Town considers making Francis Street two-way

Posted Jan 5, 2012 By Desmond Devoy

EMC News - The Town of Carleton Place will be asking the Upper Canada District School Board if it will consider turning Francis Street back into a two-way street.

Dave Young, the town's director of public works, went on a tour of the area with Henry Zykowski of By-Town Engineering, and Zykowski was intrigued by what he saw.

"He couldn't understand the one-way street," said Young, during a presentation before the town's police review committee meeting on Dec. 15.

"I understand it is not a municipal road. It is owned by the school board. He understands that we do not have authority over that road."

Young noted that by making the street a two-way, it would be easier to control the large numbers of cars using the road to pick up and drop off students, by directing them out onto Lake Avenue East, than up to the five-way stop with Patterson Crescent near the curling club.

Coun. Gary Strike suggested Francis Street could be made into a community safety zone, like portions of Town Line Road are.

"The data does not support implementing it (on Francis Street)," said Young.

Area resident Jane Hart noted there is precedent for making Francis Street a two-way. "The school did temporarily use that as a two-way street when the day care was being constructed, and it was not a problem," said Jane. "I think it could help in the short term."

Mayor Wendy LeBlanc added that making the area into a community safety zone could become a bargaining chip in negotiations with the school board.

SPEEDING ON PATTERSON

Jane's husband, Peter, was also in attendance at the meeting, and he was greatly concerned about the increase in the number of cars speeding along nearby Patterson Crescent, very close to the Arklan Community Public School.

"I think you will find it quite shocking the number of speeders and the increase in traffic over four years," he said of information he had gleaned from traffic data compiled in 2007 and 2011 by counters installed at 148 Patterson Cres.

The counters were installed in the same location for one week each time.

- In 2007, the maximum speed reached on Patterson Crescent was 69 km/h. in 2011, it was 106 km/h.

- In 2007, the number of speeders per week was 3,991. By 2011, that number had grown to 5,755, of which 1,657 were going over 50 km/h.

- There were 1,048 drivers using the road in 2007, which grew by 424 drivers to 1,472 in 2011.

"I have yet to see an OPP cruiser with their lights flashing, having pulled somebody over (for speeding)," said Peter.

"I don't fault them (the police). Resources are scarce ... (But) you're not going to speed on Coleman Street because they (police) are there, and you're not going to speed out on Town Line Road near St. Gregory's School because they are out there."

"It's quite enlightening," said Coun. Doug Black of Hart's presentation.