton Avenue. Unfortunately, I cannot take part in these proceedings today as I am overseas [at the moment] and have therefore asked Council Walker’s team to read aloud my comments found below.

Clearly, this proposal is solely about pedestrian safety and the very real dangers posed by an intersection which now “boasts” a “lethal” mix of crossing pedestrians, unfriendly pedestrian signage and a continuous free-flowing “wall of steel.” I hope and trust that your support of this proposal will reflect recognition that the residents of our neighbourhood, like many others elsewhere, have a right to cross their streets in relative safety. As water flows downhill the undisputable fact remains, pedestrians will cross at this intersection regardless of its highway designation or lack of signage as they make their way to the subway and to Yonge Street.

What this issue is not about is disrupting traffic, banning cars or radical NIMBY’ism. Indeed, I have asked and urged Transportation Services on numerous occasions (even putting forward suggestions) to try and find creative ways in which the city’s traffic flow and our safety goals (the affected residents) can both, however difficult, be achieved. In the spirit of Toronto’s Pedestrian Charter you have an opportunity today to take reasonable action to protect the daily safety of local pedestrians in our residential neighbourhood. I hope and urge you to use this opportunity to good effect on our behalf.

Recently, I read some alarming statistics (Toronto Star, January 4th, 2006) that indicated that some 200 pedestrians on average are hit by cars each month, of which last year 29 were killed. It is precisely for this reason that last June I launched a local website (http://www.oxton.blogspot.com/) to highlight the dangers faced by pedestrians at this intersection.

As a ten year Oriole Parkway resident I have seen this intersection go from manageable several years ago to down-right dangerous today. A direct result stemming from the removal of the corner’s stop sign which has created a non-stopping 20,000 car a day artery through the middle of a residential neighbourhood, “topped off” with what I believe is driver desensitizing “Pedestrian Wait For The Gap” signage. This is clearly a tragic accident is waiting to happen.

Local residents and pedestrians have been adversely affected such that they are…:

Fearful and uneasy at the thought of crossing Oxton-Oriole.

Forced into challenging traffic in order to cross.

Forced to out of their way to avoid the Oxton-Oriole intersection on the natural route to the subway.

Encouraged to use the Oxton Avenue crosswalk which is poorly located, out-of-the-way and seldom used (and I now understand that Mayor Millers has suggested that Toronto’s crosswalks could be unsafe).

Local pedestrians face real risks to their personal safety…

As drivers are now conditioned to be believe pedestrians are waiting a traffic gap are therefore often totally surprised to find a pedestrian crossing the road (at a walking speed of 3km’s verse a cars 60km; it’s no contest)

As many drivers now feel compelled to either (1) honk at you, (2) be belligerent to you or worse (3) try to pass dangerously close in front of or behind you to get by while continuing at unabated speed.

Should any driver attempt to stop for a pedestrian (out of thoughtfulness) or out of fear (since many drivers find this corner intimidating), a chorus of honking results that has made the lives of the residents of 130 Oriole Parkway (the corner building) totally miserable.

As nearly every local resident I’ve talked to has had a very “close encounter” with a car (one car even ran over a ladies suitcase she was pulling behind her).

As poor intersection lighting makes it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians crossing at night.

Bottom line…

You have to stop, wait, then run across or dodge traffic. No elderly, ill person or child, let alone healthy adult can do it safety! It is only a matter of time before some is killed.

I have now met with Councillor Michael Walker on several occasions and have presented to him a
successful petition calling for the return at the very minimum of our former stop sign. Councillor Walker and his team has obtained a 10km speed reduction on Oxton Avenue, installed “Quiet, Residential Neighbourhood” signs and held a public meeting, and now, represents our interests before you today. I and many of my like-minded local supporters appreciate his help thus far in the interests of pedestrian safety at Oxton Avenue and Oriole Parkway.

I am told the single over ridding reason for making the present corner configurations was to accommodate the wishes of near-by homeowners who wanted to stop non local cars short-cutting cars through their streets. As a result those of us living at Oxton and Oriole are now inconvenienced by even more non local traffic, the lives of the residents of 130 Oriole Parkway are made miserable and more importantly all our safety as pedestrians is imperilled. I asked you to judge whether or not this indeed right or fair?

In short:

If 20,000 cars a day are to be funnelled onto Oxton Avenue, then at a minimum the city should find a way to make it safe for local residents and pedestrians to cross their own streets. The proposal for the re-installation of a stop sign at the intersection of Oxton-Oriole is one small step in this direction.

I would like to thank you for your consideration and attention to this matter. I look forward to outcome of your deliberations.

Sincerely,

Mark Rees
Toronto
Email: orioleatoxton@hotmail.com
Website: www.oxton.blogspot.com