Letter to Council Members re: Additional All-Way Stop Intersections

Post date: Nov 10, 2012 3:14:17 PM

Sent by email May 29, 2006

To: J. Heath, J. Jones, B. O’Donnell

Cc: F. Scarpitti, J. Webster

Legacy Additional All-Way Stop Intersections

Thank you for the support you expressed for additional all-way stop intersections in Legacy at the AGM of the Legacy Community Ratepayers’ Association on May 7, 2006. Below is a summary of the issue.

Legacy Public School will be opening in September 2006. Legacy residents will not be eligible for busing to school under YRDSB guidelines. In order to access sidewalks and walk safely to the school site, students are required to cross a number of intersections that do not require traffic to stop routinely to accommodate crossing. The LCRA has requested all-way stops for four intersections as a safety matter for children and parents expected to walk to Legacy Public School.

As a convenience, a map showing the school site and intersections is attached.

1. The intersection at Rouge Bank Drive and Russell Jarvis Drive/Cottontail Avenue currently has stop signs only for northbound and southbound vehicles. This is a primary intersection for 120 homes to cross to and from the school site. We request additional stop signs for eastbound and westbound traffic.

2. The intersection at Legacy Drive/Juneberry Avenue and Russell Jarvis Drive currently has stop signs only for northbound and southbound vehicles. This is a primary intersection for 110 homes to cross to and from the school site. We request additional stop signs for eastbound and westbound traffic.

3. The intersection at Rouge Bank and Russell Jarvis Drives (northwest) currently has stop signs only for northbound and southbound vehicles. This is a primary intersection for 110 homes to cross to and from the school site. We request additional stop signs for eastbound and westbound traffic.

4. The intersection at Lady Fern and Legacy Drives currently has a stop sign only for eastbound and vehicles. This is a primary intersection for over 400 homes to cross to and from the school site. We request additional stop signs for northbound and southbound traffic.

5. Additionally, with the increased use of the Rouge River Community Centre – particularly during the summer months with the pool and golf course both operating – we request additional stop signs for eastbound and westbound traffic at the intersection of Rouge Bank Drive and Silverflower Avenue where there is currently only a stop sign for southbound traffic.

As reviewed at the AGM, we have pursued this issue previously with Town staff and have been advised that provincial warrants are not being met that would support the new signs. The issue is not an application of indicators used by many municipalities in the province of Ontario. The issue is the unique need of a new neighbourhood in Markham that has its own unique design features requiring additional traffic stop signs. We believe the lack of these all-way stop intersections to be an original design flaw that needs to be corrected for the safety of residents, particularly children walking to and from school on a daily basis and to and from the swimming pool during the summer months.

Numerous accidents have occurred at these locations. As the school opens and the frequency with which our children will be walking these routes increases it is important that we take proactive measures to protect them.

Thank you for following this up with attention to the needs of Legacy residents.

Don Hutchinson

Traffic and Safety Sub-Committee Chair

Al Pickard

President

Legacy Community Ratepayers’ Association