TRAFFIC CALMING FOR HILL STREET AND SPENCER COMMON

The County has made various commitments (see Commitments Made by the County below) to the notion of safe neighbourhoods that protect the mobility of seniors and more generally the quality of life for all County residents. The residents of Hill Street and Spencer Common believe that the County is currently falling short of these commitments. The purpose of this petition is to draw attention to this situation and prompt the County to take immediate action as outlined below.

CONCERNS

1. Our neighbourhood is currently experiencing an unprecedented volume of traffic. Many vehicles are travelling well above the speed limit and ignoring the existing traffic signs.
2. There are many frail seniors living both on Hill Street and in Spencer Common who have mobility issues and are at risk of injury from speeding vehicles.
3. The risks for these residents are increased by the fact that in many parts of our neighbourhood there is a lack of proper sidewalks - people are forced to walk on the road.
4. The County has recently established the Harbour Trail which includes Hill Street and the Queen Elizabeth Park and has made investments to enable County residents and visitors to enjoy this beautiful part of our community. This has resulted in increased pedestrian traffic on Hill Street as well as children playing in the Queen Elizabeth Park area. The current traffic situation is at odds with the intent of these investments.
5. Members of our neighbourhood have made numerous attempts to get The County to act to address these concerns to no avail.

COMMUNITY REQUESTED ACTIONS

That The County…

1. Immediately establish a posted speed limit of 30 KM / hour on Hill and Spencer Streets.
2. Consider the installation of several speed humps in appropriate spots on Hill Street to address the excessive speeding which is currently a danger to residents and visitors.
3. Adopt our neighbourhood as a Traffic Calming* pilot project. We are eager to work with The County to introduce traffic calming measures in our neighbourhood to mitigate the horrible traffic conditions that we are currently experiencing including the improper use of our streets as a detour for the current Main Street construction project. We believe the learnings from this pilot will help The County to adopt and apply effective measures in other areas of The County that are negatively impacted by the speed and volume of traffic.

The results of the survey will be delivered to The County Council and The County's Traffic Advisory Committee.

* Traffic calming uses various methods to encourage drivers to travel at appropriate speeds on streets in residential neighbourhoods. This can include speed bumps, reduced speed limits, various types of cautionary signage, increased speed fines, etc. Traffic calming is known to be successful at reducing vehicle speeds and improving pedestrian safety.

COMMITMENTS MADE BY THE COUNTY

The County’s Strategic Plan is committed to the concept of “age in place”. Source: The County Strategic Plan

Increase mobility access for seniors in The County. Source: Prince Edward County Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, page 10

Make the waterfront a multi-use community space (e.g., walking and exercise trail for seniors, youth fishing, informal meeting spots) - a place available for anyone to take a break in a beautiful outdoor setting. Seeks to strengthen the sense of community through improved accessibility and linkages with trails and public space, neighbourhoods, schools and community groups – with each helping to animate the jewel that is Picton Harbour. Source: Harbour Trail Plan (2021), Picton Harbour Vision (2017)

The detailed design of the public … realm …will support…healthy, complete and accessible communities for people of all ages. This includes providing safe pedestrian …facilities The transportation system is intended to provide for the efficient and safe passage of pedestrians…and provide for the balanced usage of motor vehicles. Transportation… be planned, designed, and constructed to minimize the effects of noise, fumes, and vibration on existing… residential development. Source: Official Plan pages 60 and 75  

Andrew Janikowski and Bob Cooke    Contact the author of the petition