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4 - Orono Weekly Times 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Wednesday, October 10, 2012 Hoofing around Town When Monica SerranoHruby goes to town she likes to do it on horseback. While horses are permitted to be on the roadway, Monica says the sheer volume of traffic on the roads some days makes riding her horse along the road very scary. Monica says she has always had horses, and when she moved to Concession Road 3 in Newcastle from Ajax almost a year ago she looked forward to riding her horse places. "It is nice to get out of the arena and do something," she told the Orono Times on Monday night. She used to take her horse through the Tim Horton's drive through in Newcastle until she was banned a month ago. "My horse took a dump in the driveway," Monica stated, and because it is not an area where people walk she was not obligated to clean it up. While horses have as much right to the road as automobiles, they are not allowed on the sidewalk. When it is not safe to ride on the road and there are no pedestrians on the sidewalk, Monica says she will ride on the sidewalk but she will pick up after her horse if it dumps in an area where people walk. Section 167 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act requires people driving vehicles to exercise every reasonable precaution to prevent the frightening of horses to ensure the safety and protection of any person driving, riding or leading the horse. M o n i c a claims that while 95 percent of the people are good, she always runs into the few who drive very close to her and her horse or honk at them. "That is unsafe for me and for them," she stated, "because if they hit my horse they are both going to get hurt." Corey Geddes lives on Manvers Road Newcastle and has enjoyed watching Monica ride her horse past his home. Plans for increased development in Newcastle leave him wondering how safe it will be lot over the two years since we made that first walk up Main Street. I have learned that helping your neighbours is very important here in traffic is light, and on the shoulder under heavier traffic conditions. With the construction of the Fosterbrook neighbourhood on the west end of town already underway and the proposed development of the land in n o r t h Newcastle between Arthur Street and Manvers Road, the local road network will see 400 to 500 more cars per hour according to Monica Serrano-Hruby (L) and Amy Delvecchio (R) ride their horses into town on Saturday during the Newcastle Fall Festival. in the future for Monica to continue to ride into town. Depending on the time of day and the traffic, Monica will ride along Arthur Street or Manvers Road to get into town. She will ride on the paved portion of the road if the Orono. A smile or a hug and a laugh can go a long way. Sitting outside with a coffee on Saturday morning and watching Orono come alive is Geddes. While he is not against development, Geddes says that development should not impact existing residents. When he moved to Newcastle 14 years ago, Geddes said it was a "quaint town." While nobody expects the village of Newcastle to the most peaceful, beautiful thing you will witness. I try to shop local and support our downtown, I buy my treats from the Orono Bakery, my clothes from Blueberry's and the Resale shop at the church, my vitamins from Terrens, I pick up my Orono newspaper every Wednesday from the Orono Times, I have found more than a few treasures from the other antique shops and I have even signed up for a few yoga classes in town. I stay small, "We can't let urban sprawl go unchecked," he stated. Geddes and his neighbours have formed the Newcastle Village Road Safety Committee to make sure that along with development comes the necessary infrastructure to make sure the roads are safe. According to the traffic studies he has seen from in his area, Geddes says only 20 percent of vehicles comply with the posted speed limit on Manvers Road which is 60 kilometers per hour. When he goes for a walk on the side of the road in his neighbourhood, an area without sidewalks or street lights, Geddes says half the cars ignore you the other half think you are in their way. He wants to slow the traffic down so people like Monica can ride their horses to town. Geddes hopes he and his neighbours who have formed the Newcastle Village Road Safety Committee will be able to work through the issues they are facing with increased development to keep their town quaint. HOWISEEIT Continued from pg 2 Orono. I have learned and grown a have also learned that walking to get your mail at the post office or walking the dog early in the morning can be a big social event. I know as things change, our store won't be around forever, but I do love what I have here in this village and hope that one day other people will see Orono as I see it. Lisa Cowell Victorias' Attic