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27 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,July 18,2019 theifp.ca WHO DOES IT? Look for the RIGHTbusiness for the JOBProfessional Directory Deadline for Thursday's edition is Tuesday by 11 am THREE EASY WAYS TO SHOP. Floor and Home The One Store For Your Perfect Floor 26 Guelph St., Downtown Georgetown www.carpetone.ca http://carpetonegeorgetown.goldbook.ca 905-877-9896 CarPet, harDWooD, rUGs & tiLe 905-877-8990 VISIT OUR SHOWROOM! 118 Guelph St. (at Maple) ~ info@asghomecomfort.com SALES, SERVICE & INSTALLATION air, heatinG&FirePLaCe To advertise in this directory contact Kelli Kosonic 905-234-1018 or email kkosonic@theifp.ca bathroom renovations Cell: 416-989-7809 Dave LoDuca QUALITY BATHROOM RENOVATIONS C C T I L EE RAM I Gold 2018 Halton Hills CONTRACTOR - 7 years! Thanks for your support! A serious crash on River Drive near Tenth Line has renewed residents' call for something to be done about traffic along the busy stretch of Georgetown road. "There's always prob- lems," said Campbell Rind- fleisch, who lives near the intersection with his wife Tina, giving them perma- nent front-row seats to cars speeding through a 50-kilo- metre-per-hour zone, sometimes passing trucks along the way, and drivers continuously rolling through the stop sign. "In the winter it's a nightmare because trucks get stuck on the hill. I don't think there's another road in the town of Halton Hills that's been closed as much as Riv- er Drive." The road, which winds its way through northeast Georgetown and ends at Tenth Line, was recently closed for a lengthy period due to a head-on collision between a westbound SUV and an eastbound fully- loaded dump truck hauling a trailer. The truck ended up on the Rindfleisches' front lawn, causing a substantial amount of damage, while the SUV landed on next door neighbours Helene and Peter Beecham's prop- erty where it burst into flames. Peter said he helped the driver out the vehicle be- fore the fire started. The lone male occupant sus- tained minor injuries in the crash and then left the scene on foot, but was later apprehended by police and transported to hospital. According to the two families, River Drive has been plagued by traffic-re- lated woes for many years. They say that often, they can barely pull in and out of their own driveways due to the heavy car and truck traffic and speeding vehi- cles tailgating them as they attempt to turn into their properties, sometimes forcing them to continue driving up to Tenth Line. "It's become worse over the years and is just beyond crazy," said Helene, who has lived on River Drive for almost half a century. "It has to be addressed in a se- rious manner. "It's been too long and we're all fed up." While the residents ac- knowledged that police have been seen in the area recently doing traffic en- forcement, they say that more needs to be done, with speed bumps, truck traffic restrictions and the use of photo radar among their suggestions. "The Town really should be doing something about it," said Peter. "Peo- ple have got to be slowed down and made to abide by the rules." Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette told the Indepen- dent that over the last few years, town staff and coun- cillors have been made aware of River Drive resi- dents' concerns about per- ceived speeding and truck traffic. "During this time staff have been working with the residents to address their concerns as it relates to speeding," he said. The head of council said the municipality has also undertaken a number of road safety initiatives on River Drive, including the installation of a vehicle-ac- tivated traffic calming sign west of Tenth Line to ad- vise drivers of their speed and the replacement of all warning signs between Tenth Line and Mountain- view Road North to in- crease driver awareness. In addition, he said the town has conducted a mo- tor vehicle collision and sight line review, updated its speed studies and tem- porarily installed a radar message board, among oth- er measures. "River Drive is classified as a minor arterial road with the main purpose of moving traffic, which in- cludes heavy trucks. As such, speed humps on this road would not be consid- ered," said Bonnette. "The restriction of trucks on this road is also not being con- sidered due to the limited number of Credit River crossings. Unfortunately, we don't have many options to reroute or restrict the east-west truck traffic." He noted the town has an excellent working rela- tionship with Halton re- gional police and does reg- ular safety blitzes to en- sure the trucks travellin- g on local roads are safe. In the case of the head- on collision, the driver of the SUV is facing a variety of charges. Garrett Stimp- son, 26, of Orangeville was charged with impaired driving, having a blood al- cohol concentration of 80 milligrams or more, failure to stop after an accident and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Stimpson has made oth- er headlines since the colli- sion, first being reported missing for six days, fol- lowed by police apprehend- ing him in South Stormont (southeast of Ottawa) for allegedly driving a stolen car, resisting arrest and causing damage to a police cruiser. He was later re- leased. RIVER DRIVE RESIDENTS DEMAND ACTION ON TRAFFIC ISSUES This significant collision between an SUV and dump truck is among the latest traffic-related issues on River Drive in Georgetown. Helene Beecham photo MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com NEWS