6 Friday, January 19, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com During the 2010 election, I was part of a community movement to create a safer crossing at Carnwith and Watford. Community members invited me out as the local media representative to pressure candidates during the election. I now find it ironic that, in the 2018 election year, I am still working on street safety, albeit this time on the other side of the fence. However, the goal remains: to create a safer streetscape for our families. Council has in its 2018 budget to reconstruct Watford to make it safer. Staff at the Town have recommended similar enhancements to the Carnwith project: bump outs with curbs at intersections along Watford and bike lanes alongside on-street parking. The idea is to visually narrow the street so that traffic slows down. Part of Watford's problem is that is so wide and drivers feel safe to speed down it. Originally the subdivision's developers intended to put medians in the middle of the street. But upon further debate, they left them out so residents could actually turn in and out of their driveways. (Seriously? Hard to believe this was even considered.) There is also a roundabout proposed at the intersection of Nathan/McBeth and Watford. This is supposed to slow the traffic between the two schools. I want an honest response to the survey and so I'm reserving my thoughts on the road improvement suggestions until I see the results. I don't want to sway your opinion. If you wish to speak with me about it, I have no problem letting you know my thoughts. But in the spirit of a non-biased survey, I will withhold for now. Last week, when staff informed me they'd sent out a survey to the neighbourhood, I was pre-emptive and posted the survey online on several social media pages. I recognize that the school catch area is larger than the survey area. So, by following up in the paper I hope we can get more response from the community at large. Please have a look at the survey questions in the column on the right. The last question, which is not included, asked respondents to provide any additional comments on the Watford Street Improvements project. To receive project updates, the survey page asks respondents to provide their contact information. If you wish to simply provide feedback, you can send that to lookh@whitby.ca as Mr. Look is the staff liaison on the project. Thank you I want to extend a big thank you to residents for not parking on the street during winter storms. Over Christmas and New Year's, we had our challenges with snow removal but the bugs seemed to have been worked out. I'm happy to convey any snow removal issues along to staff to deal with, but by simply staying off the streets, you are helping. Attention Seniors We have a windrow program for seniors at the Town. If you register at the Brooklin Community Centre and Library for the program, whenever there'sa 10 cm snowfall, the Town will come around after the plow and clear out that heavy nasty snow at the end of your driveway left by the plow. (within 48 hours). This is not for snowbirds. You need to actually live in your house for the winter. Community losses Last week, we lost our former, Mayor Marcel Brunelle. I've been working with council members for a long time so I was acquainted with him. I noticed a few little odd things during the 2010 election, but never put two and two together until much later. That same week, I lost my mother-in-law, also to Alzheimer's. She's the reason I eventually recognized it in Marcel. One of the original volunteer Brooklin Moms, she, like the former Mayor, spent many years functioning in the community with the help of those around her who understood the disease. So we've have lost two great community champions. Our aging population means we have a substantial increase in dementia in society. If you haven't been part of the Blue Umbrella Training, you can take part by connecting with Durham Alzheimer's Society. Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby mulcahyr@whitby.ca Around We Go A one-week traffic safety blitz around neighbourhood schools in Durham Region has resulted in more than 1,100 traffic tickets being issued. The Durham Regional Police Traffic Services Branch, in conjunction with officers from all divisions, initiated a zero tolerance traffic enforcement campaign targeting school and community safety zones during the week of January 8-12, 2018. During that week, officers issued 1,144 tickets for various driving offences in and around schools. This includes 667 tickets for speeding and 8 charges of distracted driving. The goal of the annual enforcement campaign is to ensure high officer visibility and proactive enforcement in and around school zones during the first week back to school. The DRPS would like to thank local school officials and members of the public for supporting this traffic initiative. DRPS: "In the Zone" Traffic Blitz Around Schools Do you support the proposed roundabout at the Watford Street / Nathan Avenue intersection? Yes or No The online survey can be found at whitby.ca/watford Q1 Proposed curb realignment with bike lanes and parking Do you support the idea of providing two dedicated bike lanes with parking spaces on both sides of Watford Street - similar to Carnwith Drive at Watford Street? Yes or No Q2 Proposed curb realignment at Cassels Road Do you support the proposed curb realignment (i.e. bump- out) at the Watford Street / Blackfriar Avenue intersection? Yes or No Q3 Proposed curb realignment at Blackfriar Avenue Do you support the proposed curb realignment (i.e. bump- out) at the Watford Street / Blackfriar Avenue intersection? Yes or No Q4 Proposed curb realignment at Waring Avenue Do you support the proposed curb realignment (i.e. bump- out) at the Watford Street / Waring Avenue intersection? Yes or No Q5 Proposed roundabout at Nathan Avenue