Signs, Stop signs and Support

I received a very nice email from Michelle who lives in Ward One.

Hello Mike,

I am just wondering if you can tell me if you would be looking at issues regarding our childrens parks if elected. We spend a lot of time at the parks with our children and we hope that some changes will be made as Milton continues to grow. We live on Barclay Circle and we are definitely in support of you as a candidate that understands our communities needs.
Best of luck on election day.

Thanks,
Michelle

She was one of the many residents on Barclay Circle who helped me with a recent stop sign issue this past summer.

My response…

*****

Hi Michelle,

Thank you very much for your email and your support.

As for parks, I have made that one of my 3 major points on my campaign under Green Growth. I hope to work with future developments to ensure we have enough parks and green spaces for us to enjoy and to provide a safe place for our young children to play.

We have a lot more growth to come and we need a voice on council who will speak up for young families alike to make sure we continue to build communities and not just places to live.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you and I hope to serve as your councillor in the next term.

Take care,

Mike Cluett
Candidate, Ward One Town Council
mike@mikecluett.ca
www.mikecluett.ca

*****

What had happened was the Town of Milton found out there were some stop signs installed by the developer that werent included in the Town’s records and therefore not covered in the towns bylaws. They did some traffic studies and found that the amount of traffic in the intersection didnt “warrant” any stop signs and planned to remove them. They put up a large sign in the area telling people by a certain date these signs were to go.

That didnt sit welll with both myself and many residents in the area. I immediately canvassed several homes and found the feeling was unanimous almost. I had worked with the Town of Milton and made a presentation to one of the committee to see if we can keep the signs where they were. Long story short I made my presentation to council and it was accepted and the signs remained in place.

Here is a link to the Milton Canadian Champion story. I have included the text below.

It seems to be a common thread in this municipal election of the importance of a councillor (or future councillor) to live in the ward they represent. This way they can gain a deeper understanding of the issues they face on a daily basis, because they deal with them as well.

I really do apprecaite your emails of support. While I dont post all of them, they are VERY motiviating to make sure I keep getting out there to visit during the election campaign. Its something that I promised to do when I started and its something that I promise to continue to do as your town councillor before the next election campaign.

If you would like a lawn sign to show your support, email me at signs@mikecluett.ca

I’ll see you at the doors. Heres the article…

All-way stop near park likely to remain
Proposed removal nixed by committee
Melanie Hennessey
Jun 20, 2006

A proposal to remove an all-way stop at the intersection of Barclay Circle and March Crossing was given the red light by a Town committee last week.

The matter went before the community services committee, which decided to go against Town staff’s recommendation and instead support keeping the signage in place.

A report from Director of Engineering Services Paul Cripps explains his staff recently noticed the all-way stop had been put up by the subdivision’s developer. The signs were actually erected several years ago.

Subsequently, staff completed traffic counts at the intersection and, based on those numbers, found the stop signs aren’t warranted. “A review of the three-year collision history at this intersection indicates that there have been no reportable collisions,” the report says.

It goes on to note that, “During the counts, numerous children were observed crossing the roadway to utilize the park and further that they could safely cross as there were adequate gaps in the traffic.”

However, Yates Drive resident Mike Cluett argued that the high volume of children crossing the road means the stop signs need to stay in place.

“During the spring and summer months, the amount of pedestrian traffic increases throughout the day and the removal of these stop signs can pose a risk to the people, mainly children, who use that park,” he told the committee. “

The removal of the stop signs can impose a risk and confusion for children who have now been accustomed to these safety rules that they have learned.”

Cluett, in conjunction with the residents in the area of Barclay Circle and March Crossing, requested that the stop signs remain installed.

Cripps said staff is afraid motorists in the area will begin to ignore the stop signs, creating a dangerous situation if a child assumes the vehicle will stop.

He said he spent an hour at the intersection one day and of the 122 cars he saw, only 56 stopped, 25 made rolling stops and 41 didn’t stop at all.

Ward 1 Councillor Rick Day put forward a motion, which the committee endorsed, to retain the all-way stop at the subject intersection. It also supported implementing an all-way stop at the intersection of Bennett and Armstrong boulevards.

The matter will now go before town council for consideration June 26.

Melanie Hennessey can be reached at mhennessey@miltoncanadianchampion.com.