A newly formed residents’ traffic safety group wants more done to make town streets safer.
Caledon Community Road Safety Advocacy (CCRSA) is holding what is being called a solemn walk to remember those killed in collisions. It takes place at 5:45 p.m. today outside the Humber River where a community traffic safety meeting hosted by the Town of Caledon starts at 6:30 p.m.
CCRSA spokesperson Cheryl Connors said it’s time for the town to step up and find solutions.
“We think all the people involved should be sitting in a room and coming up with a plan to keep us safe. The mayor writes letters to the province and the province replies saying you have all the tools you need. Our councillors say they’ve used all the tools in their toolkit so we are tired of the passing of the buck amongst all elected officials.”
She added people are dying on Caledon roads and residents have had enough.
“We had a town hall last week and people were crying, talking about how fearful they are when they drive anywhere. One woman said she had a meeting the next day and was going to call in sick because she was too afraid to drive the route.”
Connors said parents with children on the roads, including her 23-year-old son, are constantly worried about their sons and daughters being safe.
“He is the same age as the young woman who died a few weeks ago in a collision. Parents are fearful every time our kids leave our houses. My son gets upset because I want him to tell me when he gets where he is going. We live with fear we are going to be the next ones to get a knock on the door.”
She explained that death was the one that galvanized the community to form CCRSA. The group partially blames poor planning for the safety situation the town finds itself in.
“They filled it up with warehouses which has been made worse with I think 300 illegal truckyards. We are a commuter town and we don’t have public transit. Every single person who lives here must drive to work, to school, to shop.”
Connors added when you put a large volume of vehicles on the road and add commuters coming from north of the town, it is a recipe for disaster.
The town has recently reduced speed on some roadways and in a release, Mayor Annette Groves said community safety is a top priority.
“Together with community partners, such as the OPP, the enforcement of these speed limit reductions will help protect our roads, our neighbourhoods, our residents and our visitors.” The town has also released a map outlining the locations of the speed limit changes.
MyBoltonNow will release a follow-up story tomorrow revealing what solutions the CCRSA has to improve traffic in Caledon.
