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durhamregion.com The Citizen January 22, 2015 3 Mayor says more needs to be done to make roads safer for residents Parvaneh Pessian ppessian@durhamregion.com BROOKLIN -- A four-way stop sign could be a short-term solution to curbing safety issues at an intersection in Brooklin, but Whitby's mayor wants to see more done to address the underlying traffic problems plaguing local streets. Mayor Don Mitchell said he estimates that over the past year, council has directed staff to install more four-way stop signs at Whitby intersections than he's seen over his entire career. "I think that just reflects a general frustration with the speeding in residential areas (and) a frustration with the safety issue of crossing streets," he said. At a meeting on Jan. 12, North Ward Councillor Derrick Gleed raised a motion -- which was supported by council -- directing staff to prepare a report that reviews the possibility of placing a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Carnwith Drive East and Watford Street in Brooklin. The move comes after residents met with council members in October to voice their concerns with the intersection, located just south of Brooklin Village Public School. Many families in the area are worried about crossing Carnwith and Watford due to heavy traffic during peak periods, as well as the design of the road and visibility issues, which they say make it difficult for pedestrians to get to the other side safely. "Carnwith Drive is an extraordinarily wide stretch of road, a very fast road, and the danger of taking children back and forth across that road has grown tremendously," said Coun. Gleed, adding he hopes to see the report come back to council by March. Brooklin resident Emma Inkpen, one of the parents who met with members of council to discuss the intersection this past fall, said she's "very happy" with the Town's response. "We will be using the crossing starting (in) September with our youngest, and unless we move, will do so for 10 years while the girls attend Brooklin Village Public School," she said. "This crossing affects our daily lives." Controlling traffic continues to be a major problem in north Whitby due to increased growth in the area over the years. While supporting the idea of a four-way stop sign to help deal with issues at Carnwith and Watford, Mayor Mitchell said the Town needs to come up with "more creative designs right from the start in new developments," rather than taking a reactive approach and installing stop signs. "We really need to think about calming these traffic-carrying streets in a really comprehensive way ... we have, I think, the staff on hand and the expertise on hand to develop a much broader tool kit for council to consider," he said. "We want to see other alternatives because I don't think we want to build a town of four-way stops. That's necessary right now in this case ... but for 22 hours a day, most drivers would say, 'What is this thing doing here?' "It's just a frustration. We're not here to frustrate every driver in our community but we're here to make sure that people are using safe speeds." Putting a stop to safety issues in Brooklin BROOKLIN -- Crossing guard Sue Winkler stopped traffic as pedestrians crossed Carnwith Drive East at Watford Street. The Town of Whitby is looking into addressing safety concerns at the Brooklin intersection.