The Town of Newmarket is adding new safety measures on connector road Carol Avenue, but some residents are dissatisfied.
Council voted to implement traffic calming measures like asking for police enforcement, flexible bollards and solar speed boards to address traffic concerns in the community. In the long run, the town also plans to redesign the road that connects Eagle Street and Park Avenue.
However, residents presented to council March 18 wanting more significant measures and expressing doubts about police enforcement. Longtime area resident Lois Fowler said she would like to see speed bumps implemented, as they are in other communities.
The statistics “do not reveal living conditions that residents experience daily,” she said. “You don’t hear the aftermarket mufflers, with the roar of the engine, you don’t hear the large pickup trucks accelerating by, and on our small street of two blocks, you don’t see the cars passing another car that is doing speed limit.”
The town review came about due to residents being upset by speeding vehicles in the neighbourhood. Residents said that Carol Avenue is used by drivers looking to skip past parts of Yonge Street, which can make it hazardous for pedestrians.
The traffic study completed in May and October 2023 shows that the operating speed for vehicles — the mark at which 85 per cent of traffic is travelling at or below — was 52 kilometre per hour, and southbound at 49 to 51 kilometres per hour. Staff said this speed is not as high as other collector roads in the community, and “would not warrant aggressive measures such as speed humps.”
The report also noted requests for a possible speed limit to return to 30 kilometres per hour, as piloted on Lorne Avenue. But staff said there is not yet a policy to do this.
Councillor Bob Kwapis said some residents may not be entirely satisfied, but the town wants to rely on study-backed data to help make decisions.
“I understand that that might not be sufficient enough for the deputants but it is the black and white. It is data,” Kwapis said.
Director of engineering services Rachel Prudhomme said emergency services urge municipalities not to put in speed humps due to the reduction in their response times. Residents also will complain about speed humps due to the noise, she said.
“So, if it’s a situation like this, where it wouldn’t reduce the speeds by very much, we don’t recommend them,” she said.
Avenue Road resident Harry Carter said crossing the street is challenging due to the speeds on intersecting Carol Avenue. He sought a speed limit reduction but said there should be other measures like clearer lines of sight at the intersection, as well as no parking on the west side between Park and Avenue Road.
“Let’s hope that some positive steps for safety can be taken in the near future,” Carter said.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said though he would not support speed bumps, a parking restriction near the intersection could be done, and moved to have staff proceed with that as appropriate.
Staff also recommended efforts to improve the Carol Avenue and Avenue Road intersection. In the long-term, staff also plan to redesign Carol Avenue with a “complete streets” approach, including sidewalks on both sides and a narrower road platform.
